On St. Valentine' s Day 2010, my chihuahua Fernando was only 4 months old. It was heartbreaking to leave him with my mother in Marbella, so I almost cancelled my trip to Italy.

I was calling my boyfriend from Malaga airport on St. Valentine's day to tell him I wasn't able to see him in Milan. But somehow he convinced me and half an hour later I was crying and saying good bye to my little Fernando to leave him to Nico who works for us in a house for many years.

On that same night, my boyfriend was organising a St. Valentine's Day dinner to his friends in Milan and I was there of course without Fernando. He started telling all his guests that he heard this interesting behaviour of French and Japanese people on the radio two weeks ago in his car. "Japanese and French people in general tend to choose to be with their dogs insted of being with their own partner on St. Valentine's Day!" He said: "How crazy is that! I thought this is not true! My girlfriend loves me! And then this morning she called me from Malaga airport crying and telling me that she would better not come to Milan today, because she can't travel with her Chihuahua on Easyjet!!! I simply couldn't believe what she said!". He told all this in front of all his friends at that dinner party. Of course this crazy Japanese girlfriend (It's ME in this case) felt so bad, because it was our first St.Valentine's Day together. And everyone laughed at me at the dinner.

Fernando

Well, that was last year. And this year my boyfriend came to Marbella on Valentine's week from M ilan. But me and my mother were both very sick with flu. As soon as he arrived from the airport, he had to take my mother to the emergency room at the hospital and he had to carry her from our garage two floors up to her bedroom, when they came home to get her! Every day for one week he was taking care of us both plus 3 dogs. Cooking, shopping, giving instructions to the maid and driver, also answering phone calls from my friends and welcoming my mother's guests.

On Valentine's day I was still sick and stuck in bed. Thankfully he was taking care of me, bringing me flowers from garden and he also gave me a very beautiful ring, which made me extremely happy! Now I am thinking to try to act as a normal girlfriend for 2012 St. Valentine's Day. I think my boyfriend deserves this after all he did for me.

I wish that all of us have someone to love always...