Scott Willeford, Al's nephew
Al was not what you would call a "romantic" guy. By this I mean, he did not go overboard with flowers, candy or stuffed animals. Don't get me wrong, he told me he loved me all the time, but when it came to surprises, he was not your guy.
When we first started dating, he sent me a bouquet of flowers. The card read, "From a Known Secret Admirer". I still have that card in my wallet. If my memory serves me correctly, he sent me flowers one other time and that was the first Valentine's Day we were together. Attached to the flowers was a stuffed teddy bear that said, "I Love You" when you pressed its paw. As the years went by the flowers and stuffed animals stopped. Often, we would be at HEB and I would comment on how beautiful the flowers were. He would say, "Go pick out some for you, but not the real expensive ones". Doesn't that sound more like him?
One thing that didn't stop and something I could always count on was a card that he handpicked himself along with a special note he would write inside each one. I would normally get two cards; a humorous one and a very serious one. I now have a stack of cards with his words in his handwriting that I will cherish forever.
He knew that I didn't care if he failed to buy flowers, candy or even bling, but if he forgot the card, he was in major trouble. I'll never forget one birthday when he failed to buy a card, so sitting on top of my desk that morning was his handwritten letter on white notebook paper. His explanation for the lack of a card...."Now I can spend $4.95 extra on dinner for you". I started laughing and he felt that my acceptance of the notebook paper meant he never had to buy me another card, and he didn't. But I'm glad, because his notes just meant that much more.
Last Valentine's Day was so against everything Al had done in the past. We (he) was in the hospital and he secretly asked Bridget to go to PF Chang's and buy us dinner. He also asked her to buy orange roses for me. Bridget snuck in, set a romantic table with candles (battery operated), tablecloth and rose petals. Dinner was set out and the two of us enjoyed our last Valentine's together. It was beautiful and so unexpected. In no way did we know that in 11 days, Al would be gone.
Am I sad to be alone this Valentine's Day? No, to me it's just another day. A more significant date is in less than two weeks.
Valentine's Day, 2011
