Chocolate Therapy for Friends and Lovers

“Valentine’s Day,” the thought jolted LJ awake. He looked at his watch calendar. “Ok, it’s in one week. Chocolate Therapy here I come.

After breakfast, he finished dressing and walked into Annie’s office. She was immersed in a writing project but looked at him with a smile. “Hey babes, what’s up?”

“I’ve got to run a few errands in the village. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

LJ walked briskly letting the sounds of nature entertain him. A flight of noisy geese flew underneath scuttering clouds, and he sidestepped a flock of wild turkeys on their way to the neighborhood’s cascading waterfall. Two miles later he arrived at his destination. The bell over the door sounded as he stepped into the sweet smell of cacao perfumed air. The soft sounds of Lowell Hopper’s On the Run played in the background. The proprietors, Billy, and his wife Paula, were busy with customers and greeted him with a wave. “Hi LJ, we’ve been expecting you. Come and join us; we’re giving an impromptu chocolate lesson.”

“Thanks, as you know, I’m on a serious mission and need expert advice, so only the finest chocolates with the highest nutritional value are selected for my food-as-medicine wife,” he laughed as he walked over to the small group.