celebrating valentine's day at a table for one ..

i really deferred writing this this till after some days had passed from february14.

feb. 14. valentine's day.  i'm pretty sure lots of fresh flowers, single ones and bouquets, have been bought and delivered to girlfriends, boyfriends, wives, husbands, mistresses, lovers.  lots of gifts, both cheap and expensive, have been exchanged.  i'm all too sure as well that, inexpensive or dearly-priced, the gifts have been rendered  precious and memorable by the very fact they were given on this special day of Love.

the wife was busy at work. needed to be there by her boss' side to assist.  i had to accept that i'll be passing this day celebrating at a table for one.  well, things happen. anyway, i never planned anything special.  she texted me on her mobile phone apologetically that it could be some hours before she can meet me at the mall.  no problem, i texted back.

i went down to the mall's food court to have my dinner.  the wife will be dining with the boss and her office mates.  then we'll just meet later to go home together. 

after my dinner, i noticed people were congregating at the center area of the food court.  there was a small elevated stage there and four people were on there sitting. there were four large loudspeakers and  four microphones. lots of electrical cables were snaking the very area. nice!,  i said to myself,  the mall is treating customers to a special valentine's day concert. 

soon, enough the four began their concert.  the lady singer and the guy singer complement each other. they sang love songs alternately and in duet.  they were only accompanied by a bespectacled gentleman with his portable electric piano/organ and a lady flutist.  this is what i like about love songs. don't need much musical instruments.  just two excellent voices, ten nimble fingers skillfully skip-hopping over white and dark piano keys, and two reliable air-filled lungs that can blow a steady gust of air to produce lilting notes from a pierced pipe. 

we all sat there beside the stage. allowing ourselves to be lost, mesmerized, amused by beautiful love songs.  at the far left corner where i sat, a girl and a boy, both in their early teens, were holding hands, seated, sharing a medium pack of french fries and a large coke float;  in front of me, a family of five were huddled together, the father and two young girls and their brother attentively listening to the mother who was seated on a wheeled chair obviously trying to tell them something about the dinner on their table;  the fat guy and his wife, seated just to my right, were discussing the title of the song currently being sung by the lady singer -- fat guy thought it was their special song, the wife not too sure;  to the right of the fat guy's table, another young couple was seated, the lady's tummy is bulging, probably nearing her term, she seemed not so well though, a bit teary-eyed, she had her head nestled in her husband's shoulder ... after the song, the two hurriedly got up and left.

a short while later, the lady singer announced they are accepting song requests.  several people immediately got up and handed paper scraps  to one of the ushers.  the guy singer read the song requests and announced which of the songs requested will be performed.  the piano guy looked at the bunch of requests the guy selected and consulted a large book, probably a songbook, beside him.  he whispered something to the lady flutist and again the four regaled us with lovely music.

 ahhh, love .. young love, middle-age love, old-age love ... but, Love is ageless ....

my mobile phone beeped in a short while. it was the wife. still apologetic. sorry, i am still with the boss and office mates, she texted.  no problem, don't worry about me, i texted back, i'm at a concert, i bragged to her, it's just unfortunate you're not here with me ..

i was almost done with my second cup of coffee when the wife texted again -- we're done, meet you at the cab parking lot.  ok, i texted back, but just one last song before i go there, if you arrive ahead, just wait for me.

i wrote my song request on a paper napkin and handed it to the usher.  the guy singer again read thru the bunch of song requests and announced -- we'll do this one first,  as time goes by, ....

great! that's my song.

when i met the wife at the cab park lot, i have this lightness in my heart .....