Here it is again; Valentine's Day. Its not a day we celebrate much differently from any other day except  we go someplace special (my choice) for lunch. We usually trade cards and when I say "trade cards" I mean that I pick out a very special card and give it to Gary and then he adds my name at the bottom and gives it back. Im OK with this on account of I pick out really good cards and Im probably simple minded enough to enjoy reading it twice.

I believe we will go to Patrizios this year. Its one of my favorite places. My peeps and I go there fairly often so they knows us. It has such a lovely atmosphere with great service and food and it happens to be pretty close, too! Gary has never been though so it will be an initiation for him. He is not a fan of Italian food but I figure he eats so fast that it wont make much difference what it tastes like. Besides there are a couple of things on the menu he will eat.

Maybe it seems odd that on Valentine's Day I would choose something that Gary isn't fond of but let me tell you; if it were up to him, we would eat chicken fried steak or In-N-Out burgers for every meal. Thats tough for someone who isn't a son-ova-bitch about beef. Eating isn't an event for him as it is for me, either. Why, at home he just throws food down his gullet barely taking the time to chew and most times while standing at the sink. I, on the other hand, like to set a place, choose which china will compliment the food and maybe have a glass of wine (if its later in the afternoon). I have always done this because....well....heck, I dont know why really, maybe I think Im worth it. Its always seemed like the thing to do, is all. I "dine" and prefer to linger over my meals perhaps reading a magazine if Im alone, where Gary is more of a "get it over with" eater. How did this happen anyway? It has probably contributed to my hatred of cooking these days. Its much more conducive to labor over a long recipe and a hot stove when you know its going to be thoroughly appreciated and every nuance swooned over such as "I taste a delightfully subtle hint of fennel and wild fig balsamic in the roasted root vegetables" rather than "is there any ketchup?" You can take the boy out of West Texas but....

Alas, Gary shows his love for me in different ways. Last week he took my car to be inspected. This may not seem like such a big deal, but its very sweet. He doesn't want me "hanging around those places" out of fear someone will "get me" (and to think all those nights I spent alone could have been remedied by taking my car to be inspected???) Seriously, he says this. Isn't that the sweetest thing ever? Why, if I mention Im low on gas he will rush out and fill up my car. He has taken this upon himself after a hobo beggar at a gas station came right up to me and told me he'd just gotten out of jail and didn't have any money! Im not even kidding! He acted like that would somehow endear me to him. Instead I told him that he ought to be ashamed of himself and asked him, "what in the world would your mother say if she knew you were 1. Begging from women at a gas station and 2. Just got out of jail!" He stood there looking at me like I had lost my mind but I went right on telling him he needed to make something out of himself and stop depending on strangers to give him a free ride! I declare, he started walking backwards away from me, towards his hobo buddies who were laughing, sitting on a short wall along the backside of the gas station. Anyway, Gary is afraid I will get shot one of these days on account of my big mouth. He doesn't get that Im just really telling folks what they need to hear, trying to make a difference in my own small way.

But the other day, Gary did the sweetest thing of all. Early in the morning while I was still asleep, he came over to my side of the bed, leaned over real close and put his hands on my shoulders. I thought he was going to kiss me. I had my earplugs in so he just had to get pretty close if I could hear him. He very calmly said "Jackson erped on the bed and if you move 2-3 inches to the right you will be right smack in the middle of it".