Valentine's Day

Cupid’s arrow does not only strike in February; rather, it most often lightens lovers’ hearts during the sun-drenched days of June, July and August, the months when “summer love” takes hold. Often, it proves to be little more than a fleeting fling, but fortunately, sometimes, it grabs hold of the soul and rides its way through to mid-February.

Summer love fortuitously finds some people not at a beach resort or exotic locale, but in their home towns, at their summer jobs or by a local lake. The sweet, sticky days melt away as the calming, cool nights engulf couples as they lie in one another’s arms to gaze at the stars. Human mouths move and ears receive while the arms of a machine work furiously to record the approach of fall, but summer lovers have no idea until a new day’s dawn makes the fatigue of a night passed before sleep clear.

Summer love hides as a long, dark shadow in the dying light of a late afternoon, always vigilant, always quiet, until the moment of a passing glance, a slight touch or a kind word is shared between a pair. It often reveals itself to one before the other, causing the originally inflicted to fall asleep with the other’s face playing across their eyelids. The star-seer looks for opportunities to catch the ignorant’s attention, while music plays and the dance begins.

But soon, Potion No. 9 catches up to the second player. The pieces begin to fall into place after a rare conversation, when a new friend surprises you and tells you a tale that leaves you impressed. Where before there was a partier, there now stands a sensitive, deep soul with whom to enjoy a traded tale. The weekend rolls around, and a friendly bar-b-q brings the two together. Player One spent the afternoon in the kitchen, furiously preparing a dish to highlight a love of the culinary arts and a divine skill that brings people from far and wide to one table. The night plays out, tentative flirting is the conversation, and rest escapes both as they recall the night’s events and eagerly anticipate the next rendezvous.

Soon, the meetings are not coincidental and the time shared is never brief. Secrets are shared, dreams become known and butterflies make a home in the abdomen. A held hand is upstaged by a kissed cheek, and a friendly hug stretches into something more.

But before long, the moon illuminates her face, and you swear you see her soul as she looks beyond your eyes while your mouths meet. Fireworks are in the distance, and so is the Fourth day of July. Summer love throws its party when the guests of honor finally arrive, a party relived six months later, in the throws of winter, when all that reminds you of the sweet summer sun is the warmth you feel from the love of summer who can no longer be called merely that.