Trying to escape Valentineâs is futile
By Tania Arora, Staff Writer
I am single by choice. Honestly, I am happy making that choice and sticking by it. But that happiness lasts for 364 days of the year. There is one dayâyes, Valentineâs Dayâthat is the one and only day where I sit and cry in my bathroom hoping I donât have to go anywhere and wondering what punk decided to name this day âthe day of love.â
I have feel as lonely as I do on this terrifying day. Peopleâlet me correct myselfâCOUPLES have hyped this day so much that I see even the color of the sky turning pink and red. In hopes of avoiding everything, I made the worst decision of my life this year: I planned to work on Valentineâs. It would be fine if my workplace was a retail store or a corporate office⌠but I work at a restaurant and never before have my sad feelings become even more sad.
To begin with, my dress code was red that night and so was the theme of the restaurant. The big tables were split into tables for two. And to make it even mushier, each one was decorated as if it was their first date. The drinks, dessert, and even the food was valentine themed. I feel sick to my stomach writing and remembering that sight.
If we are celebrating love for each other and relationships, why isnât there an official day to celebrate self-love, or people who are big time single? The things that I see add more to my concern surrounding this sappy day.
- Couples walking and sitting hand in hand: Couples requested tables where they could awkwardly
sit next to each other instead of facing each other. I mean, whatâs wrong here?
Is your partner that ugly or are you that horny that your fingers
refuse to stay calm? The remaining days of the year you either donât want to see
your partner or just sit wherever and however you like⌠but suddenly, on this
occasion, you want to sit next to each other and touch each other. Why.
- The unpaid photographer: If you ask me if I had a badge which
said âphotographer,â and I would say no. My restaurant did not advertise any
such offer. Yet, the entire night, I was asked to take pictures of
people I donât know. And I was okay with this in the beginning⌠until every
couple asked me to take a few shots while they kissed. My heart is still crying
while I write this. Either you give me a kiss too or walk right out of my
sight.
- Decorations: It wasnât enough to see love being showered all over social media and between people around me. I must even see retail stores and malls were all decorated with roses and hearts. For once give single people a thought. There are people on this planet who have got no one to celebrate this day with, who are single. Put up a decoration for single people.
I am open to receiving recommendations of places to escape where even if I see couples, I just donât hear the word Valentine or find color red anywhere.
