February 2011
Val looked at the clock and saw it was nearing 2 o'clock, the time when Jeff and Linda had come round for afternoon coffee every afternoon since first Linda retired, then Jeff. But now of course there was just Jeff, he and Linda had divorced six months ago. Val's husband John had passed away five years ago.
At last the clock struck two and there was a ring at the door bell. Jeff was always so punctual or at least he was since Linda had been gone.
Once the greetings and small talk were out of the way, Val happened to mention, 'Do you know, the strangest thing has happened today? I actually got a Valentine's card.'
'Well, what's so strange about that?' replied Jeff, 'You are still an attractive woman.'
'Well thank you, kind sir,' she said, 'but the fact is, I haven't had received one in years. John never bothered much with that kind of thing and since he's been gone, I haven't really had any beaux, as such.'
'Well, wasn't it signed?' enquired Jeff.
'No, of course not, silly. That's the point of a Valentine' card, isn't it? It's supposed to be unsigned.'
'I just can't think who it could possibly be from. The only men I come into contact with are other members of my walking group, but I don't really think any of them are that sort of romantic type, at least not towards me.' She paused, 'No, I'm sure I would have some inkling if any of them did have such feelings for me.'
'You never know,' countered Jeff, 'it could be one of them might have feelings for you which he finds it impossible to communicate directly.'
'No, I just don't see it somehow,' returned Val, 'besides which, most of them are married anyway. Unless it's someone like the man in the newspaper shop or the bank, I haven't a clue.' She thought for a moment, 'Of course, it would have to be someone who knew my address, as the card was posted, so I suppose that cuts down the list of possible suspects.'
'I know what I'll do,' she exclaimed suddenly, 'I'll get my address book and we can have some fun working out who it could be.'
She returned shortly clutching a battered and dog-eared volume, which apparently was her address book. 'This goes right back to before I was married.' she explained, 'Of course we can safely eliminate many of them whom I have lost contact with decades ago.'
'You never know,' said Jeff, 'he could be someone from your dim distant past, who's carried a torch for you all these years.'
'Well, I suppose so, but it would have to be someone who's been around in my life, as it were, for the last ten years as John and I only moved here then.'
'Yes, that narrows the list down a bit,' mused Jeff.
'Let's see, there was Bob who I use to work with in my last job. Mmm, possible, but of course I know his writing pretty well and it doesn't really match the writing on the envelope.'
'But then he could have got someone to write the envelope for him,' suggested Jeff.
'And the message in the card too?' said Val incredulously, 'I don't think that's very likely.'
She continued browsing through the address book, mumbling the names of present and long past acquaintances, and suddenly stopped and gasped, 'Jeff, it was you!'
'How did you work that out?' said Jeff, clearly taken aback.
'Because some time back you wrote your new address when you moved in my book and the writing is identical to the writing in the card,' she exclaimed, holding up the offending item in her right hand. 'So you're the one who has admired me from a distance for longer than I can possibly imagine? Who'd have thought it? I think you owe me an explanation - and please, no prevarication. I think we've known each other too long for that.'
'I'd forgotten you'd got a sample of my handwriting. Oh well, caught red handed I suppose. Well . . .' he took a deep breath, 'I suppose you know that things hadn't been going too well for Linda and myself for some time. During these . . . difficult times, I had unconsciously found myself growing fond of you. But of course, you were obviously still happily married, so naturally I kept my feelings well hidden. Then when John died and you were on your own, well, I somehow sensed that I would always be just a friend. Still, that was better than nothing.'
Val was stunned; this was the longest speech he could never recall Jeff giving. All she could say was, 'So why did you send me the card then? On the one hand I might not be able to guess who sent it; on the other it would bring matters into the open.'
'I suppose I was leaving it to fate.' Jeff replied, 'It would either remain a mystery to you or it would force us to confront the situation.'
Val remained silent. Oh well, thought Jeff, looks like I've burned my boats now. 'It's ok, I'll see myself out. You've got my number if you need me any time,' he added lamely, realising the word 'need' was rather laughable in the circumstances.
'Wait a minute, Jeff.' said Val, 'I think we're both labouring under a misapprehension here, if that's the right phrase,' she added bemusedly. Jeff's heart sank.
'Look, I think there's a couple of things we ought to get straight here and now.' Here it comes, he thought, steel yourself. 'Firstly, you have become much more than just a friend to me over the last few months and secondly, if I gave you that impression, which I had evidently did, it's because I thought with Linda being younger than you, you would want another younger woman, so it's no use getting my hopes up that would ever become fond of me.'
There was a silence that seemed endless, and was finally broken by Jeff.
'Seems we've both been a pair of chumps, doesn't it?'
'Ah, at last our thoughts seem to be on the same wavelength then.'
Jeff said nothing. He just held her in his arms and kissed her tear stained face.