The bitter February wind whipped around her, cutting into the bare flesh of her face and hands. The umbrella she held was frozen in place by the fingers that had become numb against the cold. Why had her car chosen today to break down, she mumbled under her frost filled breath. The deserted streets gave her no comfort in getting any help rapidly. Her memory of the distance back to the tavern she had passed on her way home, did not take into account the fight against the wind. Desperately she tried to turn her fear into anger directed towards her car. Darkness was approaching. She must reach the safety of the tavern before then. With anger, she knew her personal drive would get her there.
In a great gust she was lifted onto her toes as the umbrella was ripped from her hands. Torn and disfigured, it raced away from her grasp. She knew she could not waste the time nor the energy to chase it. She reluctantly faced the ice pellets beating against her. Her every step became more taxing on her energy level.
An hour had passed since she had been in the warmth of her vehicle when she finally saw the tavern in the distance. The sky above had slipped into night. The tavern was small, but the warm lights beckoned as if they were the open arms of salvation. With renewed hope, she gave the trek everything she had. Her leaden feet followed her motivation. She would make it.
As she reached the protective shelter of the front porch, the front door came open. In the doorway stood a tall figure who's identity was hidden by the light emanating from inside. In a full bass tone the figure spoke. "My goodness! You need to get in here and get warm! This is no night to be out!" The large, strong arms of the figure embraced her as he guided her to the warmth of the fireplace.
She watched as the figure rubbed his hands together and then reached for hers. They were so warm against her frozen fingers. A sigh of welcome relief escaped her before she could capture it. Removing his hands from hers, he rubbed them even faster and placed them upon her cheeks. With her face in his hands, she looked into the face of the male figure. His dark hair sparkled in the light of the fire. His face was so tan his eyes appeared emerald with flickers of gold. He bore a look of concern
Gently he helped her remove her sleet soaked coat and scarf. Reaching behind the bar he retrieved a blanket and placed it around her shivering shoulders. She could feel the first warm sensations returning to her body. Another man brought a warm cup of coffee for her. Mixed feelings of embarrassment and gratefulness filled her. She was accustomed to being a very independent woman. Finding herself in a situation of dependency was uncomfortable. In an effort to regain her composure she shuffled about. "Thank you," she responded with a smile.
Her hands shook around the white porcelain cup. "Here, let me help you until the chills go away," the first man spoke with tenderness. "It takes a while for a bone chilling cold to leave."
"My name is Colin Lambert, what’s yours?" he asked.
"I’m Tiffany Morgan," she responded, "Tiff is what my friends call me, and after this I think I’ll consider you a friend!" she giggled. She was surprised to find that her breathing had returned to almost normal. She felt confident to speak. "My car broke down about 4 miles from here," she began. "I don’t know what is wrong with it, but I need to have it towed to a shop." "Do you know of one I could call that is nearby?" she asked. With a smile of understanding, Colin left her to the friendly warmth of the fire. The small cup, cradled in her hands, still bore the ripples of the chill remaining inside of her. She wiggled ever closer to the licking flames before her, in search for real warmth.
"As tempting as it may be, little lady, I wouldn’t go jumping into those flames!" A robust laugh startled her to the realization of just how close she was. Her face warmed with embarrassment. "I do suppose it wouldn’t be the best way to end an evening, now would it!" she replied lowering her face to hide her feeling of stupidity.
"Why, I remember one time I went Ice fishing with some buddies of mine up on Lake Sinclair."...
The strangers voice trailed off as Tiffany was finally able to take in her surroundings. The little tavern was actually much larger than it had appeared from the outside. The decor was that of old English and early American antiques. Even the draft beer was drawn into chilled pewter steins. Grand clocks of all shapes and sizes filled the room. The huge bar looked as if it had come directly from 1700 England or Ireland and now found its resting spot to be very cozy in this out of the way place. The tables were made of old hatch covers that once belonged to majestic sailing ships, now clean and polished for a welcome meal.
Tiffany could not imagine why she had never thought to stop in here before, except that it just wasn’t her way. After leaving work, she would go directly home and dive into her computer world which made up her social schedule almost in total. It was sad as she thought about it to herself. She would love to share things with her friends ‘online’, but most of them were in other countries in other parts of the world. She often fought the wave of loneliness, but right now it engulfed her. She had no real friends in the here and now. No one to call for help. No one to place real arms around her and warm her until she knew it was all right. Tears began to well in her eyes. It was not due to the cold, this time.
