Valentine’s Day: Church activity for the lone ones

Mitchell drove into the church parking lot, it was 6:30 pm, thirty minutes before the activity was supposed to start. The other church people might have needed help setting up for the Valentine's day bingo activity, but that was not why Mitchell got there so really, particularly when most people would actually get there late. Michell did not like being late, it was a kind of irrational fear, a fear that if he was a few minutes late for something, he would not be able to participate in it. Not that he particularly wanted to be a part of this activity. He just had nothing going on all day, and he was bored.

He parked the car, at the end of the lot, by a bent yellow road sign. It was supposed to say something, but it was so scratched and rusted that he could not make it out. There were a few other cars in the lot, but he read his book, a fantasy novel, the third book of a fourteen book series, instead of going in.

After his twenty minute timer went off, he went into the building. There were only a few more cars at that time, but Mitchell saw that the activity was already set up. Bingo. Bingo for twenty to thirty year olds who had nothing going on that Valentine's night. Valentine's day losers. At least that is what Mitchell called them all, himself included. What kind of person goes to a group activity thing like this on Valentine's day. It should be a day for watching movies, playing video games, and eating ice cream. Anything to drown the feelings. Mitchell walked over to the closest table and sat down and made small talk to the three table mates already there, without looking at any of the other tables. Mitchell did not know any of them, he had only recently moved into the area, but by the time that the activity started he knew their names were John, Ann, and Fred. Fred and Ann had both lived in the area for nearly their whole life, while John moved in a few months before Mitchell for work, he was a nurse. Fred was an accountant, and Ann was a dentist. As the church leader started listing out what the plans were that evening, nothing special, Mitchell started to look around the room. That was when he saw her, a pretty dark haired woman wearing a bright blue sweater with a red bow in her hair. She was sitting at one of the tables on the other side of the gym, to his left. The colors jumped out among the many grays, browns, and black clothes that a lot of the others were wearing.

As the bingo game started, they were using chocolates instead of writing materials to mark the cards, Mitchell kept looking her way. Hoping that he was not being creepy and wondering what the proper way to introduce himself would be. It would have really helped if he was at the same table as her, but it was too late to change that without looking like a fool, or being rude to Ann. Mitchell was actually one of the ones who won a bingo, the prizes were nice big red roses. The pretty woman also won one, that was when he learned her name was Alice. Soon, the evening got a bit boring, Mitchell probably would have left by that time if Alice had not caught his attention. All the tables were now playing table and card games with each other. Then Alice got up from her table, it looked like she was going to leave.

Stressed about what he should do, he also got up to leave, he was going to try and speak with her on the way out. Luckily, both their cars must have been parked near each other because she started towards the door where he would have gone to. Working not to appear so, he raced to the door first.

"Good job winning," he said as he opened the door for her, nodding towards the rose.

"You too," she said as she nodded towards his rose.

"Thank you, as you know it takes a certain skill to win at bingo. She laughed as they both headed towards their cars. "By the way, you are very well dressed. I love the blue sweater and the ribbon."Mitchell could feel his face getting redder. Hopefully, he was doing this right and not looking like a fool.

"Thank you, your gray button up looks very nice," she said after a brief pause.

Not knowing what to say next, he handed her his prize rose as they got to her car, his car was still a few feet away. "You look like someone that could use two roses, here, take mine. Oh, my name is Mitchell by the way."

Her face went visibly pink. He was not sure if that was a good or a bad sign. "Oh, thank you," she said as she picked up the rose from his hand.

"Hope to see you here again!" He said as he waved at her, as they both got into their cars.

As he drove him that night, he thought about the brief meeting over and over again in his head, hoping that he did not freak her out. He also wondered if they would see each other again. Maybe, just maybe, he was not a Valentine's day loser.