St. Valentine's Day: Part 4

Lisa sat up in bed and stretched her arms. She had had quite a good night's sleep, despite the debacle which had taken place early on concerning Eric. A smile spread across her face as she realized which day it was. As she rose from the bed she thought of surprising Michael with a nice Valentine's Day breakfast.

As she turned and looked back at the bed, though, she noticed that Michael wasn't around. He's beat me again, she thought to herself, grinning. Her surprise plans were foiled, but that wouldn't stop her from making him breakfast at least. She quickly got dressed and made her way downstairs.

As she reached the foot of the stairs, she paused. "Michael? Can I fix you anything for breakfast?" she called out.

No answer.

Lisa's eyes narrowed, but she then decided that he had probably gone out to get something and would be back soon. She shrugged and made her way to the kitchen.

Upon not finding Michael there, she decided to just make breakfast for herself. She put some tea on and fixed herself a bowl of porridge. After she finished it she place the bowl in the sink and headed out toward the living room.

She was about to head back upstairs when she stopped in her tracks and her eyes widened. Sitting on the coffee table was a small, crystal heart-shaped vase filled with a dozen red roses.

As she walked over to the table to get a closer look, she noticed that the vase had a thick red ribbon wrapped around it. Imprinted on the ribbon in white letters were the words, "Be Mine."

Lisa blinked a couple of tears. Propped up against the vase was a small card in an envelope. Lisa carefully removed the card and opened it up. On the inside, Michael had printed:

"To my loving wife, Lisa, who I love more than life itself,

On our first Valentine's Day together.

Forgive me if this is not as eloquent as you'd wish,

It's my only line."

Lisa laughed through her tears, then read on:

"All My Love,

Michael

14 February 1975"

"I reckoned I'd just print it all, to spare you the difficulty of trying to decipher my poor handwriting," a familiar voice giggled softly.

Lisa whirled around and found Michael standing in front of her, smiling in his sweet shy way. She rose to her feet and walked over to him. "Oh, Michael, you sweetheart!" she cried as she wrapped her arms tightly around him. She gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

Michael blushed and grinned at her. "So, I take it you like them, then?"

She giggled. "Oh, I love them! No one has ever given me roses for Valentine's Day before! Actually, no one has ever given me anything for Valentine's Day before..." she blushed.

He hugged her tightly and kissed her on the lips. "Lisa, darling," he said softly, looking into her eyes. "I've been such a foolish bloke lately, what with being all sorts of suspicious over you and Eric... I regret the situation you've been thrown into..."

"It's alright, Michael," she said softly.

His eyes narrowed and he shook his head. "No, no, it's been upsetting for you. I can tell. Perhaps this will make amends?"

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, red-gift-wrapped box and shyly handed it to her.

Lisa's eyes lit up as she removed the red wrapping paper and carefully opened up the felt-covered box.

Her jaw dropped. Inside was a small, silver heart-shaped locket, with her first initial, L, engraved on the front. She carefully unhooked the clasp on the locket and inside was a small picture of Lisa and Michael from their wedding day.

Michael blushed and pointed to the picture. "Um...if you don't like that photograph you can throw it in the rubbish bin and use a better one," he said in spite of himself.

She looked up at him, wide-eyed. "Oh, no!" she shook her head forcefully. "How could I ever find a better picture than this? You silly boy! This is the most lovely gift anyone has ever given me!"

She kissed him on the cheek and giggled as she saw his dimples peaking out of the corners of his mouth.

He took the locket from her and unhooked the clasp on the chain. "Turn around, love," he smiled.

She lifted her hair up and turned around. He gently placed the locket around her neck and fastened the clasp shut.

"There we are," he said softly.

She looked down at the dainty silver heart which hung neatly below her neck and smiled. She looked back up at him.

"Gorgeous," he smiled. "Just gorgeous."

Lisa raised an eyebrow. "What? Me, or the necklace?" she teased.

Michael giggled and edged up closer to her, putting his arms around her before kissing her tenderly.

"Both," he said in almost a whisper.

***********************************************************

Eric sighed heavily as he sat on the couch in front of the TV. One of the stations had been airing Casablanca, and although he wasn't one to watch films like that, for some reason he just didn't care today.

