Valentine's Day 2016

I can't remember the last time I did not have a date on Valentine's Day. I was in high school. I was not worried that I did not have a boyfriend because I knew I was young enough that society was not going to look down on me for being single. At 15, no one freaks out if you are not paired off. Parents are especially ok with it. At 25, everyone wonders what's wrong. At 35, people assume you must be a freak.

Valentine's Day is a fake holiday. Everyone knows it, but most of us play along anyway. We buy the candy and give people cards and gifts. I have been giving out Valentine's Day cards since I was in kindergarten. Hallmark made a lot of money off me.

China has two Valentine's Days. Qixi in August and this one in February. I have always ignored Qixi. Most of the time, I don't even know it has come and gone until someone tells me about it. Unlike February 14, it is on a different date every year, like most Chinese holidays.

I probably would have gone out on Valentine's Day with Lily, but she is still in Canada. So I stayed home. She did not do anything either. Her dad is still in the hospital, so she spends most of her time there.

There were a few parties I could have gone to, but then everyone would ask why I am still single, as if being single is a lingering cough that you just can't shake. I have no qualms about going out by myself, but I would rather do it without being judged. Going out would have also made me vulnerable to questions about Lily and her dad that I simply cannot answer at this time.