I had been planning for some time how I was going to propose, coming up with some ideas that were out there and others that were more traditional. When I picked up the ring I had it narrowed down to three plans. Plan A was the most elaborate. I was going to plan a game night at the house and have a huge gathering of friends over. We always play Taboo, so I was going to use that as my inspiration. I planned on doctoring one of the cards, preferably the "Yes" card, to have it ask "Will you marry me?" instead of the five taboo words. She would flip over the card and I would get on bended knee and propose. Unfortunately, timing was everything and there was just not enough time to throw a game night. Plan C was before Plan B, and was simply a proposal during intermission at our dinner theater date while we were surrounded by friends. I decided against Plan C because she was to take a test the next morning and did not need anything distracting her from that. Plan B was the one I used.
The One's test was down in the City so we went to spend the night there after the delightful dinner theater show. We woke up, I took her to her test and then I was off. I purchased a wonderful bouquet of roses and cala lilies. The card told her how much she meant to me and hinted at the idea of forever. I then went and picked out a card, a gift and a Hugs and Kisses box of chocolate. The card talked about true love, and my personal messaged played on the Hugs and Kisses and again hinted at forever. I was there to pick her up when she finished her test. I had to stop the car away from her to ensure that I had enough time to get the flowers out to present to her, which I did. After that we wandered around the City biding our time until we could check into the hotel we were going to stay at. We had dinner reservations at a Japanese hibachi grill later that evening and planned to watch a movie afterwards as well.
I had cleverly kept the ring hidden from her for weeks now. On our way down I managed to place it in a jacket in the car without her knowing. While she was testing I moved it to the driver side door so I could easily take it out before dinner. It was not so easy. On the drive to dinner I tried to remove the box from the door to my pocket. It was an easy enough fit for my hand when the door was open and I placed the box there. It was not an easy fit with the door closed against my chair. I could only manage two fingers in my attempt to move it. I slid it to the largest opening, hoping for a smooth transition out of the door and into my pocket. I managed to pick it up at first but quickly dropped it. Thankfully, I was not garnering any extra attention from The One all this time. My second attempt was an fantastic fail. As I lifted the box out of the door the corner of the box caught the lip of the door. This sent the box crashing down on the the car floor, with quite a ruckus, and right in front my chair. Some how, The One was not noticing any of my shenanigans in the seat next to her. In a classic "Look a pink elephant!" move, I focused her attention on the stores we were passing while I quickly grabbed the ring. She looked away just long enough for me to bring it to my side. I was not able to get the box nonchalantly into my pocket because of the way I was sitting, so I was stuck with it in my hand. The rest of the drive was completed with my left hand awkwardly at my side while I, even more awkwardly, attempted driving with just my right. Turn signals and steering were all accomplished without being too noticeable. Though reaching over the steering wheel to use the turn signal was a bit odd.
Finally we reach our destination. The One stepped out of the car and I quickly did the same while sliding the ring into my pocket. I was so focused at doing this that I forgot to lock the door. We were about half way to the restaurant door when it dawned on me to go lock it. I realized that I should not show my left side to The One as she might see the ring box impression. What I did not realize was my phone was in my hand making the ring box the only thing in that pocket and extremely well formed. When I made it to the door, I turned to lock it exposing my left side to The One. Thankfully it was dark at this point and she was not looking down. That did set it off in my head to make sure it was better hidden.
I could not believe how nervous I was during dinner; my leg bounced endlessly in anticipation. I knew she would say yes. I am comfortable being in front of people and I surely have done more awkward things in front of a gathering of people than getting on one knee and asking the one I love to marry me, but there I was a nervous wreck. My stomach, normally a vast empty space that resembles a bottomless pit, shrunk throughout the meal. By the end it had tightened up so much that I was not even able to finish the meat on my plate let alone all the extras. I had to stop eating; I could not even manage to take a drink with out shaking and forcing it down.
As the cook prepared to leave I knew the time grew near. I tried positioning my chair to make it easier for me to get on bended knee. (I forgot how large I am.) I played double dutch in my mind with the way The One was eating; I was just looking for the right time to spring into action. Not surprisingly, I was never a good physical double dutch player, the moment I chose to say something The One reached down and popped a shrimp in her mouth. Thankfully I had some words prepared, so I leaned over and gave her a kiss. I slowly and deliberately told her how much I love her, how much she means to me, I told her that I look forward to spending the rest of my life with her. It was after those words that I finished sliding my chair away and got on one knee as I reached into my pocket. The lady across the way exclaimed "Oh look at him! Look at what he is doing!" The One exclaimed "Oh my God! Oh my God! Are you actually doing this?!?" Her face aglow with excitement and happiness, her eyes starting to well up with tears of joy, my eyes soon followed suit as unfolded the box and asked her "Will you marry me?" She barely choked out a yes and shook her head in agreement. I moved closer to give her a kiss and hand her the ring.
The restaurant was full of cheers and congratulations. A few women were brought to tears. A couple helped us out by taking our picture. We basked in our newly engaged glow for a short while as I took care of the check. When we finally left, we spent a good thirty minutes in the car texting and calling everyone to let them know the news. The text was simply what the title of this blog was and was enough for everyone to know.
We are thankful for all of the well wishes, congratulatory remarks and praises of happiness that we have received.
We are engaged. :D
Skate
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