“To love another person is to see the face of God.”

Victor Hugo 

                                                                 

An American Valentine

  

 

by Mark Karapetyan   

 

February 14 

New York City 

5:14 PM  

Sally just got out of the shower.  

A man she met a week ago at the produce department of a local grocery store is coming to pick her up to take her on a dinner date. Sally, however, is freaking out! 

Her new date will be at the door in less than an hour and she’s not even close to being ready. She still has so much to do. She is confused, stressed, and agitated. She likes this new guy, and she wants to make a good first impression. This night is very important to her. 

Then, suddenly, her phone rings… 

Gina, Sally’s friend, is calling to check on her best friend before the big date. 

Sally hears the phone go off, but she can’t see it anywhere and quickly searches for it. The moment she runs to her bathroom to grab it, the doorbell rings. Someone is at the front door! 

Sally answers the phone and runs to the door simultaneously. 

“Hello, hold on a second Gina,” Sally request, as she opens the door. 

It’s the UPS guy delivering a package. 

Sally quickly signs for her package, puts it next to the artificial flowerpot by the door, thanks the delivery guy, shuts the door, and quickly puts her cell phone to her ear: 

Sally: “Hey, girl!” 

Gina: “Hi, are you ready?” 

Sally: “Not even close. I’m going crazy! I don’t know what to wear. I have tried on sixty-eight different outfits, but nothing looks good. This sucks! I don’t have enough clothes. My hair is all over the place, and I don’t know what to do. I’m about to cry! Maybe I should call him and cancel. I’m going to call him and tell him that I’m not feeling well.” 

Gina: “CALM DOWN GIRL! look, face time me. I’ll help you pick a dress.” 

Sally wipes the tears off her face and face times Gina. 

Gina: “Hey, hey, hey…what’s up girl? You look fabulous!” 

Sally: “Yea okay. Your compliments are not working Gina. I don’t know what to wear.” 

Gina: “Okay, look! what about those high waisted black stretch pants?” 

Sally: “Gina, I’m going on a dinner date, not to a yoga class! Besides, those pants are too revealing. I don’t want him to look at me and get the wrong idea.” 

Gina: “Oh, please, girl! What are you, a nun? Show some curves, make him want you, make him crave you, make him drool.” 

Sally: “You are bad!” (they both laugh out loud together). 

Gina: “What about the red dress with the white stripes you wore on Christmas? They would look great with the white high heels you borrowed from me last week.” 

Sally agrees, tries them on, and then checks herself in the mirror forty more times. After she gets Gina’s approval, she rushes to the bathroom to fix her hair. 

Gina suggests that Sally wear her hair down because “it’s more seductive.” 

At last, Sally walks to her crowded closet and picks a red, knitted purse. She sits before the giant mirror in her bedroom and carefully applies makeup to her face. Like a true artist, she adds layers and layers of color to her eyes, cheeks, and lips, to match her outfit. She gently curls her eyelashes, and with a final stroke of a brush, she defines her thin eyebrows. She then lightly sprinkles glitter on her face and stands up for a final check-up in the mirror. 

She looks fantastic! 

Suddenly, the doorbell rings. Her date has arrived. 

“Oh my God! He is here, oh my God!” Sally panics. 

Gina is so excited! She screams in pleasure: “Girl, I want to know all about it. I want details. I want to know everything. Go have fun and call me when you get back. I will be up. Love you girl.” 

Sally hangs up, checks herself in the mirror one last time, applies more lipstick to her lips, quickly combs her hair, sprays perfume all over her upper body, and slowly walks to the front door to meet her date… 

“Hi, you look beautiful,” he compliments. 

“Thank you,” Sally replies nervously. 

She locks the door and follows him to the car. 

Her date stops short of the pavement and throws his arm in the air for a taxicab to stop. 

A passing by blue taxicab quickly stops. 

Sally looks confused! 

“Where is your car?” she asks. 

“I do not own one,” he replies with a smile. 

“You don’t have a car? How do you go to work or live life without a car? She presses. 

“In a crowded city like this, it’s better to walk and meet new people” he confidently assures.

He opens the passenger rear door of the taxicab and asks her to get in: “Please, after you…” 

Sally politely thanks him and gets in the car: “Where are we going?” she asks. 

“Not too far from your house,” he responds. 

