With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, many people are scrambling to find the perfect gift, plan the perfect date and maybe even settle on the perfect person.
Sometimes this day goes exactly as planned — whether it be on a date with a significant other or by yourself with a pile of romantic comedies to watch. Other times, it doesn’t turn out quite as expected.
The Cluster asked Mercer students and faculty to share their best, worst, funniest and most unforgettable Valentine’s Day memories. Here is what they had to say:
“So [my] first girlfriend . . . we had been dating for about two weeks. And I got her a stuffed bear that was pink. I give it to her, and the first thing she says is ‘I don’t like pink stuffed animals.’ From there on out, the relationship failed.”
- Nathan Green
“When I was in high school, I was dating this girl named Ashley. I thought about the craziest, most unpredictable thing I could do for [her]. I went to the local lake to a remote beach and began working. I placed down a large blanket . . . and placed all the candles in a heart shape. Then I positioned the roses on and around the blanket, scattered the rose petals around the edge of the candles, and created a path of rose petals that went from the blanket all the way to the edge of the beach. Then, I took [a] poem [I had written] and slid it into an elegant mahogany frame. As I held her hand, we walked to the blanket. I grabbed the framed poem and began reading lines of love straight from my heart. I wanted to create a memory of Valentine’s Day that showed my love and affection that she would never forget. I wanted to give her my heart and all of my love.”
- Jon Erickson
“Our third Valentine's Day together, we went to this Chinese restaurant. It was where we had our first date and very close to campus. It sits right in front of the dirtiest river called El Guaire, and that is where all the sewage of Caracas goes. Safe to say not the best place, but [I felt] like living the bohemian life when I was younger. In the middle of our dinner a HUGE, I mean almost like a Chihuahua size, rat sneaks into the restaurant and starts crawling around the walls. I jumped on top of the table and started shouting. All the Chinese people tending the bar made fun of me. The whole restaurant mocked me. Safe to say I never went back to that place.”
- Professor Alana Alvarez
“Freshman year of high school, we had this thing on Valentine's Day where we would give out roses. You could give them anonymously or not. This guy that I was just friends with tried to give me one anonymously, but I recognized his handwriting. So at lunch, he was walking by and I said ‘Charlton, did you?’ And he goes, ‘you know it’s true’ and walks away.”
- Alex Davis
“This one Valentine’s Day, I was really lonely and sad because I didn't have a boyfriend or date. So I ordered a bunch of Rom-Coms, bought a lot of chocolate, made some brownies and ate my weight in chocolate with my dog on the couch.”
- Rachael Ball
Editor’s Note: Responses were edited for clarity and length.