"You must remember this/A kiss is still a kiss..."

That song had never made him cry until now. Eric began to think about Lisa, about what had happened when he first became divorced and then when he had met her. He thought about how upset she was that they had fled from Michael, about how he tried to cheer her up...and finally, about the events of the past few days.

Eric sniffled and he reached over for another tissue. He was about to blow his nose when the phone rang. "Oh Christ, who the hell is this..." he muttered to himself. As he picked up the phone, he sniffled one last time and tried to compose his voice.

"Hello," he said, clearing his throat.

"Hey, Eric."

It was Neil Innes.

Eric smiled at the sound of a good friend's voice. "Hi, Neil," he returned.

"Wow, I didn't think I'd catch you at home on a day such as this," Neil joked.

Eric's eyes narrowed and the pangs of depression returned. "Well...you did," he sniffled in a quiet voice.

Neil laughed. "Well, anyway. I just wanted to ring you up and ask about our filming schedule, you know, for Rutland Weekend Television."

Eric eyed the phone angrily. "Well, who the hell gives a horse's arse about that??" he raised his voice.

"Well...I do!" Neil said incredulously. "And so do you...least you should, since we're going to film shortly."

"What difference does that make, when I'm stuck here all alone?" Eric finally spit out, his voice cracking.

"Eric? Are you alright?" Neil asked, concerned.

Eric, trying hard to retain his composure, couldn't answer.

"Eric? Something's bothering you, isn't it." Neil persisted.

"Alright, I admit it," Eric sniffled. "Neil, I'm depressed. I'm bloody depressed. I'm absolutely pissing depressed. This is the first St. Valentine's Day I'm spending alone...no girlfriend, no wife, no female acquaintance... just poor old Eric, all alone in his stinking bloody flat," he choked up.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh God, I can't believe I'm pouring my heart out to you like this," he said sadly.

Neil giggled. "Hey, Eric, we're friends. It's only normal."

For once in quite a while, Eric felt the urge to laugh as well, and it felt good. "Ah, I suppose you're right," he calmed down.

"You know I'm right, Eric," Neil said facetiously. "Listen, you really have to lighten up. It won't do you any good if you just sit round your flat all day, feeling sorry for yourself. If you want to meet someone, you'd do best to go out...go to a restaurant, or a discotheque...anywhere."

Eric paused thoughtfully. "You know something, you're right!" he exclaimed. "I'm not helping myself, sitting here, eating Nudge Bars and watching Casablanca!"

"Casablanca??" Neil laughed.

"Yeah, I never thought I'd stoop to this level!" Eric continued. "That's it, I'm going out! I don't care where I'll end up, but it will sure as hell beat hanging about here!"

"That's my boy!" Neil said cheekily. "Oh...while I've still got you...what about the filming schedule?"

Eric thought for a beat. "Well, what do I have written there?"

"Um...we should start bright and early on the 25th for the..."

"Fine. Great!" Eric interrupted. "Just go by what I've got there. It sounds fine to me. I've got to get ready now. See you, Neil!"

"Eric, I..."

Eric hung up the phone and flew into action. He flung open his closet and dug out the best outfit he had, a light blue jacket and set of trousers, with a plain, white shirt. He set them out and raced into the bathroom, turning the shower on.

After a nice hot shower, he dried himself off and ran a comb through his hair. He dabbed on his favorite Sea Mist aftershave and started getting dressed. Eric hummed to himself as he got ready. He hadn't been this determined to go out and have a good time in quite a while. It was actually a very good feeling.

He whistled happily as he made his way out to his car.

"Well," he said to himself as he sat down and turned on the ignition, "here goes nothing."

*********************************************************

Eric walked purposefully down the street in a slower gait than usual, hoping to stop and just talk to someone. There weren't too many people out today, though. He wondered where everyone was.

A discotheque of sorts loomed ahead. Eric looked up and saw the big neon sign reading "The Paradise." He timidly walked up to it and pulled open the big wooden door.

