There is love for some, today

Feb 14, 2016 Features / Columnists, My Column

Today is Valentine’s Day. It is a day when for some reason people focus on love for just that day. To see them behave the way they do, one would think that Guyana is the most loving country in the world.
Today women are going to bring out their red and white; men are going to try to capture that woman on whom they had their eyes. They are going to buy things they never did all year. The real winners would be the entertainment centres. They know that madness is the source of money, so they are going to trot out those things that would normally mean nothing, but for the love-struck these things are as good as gold.
I can talk about these things, because way back when I was a young man I was caught up in Valentine’s Day. As a schoolboy my teachers had the class draw hearts and colour them red. It never failed to amaze me how adept the girls were. In fact, they were so innovative that some of the teachers actually accepted the things they made and treasured them.
I got married early, so Valentine’s Day for me was to get something special for my wife. The first year of the marriage saw me buying panties that were decorated with roses and hearts. Actually, the roses were in relief—they were raised on the surface. I supplemented these with a box of chocolates. My wife was elated.
We went to a dance that night at the Bartica Community Centre and I got into trouble. I happened to dance one number too much with a girl who would be available when wives turned their backs. Nothing could rekindle the spirit of Valentine that year. I never made that mistake again. Valentine parties saw me sticking to my wife like glue to wood.
The greatest thing for me on Valentine’s Day was the lunch. My wife would always cook something special. She would cook so much that there were always side dishes to eat days later, thanks to a small refrigerator I bought in 1973.
But Valentine’s Day was more than food and parties. It was about sharing with friends, and so formed some of the relationships I enjoy to this day.
For some reason there were fewer bad things on Valentine’s Day. It was as if criminals succumbed to the spirit of love that permeated the air. Drivers appeared to be even more careful, perhaps wary of hitting some young lover.
But what is this all about? Somewhere, a man said to be a Saint was imprisoned and was about to be put to death. This is far from the love that prevails today. One story has it that a Saint Valentine healed the daughter of his jailer. On the day before his execution he sent her a letter that he signed ‘Your Valentine.’ That may have been the origin of the Valentine letters.
These days young people are not as sentimental. I am not sure that people write letters these days, given the preponderance of social media. I can imagine a young man sending a text or a tweet to his girl with some emoticon. I don’t see too many of them heading to lunch.
Banks DIH at one time offered Valentine’s baskets. These would contain, baked chicken, a bottle of wine and cakes decorated in red and white. The ordinary man would not have bought these because they would have been out of his reach. So they would content themselves with cooking these things, which is what the day should be all about—family.
Kaieteur News is family and there will be a Valentine’s Day family gathering. The staff actually looks forward to these family gatherings. The food is free and the drinks flow.
Guyana is a large family, too. On Friday, I happened to be talking with some colleagues. As can be expected, the conversation drifted to Valentine’s Day. Of course, we are no longer the sentimental fellas we once were. So the conversation drifted to days past when we did some really strange things back then.
The most popular thing we did was drink. In fact, we found an occasion to drink at the drop of a hat. In the same way, my mother found an occasion to sew clothes. She was adept with her hands, but finesse was lacking. No one could have missed a shirt she sewed; the stitching was a dead giveaway. Sewing machine left neat stitching. My mother’s sewing displayed the thread in the same way countries display their flags.
On occasions like Valentine’s Day me, my three sisters at the time and a brother all displayed the same cloth. It was dress to match; we couldn’t get lost even if we tried. Today dressing alike is a fad, because I see so many people dressed the same way.
Tonight I am going to see groups of girls all dressed as though they are sisters. The only thing is that they would be by themselves, because they would have failed to get a Valentine.

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There is love for some, today

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