Fresh drops of rain instantly hit the windshield as they drive off. The cab driver turns on his wipers and quickly glances at Sally and her date through his rear view mirror: “Hello, my friend, how have you been? It’s nice to see you again.” 

“Wait, do you guys know each other?” Sally asks. 

“This is my friend, Mr. Raj,” her date replies. 

Mr. Raj explodes in joy and repeats: “Yes, we have met before. I take him back and forth every day. He is my best customer.” 

Sally turns her face away from her date, stares out of the window, and quietly ridicules: “Right, I forgot…you don’t have a car.” 

“So, how long have you two known each other?” Mr. Raj asks. 

“We just met a week or so ago. He asked me out to dinner, and I agreed,” Sally clarifies. 

“Ah! Very nice. There are many good places to eat around here,” Mr. Raj glees as he pulls over. They have arrived at their destination. 

Sally’s date politely thanks Mr. Raj and walks around to open the door for her. 

As Sally and her date walk away from the taxi, Mr. Raj rolls the passenger window down and yells: “Good luck!” 

Sally’s date walks her up the stairs and knocks on the door of an old establishment. The door opens and they both walk in. 

“What is this place? I have never been here before and I live right around the corner. Is this even a restaurant?” Sally inquires. 

“Yes, it is a great place. The food is delicious. The chef is my friend.” 

They both walk to their table. Sally’s date pulls the chair out for her to sit. 

Moments later, a young waiter approaches the table: “Any wine for the  mademoiselle?” 

“Hmmm…yes! a glass of Chateau de Parenchere, please,” as she shuffles through the menu. 

“And for you, monsieur?” 

“No wine for me, thank you. Just water please,” Sally’s date replies. 

Sally looks at her date and giggles: “You don’t drink wine? You have to try some of this great French wine!” 

“I actually know a lot about wine. I used to drink it with my friends. In fact, I make the best home-made wine in the world.” 

Sally finds his words amusing: “So, what happened? Why don’t you drink anymore? Are you a recovering alcoholic or something?” 

“Welcome, welcome,” a loud, cheerful voice interrupts Sally and her date. Sally looks back to see who it is. 

A short statured man wearing a toque approaches Sally’s table. 

Sally’s date immediately turns toward her and introduces the chef: “Sally, this is Monsieur Ricky, the head chef. He is a good friend of mine.” 

“Bienvenu, thank you for coming Mademoiselle,” the chef beams. 

“Hello, chef, nice to meet you,” Sally greets. 

After conversing briefly, Monsieur Ricky excuses himself: “I have to go back to my kitchen now and prepare your food. Please, enjoy yourselves. Au revoir!” 

Sally sits down, looks at her date, and jokes: “You’re quite the character, aren’t you? Everyone knows you, Mr. Popular.” 

Her date humbly dismisses her claim: “Yes, I love all my friends. I’d do anything for them.” 

The young waiter brings the bottle of wine and pours it into Sally’s empty wine glass: “Here you go, Mademoiselle.” 

Sally’s date lifts up his glass of water: “Cheers!” 

Sally takes a sip, puts her glass down, and confesses: “I’m sorry I’m a little nervous. It’s just that I only met you a week ago and I know nothing about you.” 

“No need to be nervous at all. I promise you, my only wish is to talk to you and get to know you,” her date assures. 

“Haaa…oh yea? so all you want to do is talk to me? You’re a man, and I know how men think. You’re buttering me up thinking that your sweet words will get you lucky with me later.” 

Sally’s date stairs gently into her eyes and expresses: “My words will not prove you wrong, but my actions will.” 

“Fair enough, I’ll hold you to that,” she challenges. 

Sally is a little surprised. Although he doesn’t talk much, this guy sounds interesting and different than all the other men she’s dated. 

Suddenly, the server approaches the table and brings two bowls of Soupe à l’oignon: “Please, be careful, it is very hot. Bon Appetit.” 

Sally blows away the hot steam of her spoon and tastes the soup: “Mmmm, this is yummy! Absolutely delicious.” 

“I agree, Monsieur Ricky is one of the best chefs in this city,” her date confirms. 

Sally dips the bread in her soup and takes another sip of her wine: “So tell me about you. What do you do, where do you live?” 

“I’m actually a teacher,” he replies. 

“Oh, nice! My mom was a teacher too,” Sally concurs. 

“Was?” 

Sally clears her throat: “Yes, she passed away when I was little.” 

