Perfect

Huxley Kennedy rushed past the man wearing a heart shape costume that looked troublesome to move around in. "Hey," the man in the costume yelled as Huxley shoved past him. The man clumsily fell onto the sidewalk. The man tossed and turned like a crab on its back struggling to get up. Normally, Huxley would be a gentleman and help the guy up, or not shove the guy in the first place. Today was Valentine Day, and Huxley was in a hurry to get the best, last minute Valentine Day gift for his girlfriend Jill.

Huxley immediately went to the back of the candy store, where he knew the boxes of chocolate where located. In the back of the store, he ran into a raving group of men eager to get last minute valentine day gifts for their sweethearts. Huxley looked at the mass of men, fighting one another to get a box of chocolate. Without thinking, he dove headfirst into the mob. Fighting his way through while getting kneed and elbowed Huxley managed to fight his way through the crowd. He came out of the crowd with a huge gasp. He held three boxes in his hands. The group of men dispersed, leaving the shelves bare. Huxley had gotten the last three boxes in the entire store.

Huxley immediately tore open the first box and frowned. Despite there being a selection of chocolates, this box was unfortunately missing a few pieces. He tossed it aside and tried the next one. The next box had a half-eaten piece of candy in it. Huxley tossed that one aside and silently prayed to God that this box would be the one he was looking for. He had finished praying just as a store employee tapped him on the shoulder. Huxley, surprised, accidentally hit the scrawny man with his elbow.

" What are you doing," the guy asked.

" I am trying to find the perfect box of chocolate for my girlfriend. It has to be perfect," Huxley explained.

" Do you plan on paying for the two boxes you opened and threw away?" the employee asked.

" Yes sir," Huxley reassured the employee as he tore open the last box. Huxley frowned when he saw that the last box was completely empty. Empty! Who took candy from a box, and sends an empty box to a store? Huxley shoulder slumped. He looked at the store employee with sadness in his eyes. He took some cash out of his pocket and handed the money to the employee. " Keep the change," Huxley said.

The store employee looked at him with sympathetic eyes. " Listen, I know a street vendor who might have a box or two left," the employee wrote down the street address on the back of a dollar bill and gave it to Huxley. " Here, the guy usually is at this corner right about now," the employee said.

Huxley eagerly took the dollar bill. " I know where this corner is! Thank you!" Huxley said graciously. He was about to leave the store, but not before the employee gave him a complimentary valentine day card.

" For your girlfreind, just in case," the employee said with the wink of an eye. Huxley ran out of the door, feeling reinvigorated. He needed to get to the vendor as quick as he could. He tried to hale a taxi, but no Taxi would stop for him. One taxi did drive by, hitting a puddle and splashing water all over Huxley. Huxley, still feeling hopeful, ran down the sidewalk. " Sorry, Sorry," Huxley said as he accidentally bumped into a few pedestrians. Huxley spotted a bicycle left propped up against a mailbox. Without thinking, Huxley hopped on the bike and peddled as fast as he could down the the sidewalk. " Hey!" a man in a suit yelled as he dove off to the side. " Sorry," Huxley yelled at the man. The man said some colorful words that Huxley did not think should be said at all.

Huxley huffed and puffed his way up a steep hill. Once he reached the top, he could see the park right at the bottom of the hill. He needed to reach the park, because that was where the vendor should be. Huxley did not bother peddling down the hill. Instead, he let the bike drift down the hill. When he got closure to the street, Huxley pressed on the handle brakes, only to find that the bike would not slow down. In hindsight, it might have been wise to take a bike that had just been left on the street. That was the least of Huxley worries. He screamed as he zoomed down the hill, and into oncoming traffic. He swerved to avoid oncoming cars as they came to a screeching halt. Some of the drivers waved their fist at him, shouting more colorful language. Everything came to a stop once Huxley hit the side of a car, somersaulted in the air, and landed in a bush.

Feeling shook up, but not read to give up, Huxley stumbled out of the bush and started looking around the park. There was a pond area with ducks swimming around, people jogging and walking their dogs, and trees, but no vendor that he could see. Huxley started running around the park, asking people if anyone knew of a vendor who was selling heart shaped boxes. One jogger pointed to a vendor, who was just about to close up when Huxley arrived.

" I need a heart shape box," Huxley quickly explained, sounding out of breath.

" Sorry, just sold the last one," the vendor said.

" Oh," Huxley said. His shoulder sagged.

" Why so gloom?" the vendor ask.

" All I wanted to do, was give my girlfriend the perfect box of chocolate for Valentine Day. She means so much to me. I just travelled across the city to find that one box because I forgot today was Valentine Day."

" At least you got her a card," the vendor nodded at the pink card with a heart on it that was in Huxley pocket.

" Yeah, I guess she is getting a card."

That night Huxley presented the card to Jill. He apologized over and over again. Jill reassured him that she was fine with a card and was just happy to be spending Valentine's Day with him. Besides, she forgot it was Valentine Day too.