Not a fan of holidays but…
Happy Valentine’s Day!
| If you’ve been reading my newsletters, you know I’m not necessarily a holiday person. And Valentine’s Day, when you don’t have a date in your 20s, can be miserable. A few of you may have heard this one before, but it’s still my favorite Valentine’s Day story, so here goes. In my 20s, I was invited to play BINGO. Aside from the kid serving the beer and my friend, we were two decades younger than everyone else. I also had $20 to my name until payday.This was major league bingo. The entire hall was packed with revelers who had dabbers, markers, and other bingo paraphernalia. The hall was filled with smoke, number calling, and rabid intensity. My friend and I were fish out of water, more interested in having somewhere to be, especially since we didn’t have dates on a Saturday night: “Hey, we’re playing bingo!” “Look at us not being dating losers. We had somewhere to go!” Then it happened—I had one empty space left. My friend’s mom put a clear marker on the number so that I could keep watch. I couldn’t tell you if it was one call or two, but the second the caller said I-29, I jumped and yelled “Bingo!” My table applauded. Best of all, I won $100 for the winning the round. Not only did that $100 pay for my bingo cards, but it paid my credit card bill that was due the next day, put gas in my car, and got me to payday. The cute boy told me congrats and refilled my cup, as he’d been doing all night for free. (Bless you, cute boy, wherever and whoever you are.) I guess it turned into a winning Valentine’s Day after all. So, happy Valentine’s Day. If you send cards, like I do, thank Mount Holyoke College alum Ester Howland for starting the idea. Both my daughters are also MHC alumni, and you can read more about the history of cards here: https://www.mtholyoke.edu/directory/alum/esther-howland |
