Little Valentine

Don't tell, but I was one of the pathetic procrastinators picking through the dregs of the valentine cards at WalMart. There were no matching envelopes, and most of the cards were pictures of old hillbillies, Justin Bieber, Peanuts characters, and puppy/kittens. A little girl was sorting through the cards at her level, found one, held it to her chest, and told her dad she had found "the one".
"Oh no", he said without looking away from the card he was holding. "You don't get to pick your own card. That's my job." She looked hurt.
I said, "I love that idea! I wish MY girl would pick a card she wanted."
Daddy looked at his daughter. She looked hopeful. "Are you sure?", then (meant for me), "I'm supposed to take the time, pick something that comes from me that has special meaning just for us."
I just smiled and waited for him to end his dramatic pause, and of course he came through.
"If that's the one you want." She wiggled and bounced.
I had assumed that he was looking for a card for the little girl's mother, but he might not have been. He replaced the one he'd been holding.
I said to her, "That IS a beautiful valentine. Maybe you could help ME choose one?"
She hesitated for just a second before she held out her prized valentine to me.
All I could do was tell her she was a wonderful person, shake her father's hand, and walk around the corner to recover.