HARARE - The date is Sunday February 14, 2010, and its 3pm. A smartly dressed young man walks into the Pizza Inn on First Street. He is holding a bouquet of fresh red roses in one hand and a Valentines greeting card still wrapped in its crisp plastic in the other. He sits down, carefully places the bouquet on the table, goes over to the counter, makes an order, then comes back and starts to write on the card. The intensity of purpose on his face is an inspirationIn my head I am imagining the words he is putting down on the card. My thoughts are disturbed by another couple, two tables away, that are laughing away heartily. The girl laughs so much that she almost chokes on her pizza. The guy gets up and pats her on the back and they burst into more laughter.
A young woman and her guy, seated just next to their table, are so into each other that they hardly notice.
Two couples go by outside, hand in hand. The colour of their clothing is predominantly red. A vendor, cigarette between his lips, appears at the entrance. He has a red plastic bucket, out of which are protruding the invitingly scented heads of long stemmed red roses in individual plastic packaging. He places the bucket on the ground, peers inside the building then steps back and waits. They will come. They will buy his roses.
A few metres behind him is seated another couple donning matching T-shirts in red. There is a look on her face that says she does not want to be anywhere else, with anyone else, doing anything else, and on his that says hes happy hes made her happy. I revert my attention to the young man writing what can only be sweet words around the printed ones that Hallmark placed on the card. He sits back and reads his work. A self-satisfied smile runs first through his eyes then along the length of his lips. He folds it and places it into his pocket in its very red envelope.
His order is ready. A large Four Seasons pizza. He walks out, pizza and roses in hand. She is going to be so thrilled. It will be Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring all at once tonight.
Post published in: Arts