The
First Year of Happiness
by
Glen Shikunov
According
to psychology, true love brings true happiness. As the first year
passed with my one and only I realized there was nothing more
I needed in life to be happy. With our one year anniversary about
to arrive I needed a way to show her she is the one. I wanted
to let her know she was my love, my life, my entire world. Planning
was not easy, but I came up with an idea to make her heart pound
for years to come.
The plan
started with a quiet dinner that I would make. While this does
not sound very spontaneous, my dinner was no ordinary
dinner. Cherry-scented candles were a must to set the romantic
mood. Along with her favorite roses on the table and a CD of all
the romantic songs we’ve been through together, the scene
was set perfectly.
Next was
the deal breaker. I set out for this dinner to have something
that other dinners did not. I succeeded in some ways and failed
at others. All restaurants have menus so my dinner had a menu
of its own. I rushed to the nearest Best Buy in order to purchase
a program that could help me set up a menu. After importing pictures
of our favorite places, her favorite musicians, and all the food
and drinks I will have served, the menu was set. While this took
over 3 hours to perfect (I am not established well with computers)
it was well worth it as she almost cried when she saw all the
work I put into it.
The food
needed special attention. Dinner with so-so food is like a model
in a so-so dress. It just does not work. With only 3 hours left
before my love came from work I needed to act quickly. Maggiano’s
Little Italy restaurant was the place we went to on our first
date. Dropping by with only two and a half hour to spare I requested
the exact same two dishes we ordered on that first date. Accompanied
by the chocolate cake that we split, I rushed out to the grocery
store to pick up her favorite drink (an unusual request of mixed
Sprite and Lemonade).
Problems
arise with every planned occasion. It’s a simple rule of
life. Mine arose with my stereo’s power cord not working.
With less then an hour left I had to once again run out to get
8 single-A batteries in order to accommodate the stereo’s
needs. The music was set, the table was set, and everything looked
perfect.
As I was
throwing on my dress pants, 7 o’clock hit and the doorbell
rang. It was an alarming sound as I have been so busy preparing
I did not know if everything was perfect. I bought a black shirt,
black pants, and a white tie for this evening and with the jitters
in me I suddenly questioned if the outfit looked any good. She
walked in, I sat her down, told her I was in love with her, and
then presented the menu. Her eyes lit up and she almost cried
as she was in disbelief of my efforts. She laughed and her voice
trembled as she read the whole menu. Our favorite jokes, her favorite
meal and drink orders, dessert, and all the events we have been
through together. As she “ordered” her meal I invited
her to the “dance floor” and told her every dance
with her brought more life into me. We danced the night away,
although it was all in the vicinity of my own home. As we finished
eating and desert was on the way, the sun began to set. We fed
each other chocolate cake while watching the beauty of the sun.
The night was spectacular - my love is spectacular! And while
the set up was extremely hard, it was well worth the effort. I
am not a rich person and could never spend my one year anniversary
in Hawaii or Paris, but I did the best I could and my soul mate
still reads the menu whenever she needs a reminder of how much
I love her.
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