“I am sorry for your loss.” 

“It’s okay. I don’t remember her very much anyway. The only thing I have of her is this beautiful necklace.” 

She reaches to her neck but to her surprise! 

Sally panics: “OH, NO!!! I lost my mom’s necklace!” 

She stands up and starts looking for the necklace. She checks under the table, in her purse, and even rushes to the bathroom to check her clothes. Unfortunately, she comes back empty handed. The necklace is gone! 

“Maybe it fell somewhere in your house,” her date suggests. 

“Or maybe I dropped it in your friend’s taxicab,” she shouts. 

“I will contact Mr. Raj and ask him. Do not worry.” 

“Thank you so much! You don’t know how much that necklace means to me.” 

Moments later, Monsieur Ricky is at the table with two hot plates of la maquereau (fresh catch of the day). 

“S’il vous plait! It’s very hot. Bon Appetit!” 

He asks if Sally and her date want anything else, and then excuses himself. 

The atmosphere is euphoric at this old, cozy establishment. The pianist at the corner of the room is doing a marvelous job lighting up the mood for all the diners with his Mozart’s masterpiece – String Quartet No. 20. The waiters are busy serving the guests. The place is crowded with couples celebrating love! 

Sally dips her fork in her dish and takes a bite. The fish tastes amazing. It is so good that she is tempted to ask Monsieur Ricky for the recipe. 

“How’s your food?” She asks her date. 

Sally doesn’t get an answer! Her date is praying with his head bowed down and eyes closed. 

She feels awkward! She looks around to see if anyone is looking at them. She doesn’t wish to be embarrassed. 

“Yes, it is delicious,” her date finally replies after finishing his prayer. 

“So, you are one of those Jesus people, ha?” she inquires. 

Her date: “Who are those Jesus people?” 

Sally: “You know, some people are like, you know, follow Jesus or whatever!” 

Her date: “You say it as if following Jesus is a bad thing.” 

Sally: “I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. It’s just that this whole Jesus thing is not for me.” 

Her date: “What if ur wrong?” 

Sally: “What do you mean?” 

Her date: “What if this Jesus thing is true for me, you, and everyone else, but you just don’t know it?” 

Sally: “Well, if it’s true for others and they are okay with it, more power to them. I believe that we all search for what makes us happy in our own way. And that is okay. We should respect that.” 

Her date: “Just because something makes you happy or makes you feel good, it doesn’t mean it’s true. Truth can never be based on feelings or emotions, but rather, on facts and evidence.” 

Sally chuckles: “Okay, Mr. Philosopher, teacher! Just don’t shove your truth down my throat.” 

Her date: “All I am saying is that people fail to understand that truth values are absolute for everyone, at all times. Yet sadly, most people comb through these values to pick and choose the ones that appeal to them the most.” 

Sally gets uncomfortable: “Let’s change the subject. I don’t like to be lectured. Let’s enjoy this date.” 

Her date: “Fair enough!” 

Sally: “Do you travel much? Have you been anywhere exciting?” 

Her date: “Yes! I have been everywhere. In fact, I have been traveling as far back as time goes.” 

Sally: “And have you encountered anything extremely exciting?” 

Her date stares at his half full glass of water and smiles: “yes…yes…” 

Sally explodes in joy: “DO SHARE!” 

Her date: “What would you like to know?” 

Sally: “Since it’s Valentine’s day, tell me a story about true love. Tell me about the greatest love story you’ve witnessed in your travels.” 

Her date looks up to the chandelier for a few seconds, pulls his seat closer to the table, looks deeply into Sally’s eyes, and joyfully recounts: 

“I once visited a small land, far, far away from here. The inhabitants of this land were plagued by a deadly disease. Tragically, this plague was self-inflicted! It was them who brought this calamity upon themselves. Every single one, man, woman, child, and cattle, were all doomed since no one in the land had the cure to remedy this infirmity. Death was on everyone’s doorstep. The king of this land, who loved his people immensely, was heartbroken. So, he decided to help them. One day, he sent his only son to the city to tell everyone that there’s still hope, and that death is not everyone’s eventual fate. Soon after, the king’s son arrived. He immediately went to the town center and started telling people about a certain cure in his father’s kingdom that would heal everyone.” 

Sally: “Did they take the cure? Did the son give it to them?” 

