Natalie Baldaccini: Didn't We Used to Date?

On this Valentine’s Day, we bring you a story of modern love from Natalie Baldaccini.

I keep running into this good looking man everywhere I turn. We are both usually in a rush, so he doesn’t seem to notice me, but I can’t stop looking at him. I have these flashbacks of the two of us together having candlelit lobster dinners, going wine tasting, and laughing & teasing one another while playing round after round of ping pong. Every once in a while, he looks up and gives me a warm smile showing me that he remembers us, too.

One Saturday morning, when he is about to pass by me to grab a bottle of olive oil, I feel bold: I wrap my arms around his shoulders and put my face close to his and say, “Didn’t we used to date?”

He looks deep into my eyes and smiles, and then he laughs. “Of course we did, honey. That’s why I married you!” We kiss and embrace in our kitchen.

Our two young children are immediately jealous of our intimate moment, and they squirm their way into our hug. We cuddle as a family for a minute before we go back to getting ready for soccer games, birthday parties, and the other obligations parents are frantically preparing for each Saturday morning.

Once the kitchen is clean and the kids are clothed, my husband carries our stubborn, shoeless five year old to the car while I trail behind like a Sherpa with her shoes, our son’s soccer bag, and the various items needed for the day. I run through our checklist once with my husband and again in my head before finally locking the front door. It can start to feel like we are workers on an assembly line rather than husband and wife.

When I get a moment, I text our babysitter. I think it’s time for another date!

With a Perspective, I’m Natalie Baldaccini.

Natalie Baldaccini is a high school English teacher, mother, and writer on the San Francisco Peninsula.