It’s Valentine’s Day this weekend, and I haven’t planned anything for the missus. I normally grab some flowers on the way home, but last time I did that she kicked up a stink about it. I can’t remember exactly what the problem was, but I do remember her using the term ‘servo flowers’, which are apparently different to the type of flowers you’re supposed to give when you’re being romantic.
I was planning to head out to that new ute muster on Saturday, too. Would that count as a date? You’re probably shaking your head right now, but hear me out. Cherilyn’s a better driver than I am – she does a mean hill-start – and just as keen on eyeing off custom ute rigs as me. Besides, we’ve been meaning to look at aluminium ute canopies together, so why not make a day of it? With any luck, a bit of canopy inspiration will go down better than cheap flowers.
Alright, alright. It’s not a proper date. Okay, what about a surprise picnic? I could hide it in the ute tray toolbox. Melbourne has a few nice spots to stop on the way out east; it could be a winner. The difficulty with the surprise factor will be convincing Cherilyn to come for a drive if she thinks I’ve forgotten about the occasion.
Gavin reckons I’m overthinking it, that it’s not really about what I do so much as how I do it. He says I need to focus less on ‘doing it right’ and just express my love sincerely. Maybe he’s onto something there – he and Carol have been together for quite a while, and on top of that they’re actually pretty happy. So maybe I’ll do the picnic on the way to the ute muster, but instead of getting caught up on whether Cherilyn’s going to like it or not, I’ll just focus on why I like her – which shouldn’t be too hard when she’s agreed to come to a ute muster on Valentine’s Day.