Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Short Story: A Valentine Story


A Valentine Story
For Lovers Everywhere


John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose.

His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner's name, Miss Hollis Maynell.

With time and effort he located her address. She lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II. During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A romance was budding. Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn't matter what she looked like. When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting - 7:00 PM at the Grand Central Station in New York. "You'll recognize me," she wrote, "by the red rose I'll be wearing on my lapel."

So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he'd never seen. I'll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened:

A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit she was like springtime come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small provocative smile curved her lips. "Going my way, sailor?" she murmured.

Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl. A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own. And there she stood.

Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her. This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful. I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment. "I'm Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?"

The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile. "I don't know what this is about, son," she answered, "but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should go and tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!"


It's not difficult to understand and admire Miss Maynell's wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive.


♥ Happy Valentine's Day! ♥





Source: A Valentine Story
Special thanks to Kathy Ragsdale for this submission.
February 1997



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40 comments:

  1. napangiti mo ako mam bago matulog. salamat :)

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    1. I'm glad at napangiti din kita, bago ka matulog. :)

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  2. I really love that last line right there :)

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  3. Happy Heart's day Ms Leah..♥

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  4. Awesome story Leah. Very awesome. Love really defies what's seen in the naked eye. :)

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    1. True that. Happy Valentine's Day, Leo. :)

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  5. Happy valentines day leah...!!

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  6. Happy Vday ate leah ..

    Napangiti ako dito. :)

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  7. weeee... parang ganun dapat pag-eb.. heheh ang sweet lang.. grrrrr....

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    1. Lol.. Bakit may grrrr? :p

      Happy Valentine's Day sayo! :)

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  8. awwww this is such a nice story. Thank you for sharing.:)

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    1. You're welcome po. Happy Valentine's Day! :)

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  9. nabasa ko na to dati. but still it made my day. =D happy valentines ate leah!=D

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    1. Happy Valentine's Day, super Jaid! :)

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  10. Oh my! this is the exact same thing that i was planning to post for the heart's day. mabuti na lang i've read this post before encoding it into my own. :D

    anyway, this is indeed a nice story ate leah.

    where did you get this story, btw? i have a book on "hot illustrations for youth talks" kasi and maybe you have the same book rin. hehe ♥

    happy valentines day po.

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    1. Hi, Orange. Nakita ko lang dito sa internet. hehe.. Ayan yung link: Source. :)

      Happy Valentine's Day din sayo! :)

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  11. It's a beautiful valentine story.

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    1. It is.. :) Happy Valentine's Day po! :)

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  12. Ang sarap ulit ulitin ang story, Happy Vday Leah

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    1. Ulitin nyo pa po.. hehe. Joke!

      Happy Valentine's Day po, Kuya! :)

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  13. I remember my LIT class. This was one of the stories we were asked to infer. Nice Valentine story!

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    1. Yes, it is. :) Happy Valentine's Day! :)

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  14. The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive. - so true!

    Happy V-day ate leah!

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    1. Ikr! Ang ganda ng line na yan. :) Happy Valentine's Day, Madeline! :)

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  15. hi Leah sis happy Valentine thanks for this valentine story

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    1. You're welcome po, ms Chris. Happy Valentine's Day! :)

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  16. Oh, darn! :p Happy Valentine's Day to you, Fang! :)

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  17. Awww, what a lovely story. Happy hearts day Leah =)

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    1. Happy Valentine's Day, Ms Krizzy! :)

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  18. happy valentines day ate leah. tsup...tsup...

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  19. Hi Leah, thanks for following. Have a happy valentine's day!

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  20. Nice Valentine Story.

    Thanks and kindest regards, Leah,
    Mike

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  21. ang ganda ng story sis.. naka relate ako!! hehe.. Happy Valentine's!!

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  22. Nice story:) well written!

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  23. Awww. this story is beautiful! John was indeed a gentleman. It's hard to find such guys nowadays.

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