“Red Roses for a Blue Lady”
Listen to “The Valentine”
Before they said the goodbyes that night, somehow Bob and Sandra found a moment to be alone. “This is for you,” he whispered, as he pressed something into her hand and lightly kissed her forehead.
Puzzled, she looked into her hand to find a small plain white plastic box. Opening it, she found a small fuzzy honeybee mounted on a tiny wire stand and a pale purple orchid on a greeting tag with these simple words, reminding her of a sweet old-fashioned valentine: “To my Sandra, Will you ‘bee’ mine? I love you much. Bob.”
She looked into his warm blue eyes, filled with sacred love, and this time she really melted. That simple gift meant more to Sandra than any fancy gloves or purse, even if they made them of gold. How could she resist saying “yes”?
The week passed all too quickly for Peter and Allen and Julie and Sue, but especially for Bob and Sandra. Then it happened.
It was when Harry and Sandra were in church that Dorothy Lee slipped away. But they were prepared, emotionally and spiritually. And being in church was the next best place to being by her side that Mr. Lee felt he could have been.
The kids—Bob, Sandra, Peter, Allen, Julie, Sue, and two others, Sam and Alice—had planned a drive to the mountains. Sandra, of course, stayed with her father. But she would not let the others cancel their trip to the snow. That was just Sandra.
Because of the circumstances, Bob did not see his beloved one until Sunday, just a few hours before he had to head back north to Pacific Christian College. His bus would leave at 7:00 p.m. from Perris, which was sixteen miles from Riverdale. Allen would drive him to the station, and of course the girls were going along.
What a mad rush! One always dislikes leaving good friends, especially ones like Macintoshes. And as hard as Bob and Allen tried, they weren’t ready to pick up the girls until after 6:30. And they still had to get gas!
When Allen went to the door for Julie, he whispered quickly and excitedly, “Guess what! Sandra and Bob have a wonderful secret.”
Julie’s face lit up. “Oh, Allen! Really?”
Allen nodded. “But don’t say anything yet. Let them tell you.”
Finally, after they were well on their way, Allen spoke. “Say, kids—uh—didn’t you have something to tell Julie?”
Silence—but not for long. “Oh, did we have something to tell her?” Sandra spoke with that I’m-dying-to-tell-you tone in her voice.
“Yes,” Bob echoed, “did we have something to tell—”
Julie could hardly hold back the smiles. “Oh, come on, you two!”
Sandra giggled. “Really, Julie. What else is new?”
Now Julie looked, mockingly stern, at her “big brother.” Bob looked first at Allen and “little sis” and then at Sandra as he gave her a squeeze and sighed, “My Sandra and me—we’re engaged!”
Hearty congratulations were in order, of course. The engagement had to be secret—for a while, at least—but it was very, very special….
Allen had driven as fast as he deemed safe, but just as they pulled into the station at two minutes to seven, they watched helplessly as the big bus pulled out. Now, what to do?
“Let’s catch it in San Martino!” Sandra exclaimed. “It always stops there.” So they were off to San Martino, another 14 miles away. “Panic time” was the word of the hour. No one knew just how long the bus would stop or how long the line would be at the ticket window, nor on just exactly what corner the depot was located. Was it Main or Market? And in San Martino, city of one-way streets, did they take 7th or 8th Street to get there? If Bob missed the bus tonight—although Bob would have loved spending another night in Riverdale—it would mean a loss of time and money to him.
Arriving, at long last, at the bus station in San Martino, each breathed a sigh of relief as they saw the bus was still there. Bob rushed in to buy his ticket, while the other three unloaded his belongings. When they had carried his luggage into the depot, Bob greeted them with a half-wry, wouldn’t-you-know-it smile. “Guess what. My bus doesn’t leave here until (groan) 8:50!”
This meant a few extra moments for the young lovers, and they made the most of it, thinking and talking and planning the months ahead. Just before 8:30, Sandra and Bob slipped outside for only a minute or two. And, to this day, only Bob Miller, Sandra Lee, and God know the goodbye that they whispered in that special moment…. Then shaking hands with Allen and squeezing his “sis” Julie, Bob bade his dearest friends goodbye.
The road back was long, but Sandra’s face seemed to be radiantly alive. Once home in the stillness of her own room, Sandra could relax and think of the happenings of the day, of the past week, of the past year, and of the future years. She closed her eyes. Bob loved her, she loved him, and they both loved God, which was more important than anything else.
Mommie had gone to heaven, and Daddy and she would make the best of everything. God loved them; He knew best. Opening her eyes slightly, Sandra could see from her pillow, in the glow of the hall nightlight, Bob’s picture and the little white box she had placed so tenderly beside it. She reached for it. And clutching her Christmas valentine to her heart, she closed her eyes again and softly drifted into dreamland.
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