Issac J. Bailey | Still for men’s eyes only

Men, I have to apologize.

I underestimated you.

In Wednesday’s column, I got the womenfolk to look the other way and tried to give you reason to take advantage of the opportunity presented by Valentine’s Day, even if it is a contrived, commercial, superficial holiday; even if everyday kindnesses and reminders of your love are more important and longer-lasting.

I asked you to send in special messages to your sweethearts and said I’d publish them this morning.

Frankly, I didn’t expect many of you to take me up on the offer.

I thought I’d have to remind you a thousand times between Wednesday and the Friday morning deadline to get you to do something. You know, the way your better half has to stay after you to take out the trash or pick your dirty, stinky socks off the dining room floor.

I figured that I’d get a few, maybe as many as 10.

I was wrong.

Boy, was I wrong.

Many more of you responded than I expected. The messages began trickling in shortly after Wednesday’s column was published and kept coming in late Friday afternoon up until I left the office.

One of the messages was so moving it caused me to change gears and ask for more information. I would have done the same thing with a few others but I work under time constraints.

Because of that, we’ve slightly changed plans. The messages will be published Tuesday morning, on Valentine’s Day, a day before my usual column runs. We will publish as many as possible in the newspaper itself (thankfully, most were short as requested), with the rest published online. It depends on the available space.

It will be worth the wait.

I was also challenged after Wednesday’s column was published.

Reader Sean Smith politely called and asked why I made it exclusively about straight men.

"Gay men screw up, too," he said in reference to the part of the column in which I reminded men to not be so simple and mess up such an easy opportunity.

"I’ve been with my partner for 17 years," he said. "There are a lot more gay couples in the Grand Strand but I guess they don’t feel comfortable coming forward."

"It should be about love in general," Smith said.

I agree.