In February 1996, Gillian Harvey, then 17, was on a Valentine's Day date with her first boyfriend, John, at an upmarket pub. The evening took an unexpected turn when four elderly men in red tuxedos and straw boaters entered, made a beeline for their table, and burst into song. Harvey, who was shy and unused to attention, found the experience excruciating, even as John smiled, expecting her to be delighted.
A Romantic Start to a Teenage Relationship
Harvey met John in September 1995. He was a friend of a friend and had been in her year at school, but they had never really spoken. The moment their eyes connected, she felt an electrical charge. When he asked for her number, she wrote it in the condensation on his car. He turned up two days later on her doorstep with roses, and she fell head-over-heels.
John was not a typical 17-year-old. He was romantic, often bringing gifts and creating mix-tapes filled with classics like Peter Cetera's Glory of Love. He also had a car, a big plus for a girl living in a village with few amenities. Harvey admits that in the early days, these lavish gestures made her feel special, boosting her self-esteem.
The Valentine's Day Surprise
By the time their first Valentine's Day arrived, John had already established himself as a romantic hero. He didn't earn much, but he kept the local florist in business with almost weekly bouquets. However, Harvey hadn't expected a barbershop quartet.
The quartet sang classics like Elvis Presley's (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear, during which they handed her a stuffed animal. Other diners turned to look, and Harvey felt her ears burning. The singing lasted about five minutes, but it felt like hours. She tried to smile along, squirming in her seat as they sang song after song, each time thinking it was over only for them to strike up a new melody.
Aftermath and Reflection
Once the quartet left, Harvey recovered from the shock and felt thrilled by how romantic it was. John declared his love within the first two weeks and mentioned marriage after the first month. They broke up when she was 19 and went to university, but got back together a year later. John proposed in a hot air balloon when they were 20, and they planned to marry at 24.
However, as they planned a life together, Harvey began to look beyond the bouquets. They would argue, and he would spend half his weekly wages on a 'forgive me' bunch of flowers. She wanted him to stop with the extravagant gestures and save his money. They even booked a wedding, but when things became real, she realised they weren't right for each other. They broke off in 2002, almost a year before the planned wedding; the deposit was refundable.
Harvey now looks back fondly, believing they were both young and trying on love for size. She is no longer a fan of grand gestures and hasn't celebrated Valentine's Day since breaking up with John, despite being married for 22 years. She has learned that love is not a cliché but something you work at, and it definitely doesn't require a barbershop quartet.
