Valentine's Day, the Black Widow, and others
Now that the sun has set on another Valentine's Day, I sit here reflecting on the fact that this date once served as my wedding anniversary as well, when the original Black Widow and I exchanged vows. That was four decades, three children, and a divorce ago.
Seriously, my ex-wife was a decent person, good mom, and my first true love; we were simply too young when we started out and as we matured, we developed interests and intellects that diverged. We found that except for our children, we really had very little upon which to draw the strength necessary to make the intimate sharing of lives successful and all of the tribulations conquerable.
It turned out that our split, although horrible at the time, was not such a bad thing; we are definitely more comfortable with one another today than we were all those years ago. Our children and grandchildren are at ease with us, as are our current spouses (or were, as my Irene passed a little while ago). It's a shame that wisdom is wasted on the aged.
We all know that "Hallmark Card Day" is celebrated on February 14 every year, and that it originates from the Roman fertility festival called Lupercalia, held on February 15. But what's up with Cupid and that stupid bow and quiver? I know the Romans believed him the son of Venus, but he was never portrayed as a chubby baby. Ah well. We allowed ourselves to be roped into this one, all for the sake of profit margin. Having said that, there are worse things in this world to commemorate than love.
And speaking of love, what would Valentine's Day be without mentioning massacre (I still have the ex-wife on the brain.)? In 1929, gunmen in the employ of Chicago crime boss Al Capone murdered seven members of the George 'Bugs' Moran North Siders gang in a garage on North Clark Street. I find it quite strange that this story is still mentioned after all of the horrors the world has experienced since 1929. Still, it was a big deal for the time and illustrated just how weak law enforcement had become in controlling the bootlegging gangs and violence in the streets.
In fact, it was this and similar acts that prompted the Treasury Department through agents such as Eliot Ness to crack down on the gangs. Plus, decades after this celebrated event, Kevin Kostner was able to star in yet another cheesy movie. Now that's something we can all be thankful for...isn't it?