A Love Cake...
In 1979, I made five dollars a week. Money sent to meby my grandparents arrived in our mail slot every Monday.
This is a Finish the sentence Friday post.
The most memorableValentines Day I ever had was one Iplanned for my parents.
I was in the fourth grade and we lived in an apartmentcomplex. I’d walk home from the bus with the key swinging from my neck. Itwas my first year as a latchkey kid. The lady that kept my brother was our neighbor and lived acrossthe hall. All I had to do was check in with her to say I washome.
In my art class that week, we worked on Valentines Day cards for our parents. I was inspired to do something extra. I always madeplans for my allowance before I had it and it was payday. With some negotiating, Imight have enough money and time to pull off the surprise I had in mind for my mom anddad.
There was a teenager who lived down the hall from us and I knewshe could bake. She charged me sixteen dollars to make my parents a cake. Igave her a down payment, promising to pay the rest by the end of the month.
With the remaining money, about four dollars, Iasked my neighbor if she could buy a bottle of wine for me to give to my parents. When she asked what kind of wine I said, "Red." After all, that was the theme.
Valentines Day wasin a few days and I wanted to have everything in place before my parents got homefrom work. When I got home from school, I placed this card on the table and proceeded to clean the apartment.
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My teenaged neighbor had made a beautiful white cake with red letters that said "Happy Valentines Day" and my adult neighbor had come through with the bottle of wine.
I remember my daddy exclaiming, "You did all this?" as he inspected the bottle of wine.
Here's the thing... it was a bottle of the best wine four dollars could buy and I was so proud.
