Full Circle

"Who invented Valentine's Day, anyhow?" Molly whined.  "It's depressing.  I haven't had a date since Pete and I broke up two months ago."

"It's not that bad," Tess replied.  "Just think of all the grief you don't have to deal with anymore."

"Like what?  All I see is that I'm lonely and I don't have a date for Valentine's Day.  That's just plain pathetic."

"That means you can pick the restaurant you want to eat at.  And remember how annoyed you were when Pete tried to order for you?  You can order whatever you want, wherever you want," Tess said optimistically.

Molly sighed and made a face.  "Who wants to ask for a table for one on Valentine's?"

"You can eat without worrying that he's watching every bite you put in your mouth."

Molly shrugged.

"You don't have to worry that he thinks you chew like a horse?"

"Whatever," she huffed, refusing to look at the bright side.  "Should I bring myself a gift, too?"

"You could.  Remember last year when Pete gave you that hideous gaudy heart that looked like plastic with a silk rose embedded in it?  Where did he get that--a bubble gum machine?"

Molly laughed sardonically. 

"You don't have to dress up," Tess continued.  "And if you do, you don't have to worry that your heels will make you taller than him." 

Molly raised an eyebrow.  "I could order dessert and not have someone tell me it'll make me fat."

Tess threw her head back and laughed.  "Now you're getting into the spirit, Mol!"

"I could go out and buy myself a box of chocolates; the kind I really want instead of suffering through the cheap stuff he always brought."

"Wait until the day after when everything's on sale."  Tess spoke from experience.  "Speaking of cheap, did you know that in Japan the women buy chocolate for the men on Valentine's Day?"

"Are you kidding?  What a rip off!"

"Wait, it gets better.  A month later, on March 14, the men have to give chocolate to the women," Tess began.

"How is that better," Molly interrupted, fuming.  "They could just give them back what they received a month earlier!  Now that is cheap."

"No, no, no.  Let me finish.  On March 14 the men give the women chocolate, but it has to be white chocolate so that they can't give back what they received."

Tess and Molly laughed as they cleared their lunch table.

"Maybe it won't be so bad being alone on Valentine's Day.  I could order Chinese and watch a movie in my PJ's and slippers instead of worrying about hair and make up," Molly said, beginning to feel better.

"That sounds like a good idea," Tess encouraged.

"Tess, you aren't dating anyone right now. What are you doing on Valentine's?"

"Ryan asked me to go to dinner with him," she answered.

Molly stopped and looked at her friend in disbelief.  "Ryan?  'I wish he'd drop dead and get run over by a bus because he's such a big jerk' Ryan?"

"Yes."

"Asked you to marry him and changed his mind the next day when Meagan was hired and he wanted to continue playing the field...that Ryan?"  Molly asked incredulously.

"Yes."  Tess was too embarrassed to look at her.

"Can I ask just one question?  Why?"

"Well, who wants to be alone on Valentine's Day?"


562 words

Writer's Cramp Prompt for 2/8-9:  Write about being alone on Valentine's Day.