A Diamond In The Rough
Janine was feeling low… had her husband forgotten Valentine’s Day?
“What gorgeous flowers,” said Janine when a beautiful bouquet was delivered to the office for one of her colleagues. It was Valentine’s Day and she tried not to sound too envious.
“I know,” said the recipient happily. “Look what else Steve bought me.” Nicola angled her head to show the dazzlers in her ears.
“Wow,” said Janine.
Nicola and Steve were blissful newlyweds. Janine didn’t begrudge them their happiness but felt a tiny pang for those long forgotten romantic days.
“What about you?” asked Nicola.
What did Sean get you?
“Oh, he left early for work,” said Janine quickly. “I’ll have to wait till later.”
Sean had left early for his warehouse job, tiptoeing out so as not to wake her. But when she’d gone downstairs later, not only hadn’t he noticed the card and gift that she’d got him, but he hadn’t left anything for her.
After a day in the office, listening to everyone’s plans for the evening, Janine was feeling a bit down as she walked home in the February gloom.
It wasn’t just Valentine’s Day affecting her, she knew. February was such a grey month, the sparkle of Christmas gone, the promise of spring still tantalisingly out of reach. Normally the pair of them jetted off for a week in the sun at this time of year to lift their mood, but the company Sean worked for had recently lost a big contract. His shifts had been cut back, meaning they had to be a bit more careful with money.
The house was empty when she got home. Going into the sitting room, Janine stopped dead. The photo albums were all over the table, photos spilling out. Shaking her head, she tidied them away.
In the kitchen there was yet more mess. Sean had offered to do the shopping and the evidence was everywhere, with groceries spread all over the table and the worktops. Again, Janine tidied everything away.
No card, no holiday, and a half-hearted effort at helping about the house. Some Valentine’s this was tuning out to be!
A nice hot bath would hopefully put things back in perspective, but when she went upstairs the bedroom looked like a bombsite. It was so bad that for a second she thought they’d been burgled. Drawers were pulled open with clothes hanging out. Since nothing seemed to be missing, presumably the chaos was simply a result of Sean looking for something.
This time she point blank refused to tidy it up!
Five minutes later she was soaking in some deep, fragrant bubbles when she heard Sean come home.
“Janine?” he called out, but she didn’t answer him.
Next moment she heard a tap on the bathroom door. “Janine? Love? I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.” The handle moved. “Why’s the door locked?”
“Because.”
He didn’t pick up on her tone. “OK. Enjoy your bath. I’ll go and put tea on.”
She heard him move about the bedroom for a bit, then go downstairs. Lingering in the bath until it grew almost cold, she wrapped herself in a towel and went to get dressed.
Oh! He’d tidied the bedroom. Not only that, but he’d laid some clothes out, along with a note and a photo. Please wear these, she read.
The photo showed her and Sean on a coach tour in Sicily a few years ago. They’d asked the tour guide to take the picture, and they looked so tanned and happy.
She glanced at the clothes on the bed, the exact same dress as she wore in the photo. Even the earrings and sandals matched.
She touched the dress, rather wistfully, remembering what a perfect night that had been.
Wondering what Sean was up to, she dressed as instructed and went downstairs.
The kitchen had been transformed. Tidy and cosy, there were candles and a red chequered cloth on the table. Sean, in shorts and sandals was just checking the oven. He broke into a smile when he saw her outfit and handed her a glass of wine.
“I’m sorry we can’t afford a holiday this year, but I thought for Valentine’s week we could relive the holidays we’ve already had. Italian tonight and I’ve got Greek for tomorrow, tapas for Wednesday, and a few more things in the freezer. Also a bottle of wine from each country. I checked the photos to see what we both wore. And I got the table cloth in the charity shop.”
He was speaking in a rush and when Janine didn’t respond he faltered, his face flushing.
I’m sorry, it was a stupid idea. I should just have bought chocolates…
Janine threw herself into his arms. “It’s perfect,” she said blinking back tears. “Just perfect!”
And it was, too. Nicola could keep her sparklers. Janine had her very own diamond, right here, in her kitchen.
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