“They didn’t take the cure because they didn’t believe the son. At first, they listened to what he had to say. Afterwards, they mocked and ridiculed him.” 

Sally: “Why didn’t the son just give everyone the medicine for free?” 

“He did! He offered it to everyone freely. But they refused to take it. They refused to believe that the son had a cure. He relentlessly pleaded with them to believe him, but they insisted that the son was a liar and a deceiver.” 

Sally took the last bite from her plate and continued listening attentively: “Then what happened?” 

“The son continued beseeching the people to listen to his words and to the words of his father. He regularly asked them to receive the cure and avoid immanent death, but to no avail. A few handfuls believed his words and followed him everywhere he went. The rest, however, became hostile and combative. They wanted to kill him. The son, unfazed by the threats, continued spreading his word boldly in every corner. He was loved by many and hated by many. He was gentle and honest for he consistently helped others and always spoke the truth. His wisdom was baffling. His charisma was infectious. Although his boldness was frightening, his love for everyone, on the other hand, was unmatched. One day, he was confronted by a crying adulterous woman that everyone wanted to kill for her grievous act. In a stunning manner, he exposed the wickedness and hypocrisy of those who wanted to punish the woman and forced them to walk away without harming her. He then gently encouraged her to never again repeat her heinous acts, and tenderly dismissed her. Another time, he met a very ill man that no one in the city wanted to touch or even talk to. He lovingly reached down to the ill man and compassionately healed him. Everyone was astonished! The way he dealt with difficult situations was supreme. The way he faced his adversaries and challenged them was unequaled. He constantly spoke of love, and regularly demonstrated it. That’s why everyone gravitated towards him. Sadly, many doubted his motives and rejected him. So they went and told the authorities. When his fame reached other far away towns, the authorities feared that this man could threaten their power and wealth. Therefore, they plotted to arrest him.” 

Sally: “But why? He wasn’t doing anything wrong. He just wanted to help the sick people! Why were the authorities upset?” 

“The authorities had been promising the people a cure for years. And with those vain, hollow promises, they controlled and manipulated the inhabitants of that land. Moreover, because of their devious tactics, they accumulated tremendous wealth and power. Money and power weren’t things those corrupt rulers wanted to lose easily.” 

Sally: “But the authorities didn’t know that the son was, in fact, the king’s son?” 

“The son told them so regularly, but they didn’t believe him. They were blinded by evil and greed.” 

Sally: “I’m very curious. Did you really see all this? Did you witness these events?” 

“Yes! All of it. I was there.” 

Sally sits her elbows on the table and clutches both hands: “Where did this happen, and when?” 

As soon as Sally asked her question, the young waiter came back to see if Sally and her date wanted a dessert. They both declined. 

Sally: “Tell me…how come I have never heard of this story?” 

“You have. You just never paid attention to it.” 

Sally: “So how did the story end? What happened at the end?” 

“The authorities continued harassing and challenging the king’s son. They followed him everywhere he went. They even sent spies to spy on him. But the son continued telling his people of his father’s cure. The more he spoke, the angrier the authorities became. So, they ramped up their game! They accused him of breaking the laws of the land. They threatened him with arrest and imprisonment. Then, finally, they decided to detain him and have him killed.” 

Sally: “WHAT? They wanted to kill a man just for talking to people? That’s crazy!” 

“It wasn’t who the son was talking to that made the authorities livid. It was what he was saying that infuriated them. You see, the son never backed down! He publicly accused the authorities of being corrupt, evil, and wicked. He promised them that they would have no place in his father’s kingdom unless they repented of their iniquities first. He labeled them as hypocrites, snakes, and blind fools. He stood up to the authorities boldly and humiliated them openly. Eventually, they met secretly and plotted to kill the son.” 

Sally: “DID THEY KILL HIM?” 

“One night, while the son was with his closest friends, the authorities came with armed guards and arrested him. All the son’s closest friends ran away in fear. They all abandoned him and disappeared into thin air. But the son didn’t hold that against them, for he realized that they were simple, weak, terrified, men and women. On the contrary, he loved them even more because he was also afraid himself. He understood their suffering because he also experienced it. He realized that the authorities came to take his life. But he stood his ground and asked them ‘who is it you are seeking’? 

“‘The king’s son,’ they replied! 

“‘It is I’, he proclaimed, and then allowed them to arrest him.” 