He squinted as he was almost blinded from the bright lights which spun around directly overhead the dancefloor. He quickly scanned the place before deciding whether to enter. There were many scantily clad women, most of whom looked like complete bimbos, as well as some eccentrically-dressed young men. Van McCoy's "The Hustle" blared out of the speakers.

"Thanks, but no thanks," Eric muttered as he turned back and shut the door.

He turned back down the street, remembering that he had passed a respectable-looking pub on the way. 'Worth a try,' he thought to himself as he neared the establishment.

Eric entered and sat himself down at the bar.

"What'll ya 'ave?" the short, stout middle-aged bartender asked him.

"Oh..um...pint of ale?" Eric muttered.

The bartender nodded and fetched the drink for him. He nearly threw the pint at Eric, in turn getting the ale all over the bar.

Eric looked down at the pint and wrinkled his nose somewhat. "Er...thanks," he nodded. He began to sip his drink thoughtfully.

Time and again he scanned the place, looking to see if there would be perchance a lonely young girl, perhaps as lonely as himself, to whom he could strike up a conversation. But the only patrons appeared to be mostly middle-aged and older men.

He neared the end of his drink and sighed. He was about to leave when suddenly the doors opened and in walked a very pretty young woman wearing an overcoat. As she entered the pub, she was greeted with a round of whistling and catcalls from the entire pub, including the bartender. She shot a hateful glare at each of them.

Eric rolled his eyes. He knew she didn't deserve to be treated like that. He spotted her taking a table near the back of the pub. She looked quite forlorn.

Eric grinned and made his way to her table. "May I sit down?"

She looked up at him and fixed him with a glare. "What? Didn't get enough leering the first time, so you've come for more?" she spat out.

Eric's eyes widened. "What? Oh...no!! Listen, I'm not that type!"

The girl rolled her eyes. "Right, I'm sure that you aren't," she said dryly.

"No, really!" Eric insisted. "I think it's disgusting how they were treating you. I certainly think you're very pretty, but I'm not about to show my appreciation through such a perverted manner."

Her glare softened and she began to smile. Eric noticed that she was very pretty. She had long, dirty-blonde hair, beautiful blue, doe eyes, and a very sweet smile. She was probably all of 26 or so.

"Well, alright. By the way, my name is Ophelia."

Eric smiled back at her and pulled up the chair next to her. "What a lovely name. Er...I'm Eric."

She nodded.

"So tell me, what brings you here on a day like this?" he asked.

The girl sighed. "Oh, quite depressing, really. It's St. Valentine's Day and I haven't anyone to share it with."

Eric looked at her seriously. "Really? I've got the same problem."

Ophelia looked at him expectantly.

"Er..I mean...it's the first Valentine's Day I've spent alone. I got divorced last year, in March."

She looked at him sadly. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said softly.

Eric blushed a bit and nodded.

"Well, I'm glad we've both finally found someone to share the day with, then," she continued.

"You and me both," he smiled at her.

He looked around and saw what a grimy place the pub was. Not just the atmosphere but the patrons as well. He thought he could win the girl's heart and show her someplace better. "Come on, let's get out of here," he grinned, gesturing toward the door. "Let's find a better place to talk."

Ophelia rose from her chair and smiled at Eric seductively as she began pulling at the sides of her coat. "Well...alright. But it's gonna cost ya," she said, adopting a sexy tone of voice.

Eric's eyes widened, and at that instant Ophelia stripped off her coat, revealing a very slinky, low cut halter top, and a very short miniskirt. The bar was soon filled with more catcalls.

But for Eric, the worst was yet to come. Ophelia put her hand to her head and removed what was actually a long, dirty-blonde wig, revealing shorter, nape-length brown hair. "So, big boy, where to?" she asked in a more deep, manly tone of voice.

Eric's jaw dropped. "Uh....actually, I thought I heard my wife calling me," he uttered nervously.

"Wife? I thought you were divorced!" the male transvestite said incredulously.

"Right...but she's thrown herself back at me and I'm taking her in...the divorce is off... right. Goodbye."

Eric bolted for the door and ran hurriedly down the street. As soon as he got a few blocks away from the pub, he stopped and sat down to catch his breath. He couldn't believe that he actually thought "Ophelia" was a woman. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so humiliated.

