Chocolate

I've already given permission to anyone who wants it to eat chocolate for its health benefits. Another new study gives yet another reason: apparently, chocolate can reduce the risk of stroke. Of course, this is a preliminary finding, but I see no reason to wait for more evidence.

Today is the perfect day to go buy some. Valentine's Day chocolate is usually 50-75 % off today.

How do I know this? February 15th is Isabel's and my engagement anniversary. It was the morning of her old roommate's wedding. I didn't want to do it on Valentine's Day -- she'd have been expecting it. Then again, maybe she wouldn't have.

We'd been living in different states since the previous June -- she in Maryland, me in Massachusetts -- after we finished graduate school in Boston. We managed to see each other every three weeks or so, but it was tough. I don't know if Valentine's Day or her friend's wedding got to her, but that Thursday night we had a fight on the phone about our long-distance relationship. "This is ridiculous," she said. "Don't bother coming." I told her we'd talk when I got there, holding the engagement ring in my hand as I finally convinced her not to break up with me.

Things were better the next day, and when we passed a Denny's near the rehearsal dinner site, I immediately knew where I'd do the asking.

So Saturday morning, before her friend's wedding, we had breakfast at Denny's, and I told her about a newspaper article I'd read about people proposing on Valentine's Day in restaurants. Waiters putting the engagement ring in the bottom of a dish of chocolate mousse -- thast sort of thing. I looked around and chuckled and asked her, "Can you imagine getting engaged in Denny's?"

"It wouldn't matter," she said.

"No?" I said, and I took out the ring and put it on her finger.

We were married a little less than a year later, and moved to Kentucky, where I had started grad school. Living on about $19,000 a year, we'd skip the expensive Valentine's Day dinners and celebrate the following day -- our engagement anniversary -- with 75% off chocolates and a Grand Slam breakfast.

We don't do Denny's anymore, but we've kept up the day-after chocolate tradition. The selection isn't always great -- you have to get there early -- but it's ours.

Happy anniversary, Darlin.' Save me a caramel.