It is the god-given right to every single person on Valentine’s Day (PS – This year we were lucky enough to actually have a Valentine’s Weekend) to get gussied up in the cutest outfits, spend far too long making sure every hair is in just the right place, meet up with packs of other single friends and storm out into the world looking for a Valentine.
Well, at least that is what I assumed was supposed to happen.
So this year, again finding myself single on the largest commercialized love-day of the year, I set out with a group of girlfriends onto that hopping area of Portland known as “The Old Port.” Nearing the next birthday where both digits of your age chance after you can actually drink legally in the Old Port, and it being 30 degree winter weather, chances for cute “pick up boys” outfits were elusive. Still, a Valentine’s colored wine tank top, black half-cardigan and dark wash straight cut jeans and I was ready for whatever action the night had in store for me.
We started the night at Foreplay, but quickly realized how old we might be not only by the average puppy dogged age of the patrons but also our growing irk at the overcrowdedness and “loud music.” Oh, what has life become?! So we wandered down to Old Port Tavern to get our dance on (passing by the Cactus Club *shudder*) but it was no better there. In fact, it was freakishly dead. I’ve seen it busier on a Tuesday night. And the only folks dancing or sitting at tables were couples who had also packed up to go out. Not a single Valentine for me to snatch up appeared in sight.
I asked a few single guy AND girl friends what they usually did on Valentine’s Day, and wished I had gotten some of the responses BEFORE my endeavor into the Old Port. Most single girls were out with friends, looking for love (or at least a kinda sorta maybe like!) and “partying it up to forget their singleness.” Really making big concerted magnus opus types efforts to push way down deep the fact that they were single.
But my guy friends?
They talked about spending the day at a conference that was dear to their heart, going on like it was any other day and snowboarding with a big group of people (both single AND coupled.)
Suddenly their enjoyment of this confectioned holiday seemed MUCH better than sipping a tonic and lime watching couples grope themselves under dim lighting.
There was one highlight to my otherwise abysmal effort at a rollicking “night on the town.” After we threw in the towel on living the high life, we met up with some friends after a Pirates game down at $3 Deweys. I had barely made my way around the table to sit down before my friend shoved her hand in my face. Grinning and beaming she proudly announced that my other friend had proposed to her during the game and she said yes.
And they are so adorably happy.
And you’d think on a night where everything else seemed to lead me to hate love and anything that went along with it, I’d be choking down the urge to either puke or punch her in the face.
But I wasn’t.
Because what I experienced AFTER trying to make a single girls’ V-Day is what it SHOULD be all about. Celebrating love with friends and family.
Oh, and Deweys, I know it wasn’t your fault, but my heart broke to learn that the popcorn machine was broken. Seriously, tiny little alligator tears. Ok…not really…
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