Tick tock, tick tock - the minutes ticked by as Lisa gazed sideways at the big illuminated numbers on her alarm clock as she lay in bed. A dull ache that started at her scalp radiated down her body to the tips of her toes. Even her ears hurt. She couldn't even imagine trying to move. She lay on her down-stuffed comforter and wished for a nice warm bowl of chicken soup. This cold had hit her hard and she been in bed for two days.
As if that weren't bad enough, Lisa couldn't believe her horrible luck – sick on Valentine's Day. Of all the days to be sick, why this one? In the past, she was alone on Valentine's Day and, wouldn't you know it, healthy as a horse but without a date. Now, finally, when she found someone nice, cute, funny with great date potential, she was coughing up a lung.
************
Lisa met Mark two weeks before Valentine's Day. Even the timing was perfect. It was a chilly winter day and Lisa was leaving a Starbucks with her morning vanilla latte. She was on her way to work and she was wearing her cute new boots with the stiletto heel – an unfortunate choice as a midnight frost had left the sidewalks distinctly slippery.
Lisa took two steps on the icy sidewalk and both her boots and feet failed her and together slid out from underneath her. Lisa watched in horror as her world turned upside down and she braced herself for contact with the hard cement. Suddenly, though, she realized that she was suspended mid-air. She slowly turned herself around and, as she raised herself up to her feet, she locked eyes with the most gorgeous man she had ever seen.
He had wavy brown hair and olive skin. Long eyelashes framed his soft, warm hazel eyes which seemed to dance with a hint of laughter.
When their eyes met he let out a soft chuckle and whispered, "I saved you, but I'm afraid your muffin wasn't so lucky."
She looked down in surprise and saw her blueberry muffin, mercilessly squished by pedestrians on the busy city sidewalk.
"Let me buy you another one," he offered in a voice that was both sexy and mysterious at the same time.
Lisa opened her mouth to object – she was late for work – but then closed it and decided for once to do something spontaneous with her life. After all, what else did she have to look forward to? Another exciting day at the office and then take-out Chinese at home with her cat? No, this day would be different.
"Well, maybe just one muffin," Lisa sighed.
Mark smiled, "ok, one muffin it is" and he led her back inside the Starbucks.
One muffin turned into two muffins and another latte and before she knew it, Lisa was three hours late to work. It turns out Mark was not only handsome, but smart too and he worked as a successful ad exec in a big firm. As he spoke, Lisa found herself watching his lips and wondering how soft they were. She tried concentrating on his words but it was difficult to deny the heat she was feeling just being near him. She looked at his strong hands and well-groomed nails absently fingering the last of his raisin muffin. How was it possible that a man this handsome, this quietly seductive was single?
She caught snippets of the words coming out of his mouth "alone", "townhouse", "divorced", "Valentine's Day"? Huh? Jolted from her reverie, Lisa realized that Mark was asking her a question. Embarrassed at being caught not paying attention, Lisa wondered if Mark could guess that she was daydreaming about his lips.
Mark spoke slowly as if her were speaking to a deaf person "I was wond-er-ing if you would like to go out with me on Val-en-tines Day?"
Lisa could hardly believe her ears. "Yes!" she stammered. Did she sound too desperate?
Mark laughed for what seemed like the zillionth time that morning and wrote his number on the back of a business card. "Call me, please," he said, "I've loved meeting you," and he slipped out the door and disappeared onto the crowded sidewalk.
Lisa stared into her latte and swallowed hard. What had just happened? It was like she was in some sensual crazy dream. As Lisa rose she grabbed the table to balance herself on her lucky stiletto boots. Valentine's Day was two whole weeks away and Lisa was beginning to wonder whether she could endure 14 days of the tingling that was already making its way up her legs.
************
Lisa waited two days to call Mark – hopefully the right amount to look not too desperate but also not too interested. Geez, how did guys usually handle this? Lisa did secretly appreciate that Mark left it up to her to call. Even though the whole when-to-call question was a bit difficult, she enjoyed feeling like she was in control.
Lisa waited until the evening when she hoped Mark would be home. The phone rang three times and Lisa was just weighing her two bad options – leaving an awkward message or hanging up – when thankfully Mark answered.
"Hi Mark?" Lisa stammered, "it's Lisa from Starbucks." God, it sounded like she worked there. What kind of an intro was that?
Lisa stopped and hoped for what seemed an eternity for a sound of recognition from Mark's voice.
"Lisa! I've been waiting for you to call!" Mark said with definite enthusiasm. "Are we still on for Valentine's Day?"
"Yes," she said, "but do we really need to wait so long?"
"I have a feeling about you," Mark said "and I want our first date to be special."
The sincerity in Mark's voice made Lisa know it was worth the wait.
"OK, we'll wait, but it'll be hard..."
Lisa was surprised at her boldness, she was letting Mark know that she wanted to see him, but something in his voice made her know he felt the same. It was that heat again, she could feel it through the phone. How would she make it?
************
The next week and a half passed by in a blur. Each minute of each day inched by and Lisa spent most of her time lost in a fantasy land. The wait only made her tingle harder.
Two days before Valentine's Day, Lisa barely noticed when her nose started itching and she started to sniffle. When a co-worker asked Lisa if she was getting sick, she barely gave it a second thought and told her it was just allergies. But it was clear by the night before Valentine's Day that she was definitely coming down with something besides the love bug. Her head hurt and she felt wobbly.
When Valentine's Day dawned, Lisa opened her eyes silently praying that she would be miraculously healed. Unfortunately, a cough rumbled in her lungs and she knew that it was not to be. She stayed home from work and nursed her cold all day long with Echinacea tea and Vitamin C.
It was 6:00 in the evening as Lisa lay in bed watching the minutes on her clock tick by. Mark was supposed to pick her up at 7:00. She couldn't wait any longer and finally drug herself up on one elbow to make the call. As horrible as she felt, she had to admit that an even bigger reason for canceling the date was vanity. She couldn't let Mark see her for the second time ever in her current state – hair in disarray, no makeup and old pajamas.
As the phone rang on the other end Lisa cursed her body for betraying her when she needed it the most. Luckily, Mark answered the phone.
"Ma-ark?" Lisa croaked.
"Yes?"
"Mark, I'm so sorry, but I'm sick, I'm not going to be able to make it."
"Oh no, really?" he sounded concerned. "Are you sure you can't make it? I was so looking forward to it."
Good, he sounded like he liked her too.
"Yes Mark, believe me, this is killing me."
"Is there anything you need?" he asked.
"No, no, I'm good. As soon as I feel better we'll get together, ok?"
"OK, I guess. Feel better soon." Mark whispered and hung up.
Lisa felt so disappointed she thought she would cry.
C'mon Lisa, pull yourself together, even if you haven't had sex in a year, it will eventually be your lucky day..... and with that she dozed off with an aching body and an aching heart.
Lisa awoke with a jolt. She thought she heard something. She looked at her sideways clock and saw 8:30. Reality came rushing back - by now she would have been staring dreamily across a table in some romantic restaurant into Mark's beautiful eyes. There it was again, the doorbell! Who could be here? And, dammit, she was gonna have to drag herself out of bed.
"I'm coming" she yelled as she fumbled in the dark to find her fuzzy bunny slippers. She shuffled into the hallway as she groaned and threw open the door. There, before her, was Mark. Her breath caught in her throat as her heart surged with excitement. But then, she realized how she looked and her hands flew to her face.
"Oh my God, what are you doing here!?!" she screamed and tried to hide behind the door.