This is my entry in the Valentine's Day 2021 competition. Please read through the other entries and vote and comment as you wish.
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Almost everyone in the office would have preferred a Christmas Party, but instead the partners, no doubt spurred on by a handful of the secretaries, decided that a weekend team-building exercise in the middle of January would be a much better idea. We had gathered in the hinterland where it was slightly cooler than in the city where we all worked, but it was still high summer, and the flies and mosquitos knew we were easy targets.
To make things worse, we were staying at a church-run campsite that did not allow alcohol, and someone had decided to have the weekend catered as if we were staying at a health retreat. Half the office had been given Friday off in preparation, the rest of us had Monday to recuperate and I had already planned with my colleague, Janet to head out Sunday night to drink and eat fried food.
Some of the team building games had been entertaining and it had been relaxing playing Monopoly with some of my colleagues the night before. I was now an associate in the practice specialising in Family Law and had a large clientele, many with stories that made me realise why I was nowhere near married at almost 30.
"Hmm Val, I can't believe any of these are true, they all seem so farfetched!" Rhys, one of the partners was looking at my 'Two truths and a lie' contribution. "I find it hard to believe that both your parents are doctors, your brothers are all doctors, and their partners are all doctors. Surely there must be some diversity in there?"
"I will neither confirm nor deny."
"I do like this one and I suspect it has to be true because it is the least incredulous of the lot. You probably do live with a cat and three goldfish in a purpose-built condo overlooking the ocean."
"I'm not going to give you any hints, even Janet has been slightly baffled by my three options!" This was a slight stretch of the truth and I did have my fingers crossed behind my back as I said it.
"Well, I doubt that both of your parents were born one day either side of Valentine's Day, married on Valentine's Day, all their children are February babies, and they are both Valentine's mad holding a Valentine's party each year."
"I will admit yours are fairly straightforward Mr Partner... I'm pretty sure you do live on a boat, yet it may not be called Serenity because that seems too calm almost, I'm willing to believe you have been married and divorced, however, you do not strike me as being someone who was raised by hippies- you're too refined for that! I suspect your father at least is in the law and you've lived a life of privilege."
"Well, we'll find out soon enough! Look, they're trying to gather us together again already."
I found Janet and we sat in the large circle that had been set up for the weekend. I had to admit it had not been all bad and checking our phones in as we arrived, whilst terrifying at the time, had been quite pleasant and helped me, at least, be in the moment.
"Thanks, team let's bring it in one last time! I think we can all agree that it has been a productive weekend. We had some changes last year with some long-serving staff moving on or retiring and some new staff joining us, especially Rhys Evans as a partner and it would seem that although Max assured me it would be Rhys who would be the most elusive in 2 truths and a lie, he has just been pipped at the post by Ms Valerie Hartman who has baffled us the most and considering you've been with us what, 5 years now?"
"About that Katherine, yes, but I'm still not prepared to say which was the lie!" I was amazed I had fooled so many of my colleagues and wondered which they thought most likely to be fictional.
"Good on you, Val!" the team laughed and soon we were gathering our mobile phones and packing the last things into our cars.
I had caught a ride up with Janet. We met at uni and have been firm friends since.
"Are you right to go out tonight or would you rather spend the evening with Penny alone?" Penny was Janet's partner and the two were perfect together.
"Would you mind? I mean without phones and contact and all, I missed her so much."
"Not at all! I must admit I am feeling a little perkier after all the healthy food and one more night of it won't hurt me! I might even make it to yoga tomorrow evening."
I listened to my voicemail messages, all from my family. Mum was reminding me the Valentines gala was coming up. Henry, my middle brother, who, like his partner Ken, was a psychiatrist had called from a trivia night suspecting I would know the answer to a question on constitutional law. Emily, my best friend since childhood, who was a GP and was married to my youngest older brother, Boyd, who was almost a paediatrician rang just to see how I was, even though I heard baby Issy in the background crying. Finally, Giles, my oldest brother who was also a cardiologist like my parents had rung to remind me he'd be in the city this week and wanted to confirm dinner one evening.
