The door opened to reveal a smiling face—the face of Mama Chibu, the village florist. Ayo’s eyes widened in surprise. Mama Chibu had lost her family in an auto crash many years ago. Years later, she opened her home to orphaned children in the village. She was always kind to everyone and the villagers loved her.  He had never stopped by her shop but when the roses became persistent, he had thought of asking her for the identity of her customers. Ayo dropped the idea because almost all the villagers patronized her on Valentine’s Day. Was she the one behind the roses and the notes? How was this possible?

In the rush, the hood slipped off—revealing Zara, the village’s deaf and mute girl. Ayo froze. Zara? She was the girl known for her gentle nature, her pleasant smiles, and the small woven baskets she sold at the market. It was also no secret that she could not read, write, or speak. So, how could she be the one leaving him roses with handwritten notes? She looked at him, her round eyes filled with uncertainty, as if she had been caught doing something forbidden. Ayo let go of her shirt and slowly took a step backwards. "Zara?" he asked, his voice softer now. "You... why have you been doing this?" She smiled at him, blinking rapidly.

Ayo hated Valentine’s Day when the world turned red and pink, became plagued by a parade of cliché love proposals, boring grand gestures and an anthem of cheesy love songs. The most annoying was the exploitative prices of chocolates and basic commodities.  He always made sure not to have anything to do with all the drama, but for the past three years, a mysterious single red rose had appeared on his doorstep every February 14th. No name. Just a perfect, fresh rose with a sealed note waiting for him. The first year, he had thought it was probably a mistake so he ignored it. The second year, he found it irritating and kicked it off his doorstep. The third year, it drove him crazy. He dumped it inside the trash can. Whoever was doing that was testing his patience, he had scoffed, angry. By the fourth year, Ayo was frustrated but curious. Yet, he didn’t let it show as he ignored the items at his doorstep and went about his day, thinking little of it. But when he got home and met it st...