I'm putting it on the calendar now.
Save the date.
You're invited.
It's not what you think.
Yes, I know -
I know what the fourteenth of February usually means,
I know what you're thinking,
I know you hate it.
I hate it, too.
Usually.
But this one is special.
I didn't realize that was the date
When I decided to make it The Day,
I just knew it was The Day.
The Time.
The Moment.
Forget the pink and red hearts,
Forget the diamonds and champagne,
Forget the soppy love songs and slow dances,
Forget the candlelit dinners and long walks in the dark,
Forget the chocolate.
Well, maybe the chocolate can stay.
But we're going to have a feast -
Meatloaf with onions,
Spaghetti with garlic,
Rice with cheese,
Coffee with milk and sugar.
We're going to look up recipes for our favorite foreign foods
And make them without worrying if the ingredients are completely authentic.
We're going to get a really good bread recipe
And make it with gluten free flour.
We're going to make popcorn
And drench it in butter.
We're going to listen to music
And not worry about whether it's popular or not.
We're going to talk about books
And leave space for each other's thoughts
And talk about the new ideas we got from them.
We're going to play a TTRPG,
But not D&D,
And we're not going to care if we don't go exactly by the rules.
We're going to play music,
Live music on the piano and the guitar and the flute,
Right in the middle of the living room
And not think we might be in the way.
We're going to tell funny stories
And laugh out loud without caring how loud we are.
We're going to be together
And not worry about if the house is completely spotless.
There will be
Cats
And noise
And unselfconscious laughter
And so many people
(But there won't be any alcohol)
And it's going to be great.
So save the date -
Thursday,
The fourteenth of February,
2030.
Come whenever you can,
But make sure you're there before two in the afternoon.
Promise you'll be there,
Promise you won't give up before then,
Promise you won't let go before then.
Because on Thursday
February the fourteenth
2030
At two o'clock in the afternoon,
I will
Officially
Have lived more of my life
Without my father in it
Drinking
And yelling
And belittling
And abusing me
Than I will have lived with him in it,
And you need to be there to celebrate with me.