Everyone has a funny story about a birthday, Easter, Christmas, and especially New Year’s Eve. But what about Valentine’s Day? The one day when flowers are priced higher than ever and the card racks are desolate for the last-minute shopper. But there is an endless supply of chocolate, stacks of the wonderful sweet treat that tells your beloved something special.
Many years ago I purchased a box of varied chocolate flavors and as a surprise I put them into a very nice crystal dish – also part of the gift along with flowers – and presented them to my girlfriend. Feeding her chocolate and sipping champagne was romantic and leading places. That is until she felt a weird tingle in her face and I wondered why her lips felt funny while I was kissing her. She was allergic to almonds in the chocolate, and guess who had thrown away the box? Yep, yours truly. I had too rush her to the emergency room and spent the better part of a would be romantic evening watching her face return to normal size. Needless to say by the next Valentine’s Day I was single, but remembering her slew of profanities being spat into my ear with a swollen tongue and lips during the car ride to the hospital still makes me chuckle. So, when I see some young guy with a box of chocolates under his arm at the check out. I almost want to ask him if she has any food allergies. But who am I to ruin a good memory down the road?