never
wanted to buy for your beloved will now be available
at twenty percent discount, so it makes more sense to
take out that second mortgage on your house or sell
your youngest child and get the laser projection television.
Then you can watch Sleepless in Seattle on the big night
while holding hands with your beloved ("You will
never have to be alone in debt again").
On Valentine's Day, no restaurant
will have any vacancies. Adoring couples will start
to fill the tables from 6:30 p.m. onwards. They will
gaze moonily into each other's eyes and hold hands underneath
the table, as starving singletons outside wait till
11:30 for the only available dinner reservation. Pizzerias
will make special heart-shaped pizzas (crust and tomatoes
only) for the lovers who avail of their Valentine's
offer. DJs specially hired for the occasion will screech
out love song requests in voices that could make dear
ol' Cupid cry, but the couples will still gaze moonily
into each other's eyes as they sway to 'their song'.
Florists will make a killing on
the fateful day, too. Specially designed bouquets and
gift baskets are not really popular over here in Pakistan;
the height of class here is to present your loved one
with an impressive bunch of red roses. But last year
on Valentine's Day, every single flower seller in Karachi
had sold out before 6.00 pm. This did not deter the
desperate, who cruised the streets all day, only to
find a lone flower seller at five minutes to midnight
with a few wilting bouquets left who was selling them
for over five hundred rupees dozen. It seems that love
has no price, especially the consequences if you cannot
deliver.
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