"Miss Tiffany," Colin startled her, "the tow truck will be out to get your car in about a half an hour." "The unfortunate part is that no one can even start to work on it until tomorrow morning," he added. "If it would be all right with you, I would love to prepare a nice meal for you while you wait for your rental car to get here."
"A rental car?" she questioned. Colin smiled and told her that he had arranged for her to get a rental car from his brother just down the road. "Miss Tiffany, you may drive it until your car is fixed... with my blessing," his broad smile could not be refused. "Thank you, Colin." "I really do appreciate your care of me," she smiled. It was indeed unusual for her to accept such kindness, but she also knew she really did need the help. All was settled.
The meal Colin prepared was one fit for a queen. There were only a few gentlemen in the establishment, but each seemed to want to make her meal a pleasant on. From time to time there would be a shout of, "More bread for the young lady,’’ or ‘Colin, she needs more wine!" With it all she ate a wonderful freshly baked bread with clam chowder that warmed her throughout. The baked potato was so flaky and fresh with mounds of fresh sour cream, butter, and chives. The steak she was served, melted in her mouth. Moans of excited taste buds could not be held in.
"Oh Colin," she said as she delicately wiped her lips, "That was fabulous!" "I don’t know how I will ever be able to repay your kindness."
"Well," he replied with a wry smile, "will you have dinner with me tomorrow night and perhaps some dancing?" Tiffany looked at him rather strangely. "Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, and I have no one to share it with," he continued.
Tiffany had not really celebrated Valentine’s Day since she was a child in school. There they had exchanged those never ending punch out cards in assembly manner to each child in the class. They had never held much meaning for her. It was just another day. However, this offer from a wonderful stranger made it seem somehow special and, in fact, she was a bit excited at the prospect of finding out what he was like. "Colin, I would be happy to join you!" she said. In that instant a roar of applause broke across the tavern. A blushing Colin said, "Thank you."
"Miss Tiffany," a voice called from across the room. "Your rental car is here for you!" Colin assisted her in replacing her now warmed coat around her slender body. As she prepared to leave he whispered to her, "I’ll pick you up about 8 o’clock then, at your house." "I’ll get your address from the garage where your car is." With a gentle kiss against her cheek she went into the wickedly cold weather again. This time, however, she was warm and intrigued with what had taken place on this night.
The dark clouds and hazy sky of the day before had all blown away, Tiffany noticed as she left for work. The sun shone brightly as she passed by the tavern where she had found her refuse, a smile crossed her face. Never again would it escape her view as she passed. It now held a special significance for her. A place to go when she needed to feel safe and welcome. These thoughts carried her on into her office
.
Karyn, her secretary, greeted her with a very large smile and a giggle. Tiffany immediately wondered what was up. While she and Karyn had a good working relationship, they had never been social to the point that she would receive this type greeting.
"All right, Karyn!" she asked with her hands on her hips. "Just what has brought on this sudden display of jovial attitude?" Karyn smiled, "Nothing, Miss Morgan." "Just, um... Happy Valentine’s Day!" she added. Questioningly, Tiffany responded in kind.
Opening the door to her office she became speechless. The entire room was filled with not only the fragrant odor of fresh roses, but the roses themselves. Colors of every shade and dimension were scattered about. Cards of every shape and size were woven into the brilliant bows attached to the containers. On her desk lay the largest heart shaped box of candy she had ever seen.
The employees in the outside office watched with anticipation as Tiffany perused the contents of her office. The gossip mills were ready to go into full swing at the first utterance of the gift givers identity. They were sadly disappointed when she quietly closed the door behind her to seek out the identity for herself.
The cards attached to the flowers all asked the one question, "Will you be my Valentine?" Tiffany was amused at the grandiose gesture of the admirer. But, who was he? At last she found herself seated at her desk. The large candy box loomed before her. To the side lay an envelope. Opening it, she read the enclosed letter:
Dear Valentine,
You did me a great honor by visiting my humble establishment last evening. It will never be the same without you there to decorate the drab walls that I find around me now. Your smile shone brighter than any flame ever has. Your eyes sparkle as if given direction from the stars above.
