Cupid visits Washington residents

    Valentine?s Day is a romantic day for married couples and courting youngsters ? a day to show their appreciation for one another. The day carries special significance for Melanie and Dennis Hawkins, not only because they were engaged on that date but also because it is their anniversary.

    Melanie and Dennis graduated from Washington High School in 1992. They were friends in high school, but went their separate ways after graduation. Both got married and later divorced.

    At their 15th-year class reunion in 2007, the two of them got to talking and really hit it off. On Valentine?s Day, Feb. 14, 2008, Melanie and Dennis went out to eat. Melanie knew that there was something on Dennis?s mind that night. 

    ?I saw it coming,? said Melanie. ?I knew he was going to ask me, because his mother told him he needed to do it that way.?

    At the restaurant, a man in a monkey costume was carrying around a tray of chocolates.

    ?I thought, ?Oh! This will be perfect. He?s going to hide the ring in the chocolate!?? said Melanie.

    Melanie found no ring in the chocolate. She left the table and returned to find Dennis kneeling on the floor.

    ?I was embarrassed, even though I knew it was going to happen,? said Melanie. ?There were a lot of people watching.?

    The Hawkinses set their wedding date one year to the day, on Valentine?s Day 2009. Melanie said she is forever impressed at her husband?s thoughtfulness and creativity.

    ?On our wedding night, he spelled out ?I love you? on the bed with Hershey kisses,? she said. ?He brings me flowers unexpectedly. One year, out of the blue, he brought flowers to me at work. I keep telling him he doesn?t have to get me a Valentine?s Day present and an anniversary gift.?

    Bob and Elsie Huber of Washington will also have fun on Valentine?s Day. 

    ?We?re going to a restaurant so I won?t have to cook that night,? said Elsie.

    Elsie said Bob gives her something nice on Valentine?s Day.

    ?Usually, he gets me flowers for the table,? she said. ?He?s done that for many years.?

For the full story, see the Feb. 11 edition of The Washington Evening Journal