Sally: “But wait, wait! Where was the king? Why didn’t the king send his mighty armies to defend and save his son?” 

Her date looks down at the floor and sighs: “Hmmm…it was the king’s wish for his son to be arrested and killed!” 

Sally: “WHAT? THE KING WANTED HIS SON DEAD?” 

“Yes, indeed!” 

Sally: “That’s crazy! What kind of father does that?” 

“A loving one!” 

Sally: “EXCUSE ME!” 

“The king was aware that his people were doomed without the cure. Because he loved everyone, he wanted them to freely and willingly come to his kingdom to receive the cure. But to do so, they first had to listen to his son and believe that there was an actual cure for their deadly disease. Anyone without the cure would have eventually succumbed to their demise. That was something the king refused to let happen. So, he sacrificed his own son so everyone else could live.” 

Sally: “HOW?” 

“The king allowed his son to take the deadly disease upon himself…and the son willingly obliged.” 

Sally: “The son died?” 

“Beep, beep, beep, beep…” 

Sally looks at her phone that’s sitting on the table. It’s a reminder from the airline company to confirm her flight. She has an early flight to Seattle for work. She wants to return home and pack for her trip, but she is very interested in her date and his stories. She is glued to the chair. She wants to hear more. So, she decides to stay! 

And so, it happens that Sally and her date spend hours conversing! Her date does much of the talking by recounting fascinating stories that mesmerize Sally. 

However, it is very late! 

Sally’s date just finished telling his last story. Sally lifts her head and looks around. The waiters are cleaning up! The place is empty! All the customers left except for Sally and her date. She has been so involved in talking to her date that she lost track of time and her surroundings. 

Sally: “Oh my God! I can’t believe it’s almost 2! Where did time go?” 

Her date smiles, then turns around and thanks all the waiters on the way out. They, in return, wave goodbye to Sally and her date, and shut the front door. 

To her surprise, Mr. Raj, the taxicab driver, is outside waiting! 

“Oh, look! It’s Mr. Raj,” Sally jumps in joy. She rushes to the car and searches the backseat for her mother’s necklace. Mr. Raj and her date also give her a hand, but to no avail. The necklace is nowhere to be found. 

Although Sally is a bit disappointed, she quickly forgets about the lost necklace as Mr. Raj cheers her up with his peculiar humor. 

She is finally home! 

Sally walks out of the car and thanks Mr. Raj. 

Mr. Raj hands Sally a business card, asks her to call him if she ever needs a taxi, and then drives off. 

Sally’s date walks her up the steps to her house. She is standing right in front of her door. It’s dark, and she is looking in her purse for her house key. 

She finally finds it. She puts the key in the doorknob and turns around to thank her date for the wonderful evening, but her date is gone… 

Sally is stunned! 

He was standing right there a second ago, but now he is nowhere to be found! He just vanished! 

Sally stands by the door like a frozen statue not knowing what just happened. She eventually gets inside, locks the door, and calls her friend Gina, who was still awake and anxiously waiting for Sally’s phone call. 

Sally recounts everything with her friend in detail, from start to finish. Both Sally and Gina, however, do not understand how and why her date just disappeared without saying a word! 

Sally is tired; she wants to sleep, but she decides to pack for her trip instead and take a nap later on the airplane. Her mind is restless! 

She can’t focus. She remembers everything her date told her, especially the unfinished, touching love story about the king and his son. Alas, she is finally ready. Although she is exhausted, she carries her medium sized-luggage out of the door and heads to her car. 

Then, she remembers… 

Mr. Raj gave her his business card and asked her to call him if she ever needed a ride. Not only that, if she wants to know what happened to her date, Mr. Raj is the right person to talk to since he knows her date. Immediately, she lets go of her luggage and runs to her house looking for the business card. She holds it in her hand to read the telephone number, but to her surprise, the business card is blank on the front. There is nothing printed on it. She looks on the back of the business card and sees this: “514” 

Sally is more puzzled than before. She swears this is the same business card Mr. Raj gave her a few hours ago. “What does 514 mean?” she wonders… 

She quickly googles the phone numbers of all the taxicab companies around her looking for Mr. Raj, the taxi driver. 

All the taxi companies assure Sally that they do not have an employee named Mr. Raj, and moreover, that all the taxicabs in New York City are yellow in color, and not blue! 

