What Would Cupid Say?

The very thing that makes Valentine’s Day truly memorable – the element of surprise – is what has made for some interesting story contributions from our readers that are heart-felt, funny – and even cringeworthy.

Airport Surprise

In the 90s, my husband and I were in a long-distance relationship for just a couple months. He was living in Raleigh, N.C. and I was in Lafayette. On what would have been our first Valentine’s Day, I had to attend a radio event in Nashville. After I told him, he secretly asked my coworkers where I was going to be staying and timed it so that he flew into Nashville the same day and time that I did. He was there to meet me and surprise me. It meant a lot to me.

Years later after we married and were living in Denver, it was snowing like crazy one Valentine’s Day. My sister and brother-in-law, my niece and her husband, and my husband and I all lived within 10 miles from each other. We didn’t want to make the drive into Denver in the snow, so we created a Valentine’s banquet at my sister’s house. We all had a hand in cooking steaks, lobster and rose-shaped potatoes. My niece’s teenagers were our waiters – it was great!

Renée Rivett

Station Manager, Acadiana Broadcasting Group

Co-host of The BIG 102.1 Big Morning Show

A First Valentine

I remember the first card my husband ever gave me was when we were freshmen at Abbeville High 47 years ago! He slipped it through the slits of my locker. It was a funny card, not too serious; he was shy. We would glance at each other in the hall as we changed classes. Times were different then.

Diane Broussard

A Hidden Gem

A few years ago, a gentleman in his late 70’s came into the store around Valentine’s Day to buy a very specific gift for his wife. He said “his bride of 50 years” loved pearls and he wanted to buy her some “pearl panties.” He picked out a pearl thong and said, “She will love this!” It was a reminder that romance has no age limit.

Claudia Campbell

Owner of La Femme, Lafayette

Getting Wooed – and Dumped

A guy I dated a few years ago really set the bar for Valentine’s Day expectations. One year, we had dinner at Ruth’s Chris in Lafayette and then afterwards, he drove to a “surprise location.” We were in his truck and headed just outside of Broussard. At one point, we were so deep into the country that I couldn’t see where we were going. I started to really wonder when the ride got a little bumpy towards the end. If I wasn’t confused enough, when we stopped, we were in the middle of what turned out to be a relative’s pastureland. I took a few steps outside; it was so dark all you could see were the stars in the sky. He put the tailgate down and I heard a Willie Nelson song come on. He unloaded a large telescope (he loved astronomy) to stargaze and had even prepared for the fact that it was very chilly by bringing a throw and a bottle of my favorite brandy: B & B. All of this was hidden under a tarp in the back of the truck.

Years before that, I was on Valentine’s date at Café Vermilionville and while we were waiting for our meal, I just happened to glance over at the table next to us right at the time the guy pulls out a little black box and hands it to his girlfriend. She opens it to see an engagement ring, starts crying and turns him down right there! She said she didn’t want to marry him – loud enough for us – and others – to hear. I expected her to have gone crying to the bathroom or that it would have ended the evening altogether. But no! They stayed and finished their entire meal and even had dessert! That amazed me more than the decline of the proposal.