I put salt in my Dad’s coffee
And dash sugar on my fries,
“What’s the matter with you? Are you in love or something?”
I am, to my surprise.

Dad asks me why I’m staring
At the budding roses on the window sill.
I say, “They are such pretty pink flowers.”
Dad rolls his eyes. “Snap out of it, Wil!”

I grab my football gear from the garage,
The green Duffel bag that heavily weighs.
“Hey Wil,” my sister smiles and smirks,
“Aren’t you playing basketball today?”

I charge up to my bedroom to change
And splash my face in the bathroom sink.
“What the hell’s the matter with me?
I can’t concentrate. I can’t think!”

Little Victor doesn't have to think twice about who would be his Valentine this year. Gabriela, who sits next to him in his second grade class, is the one for him.

When his mother sees that Victor has written the same name on ten separate Spider Man Valentine's day cards from the pack of thirty, she suddenly becomes curious. "Victor, who's Gabriela?"

"She's my girlfriend," he answers in a matter-of-fact tone. He proceeds to finish the last "a" in her name with the blue marker before adding it to the card the pile. He pulls out the next card, with Spider Man swinging across a starry skyline carrying a giant pink heart, and flips it to the stencil side. On the "To" line, he writes the "G" in a swirly cursive style with the purple marker.

Victor's mother sits down next to him at the dining table and starts counting the girls's names on the list of students his teacher sent home. "Why are you only writing Gabriela's name. You have fifteen other girls on the list. You have to give each one a card."

"But they're not my Valentine."