How You Know He Loves You, or Happy Valentine’s Day

What’s that smell? Pine-Sol?

When I was dating my now-husband, I was a divorced mom of two little boys. I was finishing my undergraduate degree and he was a starving grad student. We had no money and two adorable chaperons.

We had a day off school in January and were hanging out with my kids. Between studying and loads of dirty clothes, I discovered my younger son had a horrible bathroom incident.

I will spare you the details, but I will tell you I had to mop the ceiling and bleach everything in the bathroom.

I was a grumpy mess. Hair slapped up into the Ponytail of Despair, wearing my ex-husband’s sweatpants (can’t say he never gave me anything!), hands smelling of Pine-Sol and bleach and perhaps something worse.

I had just been snappish with my son when my boyfriend took my hand and tugged me out of the bathroom to talk to me privately.

I was pretty ashamed of myself for losing my temper a bit with my poor, sick boy and followed reluctantly.

Away from my children, I prepared myself mentally to be gently fussed at.

Instead, he held my hands, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.

I was a mess, and my hands probably smelled bad, but he didn’t notice or care.

The proposal was not an impulse, but he hadn’t bought a ring so we could pick something out together.

He wanted me to have the option of “small ring from grad student now” or “big ring from working man later”. Ring now, please!

We went to a local jeweler to browse. I fell in love with a beautiful princess-cut diamond. Later I went back alone to gaze upon its loveliness and my ring was gone. I cried a few real tears over it.

My fiance hugged me when I told him and reassured me we’d find another perfect diamond.

A few weeks later I was almost ready for our Valentine’s Day date, primping last minute, waiting for him to arrive.

I didn’t hear my sister let him in so I was in the bathroom brushing my hair when he rushed in.

From behind his back he whipped out a huge bouquet of roses and a ring box containing the longed-for ring. He’d had it the whole time.

When he’d consoled me, the ring box was in his pocket right then! It must have been difficult to not give me the ring, but he was determined to do it right on Valentine’s Day.

He was going to do the public proposal thing at the restaurant, but he could not wait a single minute more.

I can still remember dropping the brush, thankfully missing the commode.

So my proposal began and ended near a toilet, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

When the person is right you don’t need romance and moonlight. You need the man who will be there when you are fat with his babies, crying at your grandfather’s funeral, mad at your sister, wrinkled and old.

When you find a man who thinks you look great first thing in the morning, loves whatever you cook and is good to your mama, grab him and love him forever.

I did and I do.

Happy Valentine’s Day,

P.S.  I’m going out of town today and he sent me this little bit of sweetness via text:

“HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! Check tire pressure before you go. Set air pump to 32. Pump will beep when the pressure is right.”

Back off, ladies. He’s all mine!

How do you know that you are loved? Any special plans today?

Cupid picture from here.