"What am I doing?" he muttered to himself. There's no one around except boorish old pubcrawlers and cleverly disguised drag queens. It figures, everyone's spending time with the one they love."

He sighed. "Well, Mike, you were wrong, I haven't found a girl," he whimpered.

He was about to turn and head back to his car when he sat up and looked at the huge imposing structure in front of him.

It was the public library.

The library had, at one time, been Eric's sanctuary. Whenever he didn't feel like socializing with his wife's friends or the other Pythons, he'd head to the library for a good book. "Well," he shrugged, "I'm already here. I might as well look around and see if there's any good books to be had."

**************************************************

He entered the library and made a beeline for the New Arrivals shelves in the Fiction section. He browsed through the shelves until a certain book caught his eye. It bore the title "Hello Sailor." Eric laughed as he repeated the title over and over to himself. What a cute name for a book. He thumbed through it and it actually turned out to be a quite funny read. He decided he'd take the book out for a bit.

He made his way to the circulation desk where a lone employee was standing. She was a very pretty girl, tall with long brown hair and pretty hazel eyes. 'What's a nice-looking girl like that doing in here on a day like this?' he thought to himself.

She raised her eyebrows as she saw him approach.

"Er...hello, I'd like to take this book out, please," he smiled.

She nodded. "Oh, sure, no problem," she said in a sweet voice.

As she searched for the rubber stamp which she needed to check out the book, Eric became a bit nervous and decided to make small talk. "So...are you the only one here today?" he asked.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Yes. Well...the only one at this desk anyway. Come to think of it, it's just me and the cleaning staff here today," she said dryly.

Eric laughed. He loved her sense of humor, it was so much like his own. "What a shame," he giggled.

"Right. They're all off with their husbands and wives and boyfriends. Quite conveniently I'm the only one who's single and not dating, so it's fitting for me to be here today I suppose." She sighed heavily.

"What a shame," Eric repeated, this time a bit sadly while looking into her eyes.

She smiled at him, then shrugged herself out of it. "Well, my friend Lisa didn't have to take the whole day off. I mean, she is married but honestly, she and her husband only had dinner plans. She could have come in to work for a few hours..."

"Um, I'm sorry, did you say you have a friend named Lisa?" Eric interrupted curiously.

Her eyes narrowed at him, but she nodded. "That's right, Lisa Palin. She married that Python boy Michael Palin."

Eric's eyes widened. "You know Lisa??"

She ignored his question, but furrowed her brow as she stared at him. "Do I know you?" she asked.

Eric blushed. "Well...I don't think I've ever met you, but I'm Eric Idle...also that Python boy," he giggled.

Her eyes widened. "Oh! Yes! I thought I recognized you! I'm sorry about that," she giggled nervously.

Eric smiled gently at her. "That's alright. Er...so...you know Lisa?" he asked again.

She nodded. "Yup, I'm her friend Cheri. I've known her for about two years now, since I first started working here."

He looked into her eyes and smiled tenderly at her. This must have been the friend whom Lisa wanted to introduce to him. "Well. It's very nice to meet you," he said softly.

She looked into his eyes as if she was awestruck. She had seen Eric on Flying Circus once before, but had never met him in person. She thought he was quite funny on the program but he seemed so sweet and devilishly handsome right here.

She finished checking out his book and handed it back to him. "This is a very good read," she remarked. "It's quite funny. I have to say that the author really has a way with words."

Eric smiled. "Yes, I seemed to notice that just by looking it over quickly."

She looked down at her watch. "My shift is about to end," she said, looking up at him. "Would you like to go somewhere else and talk?"

Eric thought she'd never ask. "I'd love to!" he smiled.

"Great! I'll just tell the cleaning staff I'm closing up, grab my coat and we can be on our way."

Eric nodded. "Alright. I'll wait outside for you, then."

She nodded. "Okay, I'll be right out."

He smiled at her and turned to exit the library. The day had finally taken a turn for the better. After all the grief Eric had experienced this girl was a just a breath of fresh air. She was very pretty, caring, and seemed to have a sense of humor that jived with his own. He could get to like this.

Minutes later she joined him and they made their way to Eric's car. "Come on, I know a nice little restaurant not far from here," he smiled at her.