"All good?" Janet asked as I hung up.
"Yeah, it's Mum and Dad's birthdays and their 40th wedding anniversary this Valentines and they've organised a huge gala to raise money for the Cardiac Department at their hospital. They hold a party every year and this gala every 5, and this year is it. It's like, bigger than Ben Hur. Mum, Dad, Boyd, and Emily all have ideas on guys I should meet, of course, all doctors, and will be hinting not too subtly at me to settle down. I can't help that I keep meeting losers."
"Well, why don't you get in first and tell them you're bringing someone?"
"Like who? My last relationship was a disaster, but luckily none of them met Craig. I'm hardly able to just take one of the guys I pick up occasionally home to Mum and Dad, am I?"
"Well, why don't you ask someone like Rhys. I mean, he's a partner so that would be good in your parents' eyes, he's bloody hot, even for a dyke like me and, as far as I know, he's single. He'd be the perfect pretend boyfriend."
I wondered to myself if Janet had a point. I adored my family, but I was definitely the black sheep of it refusing to study medicine. When I told Mum and Dad that I was going to study law they told me that at least I could still marry a doctor. The gala was a huge event, and it did raise a lot of money. I hadn't spent Christmas with my family knowing I would be spending Valentine's Day with them and I knew deep down I missed them all terribly.
After Janet had dropped me at home, a humble worker's cottage that was so far away from the modern condo I knew Janet and Penny lived in, I decided to try some of Janet's advice.
"Hey Mum, yeah, sorry. No, I'm just home from a team-building weekend. How could you begin to think I could forget about Valentines? Yes, it is in my diary! Well, I'm sure he is, but I'm sort of seeing someone. I mean, no, it's early days and all, but he's just lovely. No, Mum, no, I really don't want to... Mum, as I said it's early days...ok, I'll ask him, but he's probably going to be busy. Gee, thanks Mum, you think I'm that desperate I must invent boyfriends now? Thanks a lot."
Mum was married at 23 and had had 3 sons by her 30th. I have never been able to work out if I was an 'oops' or if I had been carefully planned when I came along a few years later as the long-awaited girl. My parents doted on each other even after 40 years of marriage.
~*~*~*~*~
I met Giles for dinner Thursday evening as planned, alone, despite him asking to meet my new 'beau.' Giles is 9 years older than me and has always looked out for me, despite our age difference. He met Bridget at medical school and the two have been married for almost 15 years. Their daughters, Millicent and Amelia are growing into beautiful young women and I love it when they fly down to spend time with me in the school holidays.
"I flew down to shadow a colleague for a week as we try to finalise the design on the new stents we have been developing. But you don't want me to talk shop, do you?"
"That's why you're my favourite big brother!"
"You say that to Henry and Boyd too!"
"Yeah, maybe I do! So, what are we going to get Mum and Dad for their anniversary?"
"Bridge and I thought we could send them away for a week to an island or something."
"That sounds ideal and Mum would love that."
"Boyd reckons we get them a selection of sex toys, but I reckon he's got blue balls with the baby and all."
"Issy's almost 6 months, it may have become less frequent, but surely...I mean, Emily would be gagging for it more than him I reckon! What about Henry and Ken?"
"They like the idea of a holiday for them. Hen also suggested some professional family photos which sound nice too."
"Yeah, whatever. Just tell me how much I owe."
"So, tell me about this new bloke of yours. Mum seems excited."
"It's just a guy from work. I'm not sure if there's anything in it really."
"You could start a new branch of the family, what's his surname? You know Hartman and whoever, partners in law or at law or whatever you legal eagles say."
"I'm not telling!"
"Well, Boyd's got a surgeon lined up for you. He's got a huge nose."
