Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 15, 1995 TAG: 9502150069
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LISA APPLEGATE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"If I don't get something, I might as well not come home," Jerry Dulin said with a laugh.
At about 6 p.m., Dulin stood in the Revco at 19th Street and Orange Avenue Northwest with a box of cream-filled truffles in one hand and a chocolate teddy bear in the other.
Dulin was ready for a shower after a long day's work, but he dutifully stopped by the drugstore to pick up a little something for his wife.
"She's really good about remembering this kind of stuff. She's good to me," he said.
The candy selection was sparse - even the "P. Nutter" chocolate hearts had vanished.
Dulin finally chose the teddy bear, and somehow managed to find a card.
Husbands, it seems, had picked over the card aisle as well. Most of the pink-and-red heart-covered "For My Wife" greetings were history.
But not all procrastinators were of the male gender.
"Oh, geez, I was planning on coming earlier," confessed Cynthia Murdock. "I had to pick up my niece from day care, so I figured I'd do it then."
Talk about gift pressure. Three days ago, she picked up the diamond engagement ring her fiance, Leon Cheatwood, had bought for a Valentine surprise.
But she did find a good card - the kind with a heartfelt message written in longhand over a photograph of a sunset.
Eric Anderson had seen enough Valentine memorabilia to last a lifetime.
"If I see another rose, I'm going to go crazy," he said.
Anderson spent his first few weeks as a manager-in-training in the Kroger floral shop experiencing the heart-holiday frenzy firsthand.
He spent an entire day arranging vases of long-stemmed red roses, all of which were sold by Tuesday night.
Another day was spent placing stuffed animals inside huge, clear balloons. Only the stuffed gorilla and a few teddy bears were left waiting for a home.
"Ugh, I'll be glad when this is over," he said.
But, as the last of the 40-inch red balloons bobbed away to the checkout counter, one man gained courage from what was left of the mood.
Mark Fisher has been shopping at Kroger for several months now, and lately he's noticed a certain cashier named Stephanie.
The timid Wal-Mart employee nervously watched friend John Conner pick out a bouquet for his girlfriend. Then, Fisher finally got up enough nerve to make his feelings known with his own purchase: a rose.
"She smiled when I handed it to her," he said. "She was busy ... but I'll come back tomorrow."
by CNB