It is my hope that you still are willing to share this evening with me. I have decided to place the tavern as off limits to all except for the two of us this evening. If you would do me the honor of returning to your place of sanctuary at about the hour of 8 o’clock, I will have an evening planned that you shall not forget.
I look forward to meeting anew.
Colin
Tiffany was overwhelmed. Things like this NEVER happened to her. She was the one that usually sat at home on the weekends sharing her time with her ‘online’ friends. She had no idea how to react! So, all she did was look around her and giggle uncontrollably! It felt great!
The ears at the door giggled as well, and set about their rumor building.
Tiffany was dressed in a beautiful red dress that she had fallen in love with several years before. She had never had an occasion to wear it, until now. Her strawberry blonde hair fell in cascades around her shoulders as she removed her black coat. Colin had prepared the tavern as you would a true five star restaurant. The stone fireplace was ablaze with the golden fingers of light echoing across the room. The clocks all chimed eight as she entered. It was a fabulous sensation. Colin was dressed in a tuxedo, and gave the look of a young Clark Gable. Tiffany felt as though she were in a dream.
"Good evening, M’Lady," Colin smiled. "You look so beautiful!" "Thank you for gracing my humble establishment once again."
Tiffany was still reeling from excitement. "Thank you!" she responded with a wide eyed smile.
"And thank you for all of the beautiful flowers and candy this morning!" "I have never had such a gift," she added.
"You should be accustomed to such things, I would think," Colin smiled. "I’ll have to make sure that you do form now on!
Tiffany watched as Colin opened a bottle of wine and tasted it for them. He then pored her a glass of the sweet necture. Together they sat and chatted about her work, the tavern, and yes... her computer. Her computer had been her only friend for so long, she hardly knew anything else to talk of.
Colin dropped his head in contemplation. "Tiffany, I have a confession to make," he started. "I want you to know that when I saw you last night I really wanted to see you again." Tiffany looked up as if a boot was about to drop. "I found out after you left that I already knew of you!"
he added. "For some time you have been having e-mail conversations with ‘Lamb Chop’ haven’t you?" he asked. Before Tiffany could answer, he told her the story. "You, my dear, are just Tiff," he continued. "Tiff has wonderful conversations with Lamb Chop, and they seem to have a lot in common, wouldn’t you say?" Tiffany nodded her head in amazement that he knew so very much about her. She had always thought of their conversations as private, even though she knew they weren’t. "It has been through your writing that I have seen who and what you are," he continued. "You may not even know how much of yourself you share in those messages to him."
"Tiffany, I am ‘Lamb Chop’." "Lambert equals Lamb Chop," he smiled. Tiffany was speechless. She had secretly wondered what and who ‘Lamb Chop’ was. Now he was there in front of her. "Oh My!, All of my secrets that I have told you!" she blushed. "I’m not sure what to say," she continued.
"You don’t need to say a thing," he smiled across the table at her. "For whatever reasons, we have found each other." "I would love to get to know you better in the real world, Tiff." he said. "Is that possible?" he asked.
Tiffany just smiled at him. Rising from his seat, Colin took her hand and took her to the settee in front of the fire. On the table in front of them sat a beautiful decanter of brandy with two small glasses on a silver tray. Colin poured them each a glass. He offered a toast, "Here’s to Valentine’s Day and new friendships," he smiled. "Thank you, Colin." "The whole day has been wonderful." "Last night I cursed my car for breaking down." "Today, I am thanking it!" she giggled.
The two figures sat and talked together as if they had known each other forever. Gentle smiles lead to shared laughter. Never before had Tiffany felt so at ease. The soft music filled the room, as a special song began to play, ‘Lady in Red’. Colin chose that moment to ask Tiffany if she would join him in a dance. Together they floated in time to the melodic rhythm. As they reached the end of the majestic bar, Colin took a red rose from the vase and placed it in Tiffany’s hair.
"This is Tiffany’s Rose, that is shadowed only by the beauty of the lady that wears it," he whispered.
Tiffany fought back tears of joy, "Valentine’s Day is NOT just another day," she smiled.
Jan Setzer © February 1997 aka Tiffany Rose