Monday, February 13, 2006

Heart-Attacked

Valentines Day was quickly approaching. I had a small crush on him. Okay a big crush. Okay, okay I was madly in love with him, but couldn't allow myself to let that be seen or known. (Well at least not by him anyway). I wanted to do something fun, sweet, quirky for him, but without freaking him out. I had had a bad experience with doing something that freaked him out only a month before.

What to do, what to do. I wanted to do something in a way that it was anonymous but yet that he still knew it was me, but again without him getting freaked out thinking I was in love with him. He was my study partner, he was my friend; to me at the time; that was more important then ever having a boyfriend.

It was the day before Valentines Day. I was still stumped and quickly running out of time. I went to the local Wal-mart with my roommate. She had a boyfriend, and wanted to get him something for the lover's holiday the next day. I went looking for inspiration. I had no clue what I was going to do. I wondered the store, hoping an idea would jump out from the shelves and give me an idea. I looked at cards; no, too mushy. I looked at candy, that could work, but I couldn't just give him a box of chocolates, too cliche'. I saw stuffed animals, no those are for guys to give girls. (though I did buy myself the cutest little valentine's day ladybug). My roommate was almost done with her shopping. I still didn't know what to do. In desperation I walked down the greeting card isle again. And there it was, sitting in the long tube waiting to be pulled out, like King Arthurs sword. I swear there even could have been lights, and a chorus singing in the background. It gave me the perfect idea. I pulled it out, and looked it over. Wrapping paper covered in cool different colored and shaped hearts. I would "heart-attack" him! Friends do that to friends all the time, it was simple enough to do for him, but it wasn't over the top enough that he would think I was in love with him.

I quickly ran around the store throwing things into my cart that would bring the whole plan together. Stencils-because I don't like my handwriting, markers-to add color, scissors-to cut out the hearts, streamers-to create chaos and color, and candy-the special treat for being heart-attacked.

That night I sat in the middle of my living room floor back at my apartment slowly cutting out hundreds of hearts from the wrapping paper. I drew up a sign that read "You've just been Heart-Attacked!!" and then got everything together to take to the Snow Building the next morning.

The next phase of my plan was to get the combination for his instrument locker. We music majors depended upon our instrument lockers. Luckily my good friend "B" worked in the equipment office. She was cool enough to give me his combination but also could keep a secret. Next I had to figure out the perfect time of day in order to "attack" him. I knew he was shy, so it probably wouldn't be best for him to discover it right after orchestra rehearsal when the locker room would be full of other musicians. I planned for late afternoon, he hadn't practiced yet, so I knew he'd have reason to go to his locker. He'd had to get his violin.

Afternoon came, he was in a class in a different building on campus. I instilled the help of my dear friend Proud Mum to help me decorate the inside of his locker as quickly as possible in case he or anyone else showed up while we were committing the crime. We sprinkled candy throughout his locker, inside his backpack, and in his coat pockets. We hung streamers so thickly you couldn't see the back of the locker. Hanging prominantly at the front of the locker was the sign to announce he had just been "Heart-Attacked", and inside his practice folder was a small note from me wishing him a Happy Valentine's Day and a nice weekend. I think he was going home for the weekend.

The rest of the afternoon and evening I was on pins and needles waiting to see how he reacted and WHEN he'd find out. I was working in the piano lab that night. He walked in and sat down at a piano to work on his music compositions. Being it was Friday night, it was Valentine's Day, and I think there was a dance the piano lab was pretty much empty. I was sitting at the front of the classroom with my stomach in knots, and he was sitting at the back of the classroom with headphones on.

When the last student finally left the classroom he took his headphones off, and unplugged them from the piano. He always liked to work on Finale with the headphones off, it gave him a better idea of how the piece sounded.

I casually asked him if he had practiced yet tonight.

"No, I haven't", he replied.

"Oh, okay". I answered nonchalantly. Inside my stomach was doing belly flops. I had been in the locker room between the time of the "attack" beginning my shift in the piano lab. There were streamers all over the floor. I knew he had opened his locker and discovered the "heart-attack", but unless he went to practice his violin and open his practice folder he wouldn't know it was me. What was I to do? I couldn't bring it up.

Deep in thought, I jumped in my chair when he said "why?"

"Oh, I was just curious, that's all", I said, still trying to sound casual.

"Did you hear I got Heart-Attacked today?" he asked.

"No, I didn't, you did?!? Who do you think did it?" I replied in mock disbelief.

"Oh, I think it was "L.F." he answered.

"Why would you think it was her? Does she have a crush on you too? I thought she liked Christian?" I asked.

"She works in the equipment room. She would have access to my locker combination. She's just friendly and nice that way." he answered.

"Oh, I see." I said, as I sighed a little.

He then picked up his books and his bag and left the room. I was left alone in the classroom with 14 pianos, and my thoughts. What was I to do? He would be out of town for the weekend, he wouldn't find out it was me till Monday morning. I didn't want him to find out surrounded by our fellow classmates. I was lost in thought when he surprised me for the second time that night. He had been gone maybe 10-15 minutes when he walked into the classroom and asked me if I would like a ride home. It was February in Rexburg, that equaled a cold walk home.

"Sure!" I replied. I leapt from my chair, there was only 15 minutes till closing anyway, I knew noone else would show up that night. I grabbed my coat and my backpack, turned off the lights, locked the door and walked out with him. On the way out to his truck I asked him if he was interested in having root-beer floats. He answered yes, and we drove to Broulim's Grocery. He waited in the truck as I ran into the store to get some root-beer and ice cream. I came back out to the truck and opened the door to discover the passenger seat littered with the candies I had put in his locker. He gave me this funny smirk. I said "No, no, no! These are for you!" I argued. I knew he knew it was me when he said "Just thought I'd share them with my attacker."

We arrived at my apartment, only my roommate "K" was home. The three of us had root-beer floats, talked and laughed. "K" had said something about "You're the Breast!" He laughed and then told us a story of this black woman from his mission, and her "shelf". We were rolling on the floor. He collected all our glasses, took them to the sink, rinsed them out, and put the ice cream and root-beer away for me. While his back was to us, "K" was pointing out to me the fact that he was voluntarily cleaning up. He was a find! He came back and sat down, and we continued talking, just the three of us. Then just totally random, he jumped up from the couch and announced he had to go. And just like that he walked out the door. "K" and I looked at each other in confusion, what had just happened?

He may have ripped out the streamers, and the sign, but the hearts remained plastered all over the inside of his locker till a week before the semester ended. He took the hearts out and restuck them all over the outsides of all the other lockers. The last day of the semester I took a few of the hearts and taped them to the inside of my clarinet case. 7 years later, they're still there.


Posted by ABQ Mom :: 2/13/2006 12:48:00 PM :: 5 Comments:

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