At a gay dance in the ’70s, I first heard the Supremes’ plaintive, witty song, “Stop in the Name of Love.”
The dance was fun, as these things go. A group of women were doing a line dance, waving their arms in a traffic sign to “Stop in the Name of Love.” Some were wearing men’s suits and hats, which baffled me and seemed vaguely anti-feminist: perhaps it was a radical lesbian’s parody of the butch/femme culture.
And now all these years later gay life is legal and accepted and I hope they all found happiness.
On Valentine’s Day, as I do laundry, vacuum, and clean pee off the toilet, I wonder if lesbian romance would have been simpler. You could wear each other’s clothes, there might have been less fuss about red satin teddies, and you could watch “The Lake House” together (the most romantic movie ever).
I was thinking of the Supremes’ lyrics today when my husband gave me my third Valentine’s Day gift in three days. I was puzzled, because I wasn’t wearing a red teddy.. But there are roses on the kitchen counter, a heart-shaped box of candy, and I am looking forward to reading my new copy of Persuasion.
“Why all the gifts?”
“Awwww!” you’re saying.
But it’s not really an “awww” thing.
It seemed he wanted to go to a ski race today, and he thought he had to bribe me.
Heavens, of course he could go to a ski race. I’m not into the greeting card holiday scene. But my attention was so focused on Valentine’s Day because of all the gifts that my solitary day was depressing.
And I had to give him a fall-back gift: the Amazon gift card! It’s always sexy and romantic, don’t you think?
But before you overwhelm your lover with Valentine’s Day gifts,
Stop in the name of love
Before you break my heart.
mirabile dictu 
A non event in this house.
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🙂
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I just remembered when we were living together a million years ago, he gave me one of Simone de Beauvoir’s autobiographies. I knew then he was a keeper. No gifts since then though. And that’s fine with me.
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Very funny! Valentine’s Day never works out for me.
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It’s a greeting card day!
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Would it not have been better for you to give him the pleasure of your company at the event he was going to as his valentine present. Might have made for a happier day for both of you.
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Our son&dil are here from Seattle their newlyweds so Valentines day is special for them for us not so much.its in the high 80s here so they went to the beach .i wound up celebrating did the wash cleaned cooked sounds like we celebrate in the same way,
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Yes, Valentine’s Day is for the young! Sounds like son & dil had a good one.
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Alas, I hate sports! It was very cold, and the only shelter is the portapotty. I really didn’t mind that he went alone. The VDay thing got to me this year…
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🙂 Well, at least you got a Jane Austen out of the experience!
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Really, the gifts were thoughtful!
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I am not a sports person but happy for my husband to go.we did our usual lunch out&him not wasting 5.00 on a card rather put it to a book,
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What? Am I the only one turned gay by a Hallmark holiday?:)
Usually I AM happy to send off my husband to a day’s sports, too.
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Jim may have twice in all the years we were married given me a Valentine Day’s gift; both times grudgingly. He claimed it was an American corporate invention; nowadays backed by restaurants. Another ritual day that ought to be outlawed.
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Hallmark holidays are not all feel-good holidays, are they? Perhaps Chinese takeout is the way to celebrate. My husband said he got the idea for the gifts from watching sitcoms…
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