**********************************************

"...So then, I spotted Carol sleeping on the bed, and thought to myself, 'Oh, bloody hell! Now I'll have to wait in here til she wakes up!'" Michael laughed as he and Lisa exited La Gondola.

Lisa rolled her eyes and giggled. Michael must have told her that story of the time the Pythons toured Canada at least a dozen times. She wasn't about to stop him, though, because every time he told it he would end up laughing, and that laughter was like music to her. She wasn't about to stuff it up in a bottle and cork it.

As they walked down the road toward Michael's car, Lisa's eyes narrowed and she thought she spotted two familiar faces walking in their direction.

Her mouth opened wide when she discovered it was none other than Eric and her friend Cheri. She nudged Michael. "Michael...look who's here," she grinned.

Michael furrowed his brow, then his eyes widened as he noticed Eric with a female friend. They didn't seem to notice him and Lisa, so he waved to them. "Eric??"

Eric stopped in his tracks as he caught sight of Michael and Lisa. A huge smile spread across his face. "Hey, Mike!!" he called out.

Michael took hold of Lisa's hand and they rushed over to Eric.

Eric looked at Lisa and Michael, almost stunned. Michael was dressed very nicely in a suit, jacket and tie, and had his hair parted on the side and combed neatly. Lisa was wearing a pretty long red dress with a white shawl covering her shoulders. Her long, wavy brown hair tumbled down her back. Eric thought she looked stunning, but she was no longer a love interest since he had just met another wonderful girl.

"Well, you're looking very nice there, Mike," Eric grinned.

Michael blushed. "Well, thanks Eric. But I just learned a few more combing tricks, that's all really," he said smugly as he ran a hand through his hair and tossed it back arrogantly.

Eric laughed as Michael grinned at him.

"What about you?" he asked. "You're certainly looking dapper this evening."

Eric beamed. "Thanks, Mike." He turned to Lisa. "Lisa..."

Michael eyed Eric carefully as Lisa looked up at him and giggled.

"You look very beautiful," Eric smiled.

Lisa blushed. "Thank you, Eric." She turned to Cheri. "Well, I see you've met Eric, Cheri," she smiled.

Cheri nodded and looked back at Eric, smiling. "Yeah, and he's quite a guy," she said dreamily, as Eric reached down and kissed her hand.

Michael and Lisa looked at each other and and grinned, amused.

"I hope you both will be very happy together," Lisa said kindly.

"Oh, don't worry, we will," Cheri winked.

Michael looked down at Lisa. "Well. We've got to be going now."

Eric nodded. "Yeah, we've got to be heading back to my flat. Cheri dear, would you wait in the car for me? I won't be a moment."

Cheri nodded and entered the passenger side of Eric's car.

Michael reached up and patted his good friend on the shoulder. "Well, Eric, I'm so glad you were able to find such a sweet girl," he smiled warmly.

Eric cast his eyes down and blushed a bit. He looked back up at Michael. "Thanks, Mike, so am I. I guess you were right, I did succeed."

Michael grinned and nodded. He reached over to give Eric a hug and then started back with Lisa toward his car. "Take care, Eric," he called out.

"Same to you, Mike," Eric responded before he joined his lovely new girlfriend in the car.

************************************************

"Ah, I'm so glad they hit it off," Lisa sighed as she sat down on the couch.

Michael furrowed his brow in confusion as he sat down next to her. "I thought you said you didn't introduce her to Eric."

Lisa shook her head. "No, come to think of it, I didn't," she remarked thoughtfully.

Michael looked up. "Hmm...guess he just ran into her, then," he mused.

Lisa grinned as she touched the locket around her neck. She reached over and began stroking Michael's soft, longish brown hair. "It was a wonderful day, Michael," she said softly.

He put his arm around her and pulled her in closer to him. "Yes, love, it was a wonderful day...because I got to share it with you. Every day is wonderful to me, as long as you are my wife," he smiled tenderly.

She beamed happily. "Oh, my dear, sweet, darling Michael," she cooed.

He smiled back and they engaged in a long, passionate kiss.

 

~FIN~


 


 





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