Sally walks to her kitchen bewildered! What in the world is going on? Where did her date and Mr. Raj go? She sits in the chair sturtled! Is she going crazy? How can two men she met hours ago disappear just like that? 

“Aha!” 

She knows how to find out about her date. The restaurant where she had dinner at. It is not too far. The chef, Monsieur Ricky, is her date’s friend. She can ask him. She rushes down the steps and sprints as fast as she can. She remembers the restaurant was next to the old church on the corner. She finally stands in front of the old establishment. She walks up the steps and stares at the front door for a few seconds. Then, she opens it and walks in… 

The place is vacant! 

There are no tables or chairs. The place is totally empty! She looks at the corner where the pianist was playing his wonderful tunes, and it is also empty; there is no piano! She checks the kitchen where her food was prepared. There is no kitchen, and there is no Monsieur Ricky. Where did everyone go? How can this be? 

Sally was here a few hours ago with her date. The place was buzzing and alive. Now, it’s nothing but an abandoned old building. What in the world is going on? 

This is too much for Sally… 

Sally starts trembling. She falls on her knees and starts weeping. She has no clue what’s happening! 

She remembers that she has a plane to catch. So, she eventually stands up and walks out of the old building. 

On her way down the steps, Sally meets an old lady who was on her way to a church service next door. Sally asks the old lady about the restaurant, but the old lady assures Sally that this building has always been abandoned, and in fact, never was a restaurant. This is total insanity! Sally is about to lose her mind. She has never experienced anything like this. 

It is pouring rain like the heavens are crying. Sally is walking back home completely drenched. Her thoughts, however, are pulling her in all directions. 

She arrives home and quickly changes her clothes. She sits on her bed and tries to make sense of the last few crazy hours she went through. Feeling hopeless and confused, she walks to her front door to leave for the airport. 

Something amazing catches her attention! 

The artificial flowerpot by her front door has come alive!!! Sally nervously touches one of the flowers. The smell is mind-blowing! This is her favorite smell. For some reason, the smell of these flowers reminds Sally of her mother. Never before has she been this emotional. Never before has she been touched so much in one day. 

She then walks to the front door, and suddenly notices the box that the UPS driver had delivered earlier. She quickly opens it… 

Her mother’s necklace is in the box!!! 

Sally falls down on her knees and, yet again, weeps loudly as if she was in great agony. 

How did her mother’s lost necklace that she was wearing before her dinner date end up in this box? 

Nevertheless, Sally composes herself and somehow drives to the airport shaken to her core by everything that happened to her. Waiting in line to check out for her flight, she stares at the wall in front of her without blinking. The only things occupying her mind are the unexplained, strange events she encountered. 

For some reason, she misses her mother immensely. She grabs the necklace on her neck and whispers: “I love you mom…” 

She looks up at the flight information display monitor and notices that her flight number is 514, the same number on the back of Mr. Raj’s business card. 

How much can one woman take in one day? 

She finally boards the plane and walks down the aisle looking for her assigned seat. It is row 5, seat 14, by the window. More tears come down her face as she buckles her seat belt. The other passengers notice Sally, but she tries to hide her tears. 

Sally removes a magazine from the tray in front of her and pretends that she’s reading. She shuffles through the pages quickly but stops when she notices something on page five: an advertisement with a picture of a man who looks just like Mr. Raj standing in front of a blue taxicab. Sally turns more pages, stops at page one, and notices a picture of a chef advertising his new restaurant in Paris. The chef looks exactly like Monsieur Ricky. She turns the pages and stops at page four! There’s a picture of a necklace that looks very much like her necklace. In amazement, she glares at the picture and examines it in detail. It is identical to her mother’s necklace around her neck. Sally covers her face with her hand and starts weeping.

Suddenly, the captain is heard over the speakers greeting the passengers: “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard flight 514 to Seattle. We will take off momentarily once we are cleared. Please enjoy your flight and remember that today is Valentine’s day. “

All the passengers cheer and clap. 

Moments later, Sally glances over at the passenger in front of her and notices that he is reading a Bible. The passenger turns around and smiles: “Galatians 5:14, my favorite verse.” 

Sally’s eyes fill with tears… 

The passenger walks up to Sally, sits in the empty seat, and introduces himself as a teacher from New York: “The King’s Son, Sally, indeed died. But, let me tell you what happened next!”

 

It is Valentine’s Day in America…

 

 

 

“For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

 

Galatians 5:14