One Valentine's Day, my mother gave me a card featuring a heart-shaped clock. O...

One Valentine's Day, my mother gave me a card featuring a heart-shaped clock. On the inside of the card were the words "Valentine, my heart ticks for you." In addition to the card, my mother also gave me a gigantic box of Good & Plenty candy. I was eight years old. I had chicken pox. I had missed the Valentine's Day party at school.
I remember sitting on the couch in the Florida room, holding the box of Good & Plenty and staring at it in disbelief and wonder. My mother was an extremely...