Lines

It seems that China has embraced the western concept of Valentine's. The day has passed, and the flower and sweets shops are still doing brisk business.

I smile each time I overhear a cheesy line. But I laughed a little too loudly when a young Romeo beside us surprised his date with flowers and passionately declared probably the most famous statement of all.

"'Til death do us part."

Embarrassed with my behavior, hubby quickly paid the bill and ushered me outside. We couldn't stop laughing, as we traded half-meant sappy Hallmark card quotes on the short walk home.

I then pretended to read from a storybook and recited, "Once upon a time, Sean met hubby, and they lived happily ev..." Before I could finish, we saw an old man being wheeled into an ambulance parked in front of our building.

It is not an uncommon sight, given that the commercial part of the building houses an assisted living facility. But we were still taken aback, seeing the panicked old lady that stood by the curb.

We entered the elevator in silence, the smiles gone, neither one admitting what we both were thinking.

That the young Romeo was right after all.