Dawn's Dad.

Dawn Eden, author of The Thrill of the Chaste, on Valentine's Day:

For most of my life, there have been two certainties about Valentine's Day: I will not have a date, and my father will send me a jumbo box of chocolates.

Dad moved away when I was a kid, a few years after my parents split. I knew him then as a workaholic who sometimes had to be reminded of my birthday but he never forgot February 14.

As a child, although I never minded getting candy, Dad's valentine made me a bit sad because it left me wanting more. It reminded me how much I wanted his presence not just his presents.

Here's the whole thing.