My Valentine Story

It was 6:30 PM. I looked out the window for the fourth time and wondered if he looked anything like his deep, sexy, masculine phone voice. My imagination was running wild with thoughts of how he might look. His voice was all I knew – and I was about to meet the man with the sexy voice for the first time.

It had started with Internet chats and emails. Then cyberspace morphed into telephone conversations with the “voice” and now I was waiting for Prince Charming to whisk me away on a romantic, creative, and highly anticipated first date. (We had become Prince Charming and Princess Cassandra in our third email exchange.)

When the empty spot in my driveway disappeared, I was relieved to see that my imagination had not deceived me. The man with the sexy voice really was tall, dark, and handsome and as I answered his knock and opened the door, his warm, friendly smile made his eyes sparkle and instantly put me at ease.

The dinner reservation was for 7:30 PM. As the maitre‘d led us to our table I noticed a heavy gold crown laden with colorful jewels next to the Prince Charming place card and a fragile tiara with diamonds that sparkled in the dim light next to the spot reserved for Princess Cassandra. Draped across the top of the tiara was a long-stemmed, peach colored rose (my favorite).

Curt (aka Prince Charming) put on his crown, placed the delicate tiara on my head, and informed me that the crowns must be worn all evening as he kissed my hand. Other diners were staring, smiling, and failing miserably in their attempts not to appear obvious. As we finished our meal, the lady sitting at the next table tapped me on the shoulder and asked how she could get a tiara like mine. With an impish grin, I said, “Well, you have to date a Prince.”

I usually try to avoid the spotlight but that night I realized that most of the women in the restaurant were wishing they were me. Prince Charming was making sure I was the center of attention and it wasn’t so bad. In fact, I found myself enjoying it. As we stood up to leave, Curt touched my face and drew me toward him for our first kiss. I heard the collective sighs of many women throughout the room and realized I was already smitten - and the night was still young.

He said we were going somewhere special for dessert. As we drove up to Portland’s world famous rose gardens, he asked about my favorite dessert (I had already told him in one of our early emails). When I said, “orange sherbert and chocolate ice cream,” he stopped at a scenic viewpoint and proceeded to dish up a bowl of my two favorite flavors from an ice chest in the trunk of the car.

After dessert, he produced his guitar and led me on a short walk to a gazebo strung with hundreds of little white twinkling lights. It was breathtaking. He then proceeded to serenade me with a song he had written especially for me. I was amazed. He later told me that he realized by singing an original song on a first date that it was probably going to be a make-or-break moment. He wondered if I’d be “swooning while he was crooning” or “bailing and hailing” a taxicab.

As it turned out, I did neither! Instead I fell in love on that magical night and later married the man who did indeed turn out to be my Prince Charming.

And they lived happily ever after…

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