Finding Your Romance Quotient

[This farcical blog of mine was first published by Romance Novel TV. I'm reposting it here with their permission.]

Harlequin's definition of a romantic is someone who is: Respectful, Open, Mature, Affectionate, Natural (straightforward easy-going), Thoughtful, Intuitive, Confident.

However, no two people can agree on what is romantic in every situation. We all express romance differently and feel it differently. Some are gung-ho about it, others are tentative. But one thing we can all agree on is that we want it in our lives. So, I invite you to test your inner romantic.

1. Romance to you is…
(a) A phone call once a week
(b) Accessible and naturally a part of your life
(c) Spending time exclusively with one another

2. An ideal date consists of…
(a) Dessert out with friends
(b) A movie and take-out at home
(c) A candlelit dinner followed by a horse-drawn carriage ride

3. For your one-year anniversary you…
(a) Surprise your partner by inviting all your friends over
(b) Make advance reservations for a weekend getaway
(c) Fly to Venice and have champagne on a gondola ride

4. You're invited to dinner. You show up with…
(a) A potted cactus
(b) Long-stemmed daises (the new "in")
(c) Three dozen red roses

5. For an unexpected treat, you buy your partner a…
(a) Bag of supermarket candy
(b) Box of chocolates
(c) Personalized box of chocolates

6. You express your love by…
(a) Writing both your names with a chalk on a rock
(b) Slipping a note saying "I Love You" in the jacket pocket
(c) Tattooing both your names on your posterior

7. On a Friday evening, you would…
(a) Pick up a pizza on the way home
(b) Pick up the fixings for a salad and some wine and cook a pasta dinner at home together
(c) Drive to a specialty-foods market 45 miles away and arrive home armed with three bags of delicacies

8. On a Sunday morning, you would…
(a) Say: "Honey, could you please turn the coffee-pot on?"
(b) Bring two steaming cups of coffee back to bed
(c) Warm up a towel in the dryer while your significant other is showering

9. You demonstrate your thoughtfulness by…
(a) Taking an entire Saturday to a job the car mechanic could've done in an hour
(b) Drive the car over to the car mechanic and get the oil changed
(c) Hire a mechanic to come over to the house to get the job done

10. When your soul-mate says, "We need to talk"…
(a) You invent an excuse and exit the house in 30 seconds flat
(b) Say: "Sure, honey. Go ahead. I'm listening"
(c) Exclaim in delight: "Darling, of course. Whatever you want to talk about I want to talk about, too."

If you scored…

Mostly A's: You need to hire a Romance Consultant right away for long-term improvement in your Romantic Quotient. For an emergency RQ adjustment, e-mail Keira.

Mostly B's: Congratulations! You're navigating the sometimes choppy waters of romance very well on your own.

Mostly C's: Whoa! Perhaps, you need to rein in your romantic impulses a tad, if for nothing else than the health of your wallet.

So, what did you score? Were you surprised? Why or why not? Which other questions belong in this quiz?