Today is a holiday.  Ah, I love three day weekends and I endorse them.  Bless the activists, the presidents, the religious ceremonies, the fallen, the war heroes, the historical memorials, the laborers, the explorers, and anyone else who is responsible for me getting a day off from work.

My brother and I always get into a discussion whenever I get time off.  He is the general manager for the local paper and as such he gets – or even wants – to take very few days off.  I work as a data enterer for a local mental health/substance abuse agency.  There’s still plenty of business the next day for us.

Whenever a three day weekend rolls around, I always hope it’s the start of my rom-com adventure.  You know, I leave work Friday at 4:00pm.  I expect to have a typical mundane weekend in my boring life.  When BAM! Something unexpected happens and I find myself on a course of events that lands me in South America.  For some reason, I’m accompanied by a very handsome though rugged man who is probably responsible for all the hijinks.  Let’s call him Wyatt.  At first, we detest each other.  All day Saturday we trade barbs and snarky comments.  By Sunday evening, we discover we have feelings of another nature for each other.  However, neither one of us wants to be the first to admit our feelings to the other.  Because, you know, we have to drag it out until Monday evening.

And so, Monday morning comes and because of our willful souls and the climax of our adventurous weekend, we are threatened with being separated forever.  This leads to a montage with a depressing song about heartbreak in which we both have very sad faces.  I return to my Wyoming home. However, after years of being stuck in a rut, I now have the wherewithal to move on.  Cut to me loading my car with all my belongings packed in cardboard boxes except my little orchid.  That I carry by hand.  “It’s time to move on,” I bravely tell my one true friend helping me pack.  She gives me a hug and wishes me well.

Moments after I leave, Wyatt comes running into my driveway.  He had an epiphany and realized he’s not a first grader, he’s an adult man and if he likes someone he can just tell her.  No more games.  But alas!  Felix the Ford Explorer at that very moment is heading toward the interstate with me in it.  If I make it to the interstate, it will be too late and all will be lost.  There is no such thing as a tomorrow in a rom-com!

My phone, of course, is dead so he must come to me physically.  He borrows my friend’s car and races through town trying to catch me.  It’s not an easy route, roads are closed due to construction, parades, and oddly enough, the President of the United States is in my small town which sets up a whole lot of road block… Meanwhile, I’m calmly heading toward my new future which starts with me getting on the interstate.

He catches up to me just as I’m about to enter the on-ramp.  I pull over and he has not only my full attention but also several passersby including the President’s.  Wyatt doesn’t mind the onlookers and proceeds to proclaim his undying love for me.  Even though we’ve only known each other for three days, I am, in fact, his soul mate.

(sigh) I may have watched a tad too many movies in my life.  It’s now Monday evening and since I’ve never left town or met anyone with the name of Wyatt, I guess there is no personal rom-com adventure for me this holiday.  Maybe Presidents’ Day!