Have you ever attended live theater? You know when the sets change or the actors suddenly take flight across the stage? When those things happen, most people are swept up in the magic...blissfully suspending disbelief. I, on the other hand, see all of the levers and pulleys behind the tricks. Being Miss Analytical Mind 1981 (disclaimer: not a real title) makes me a great problem solver...but it makes me a terrible girlfriend. I am not a romantic...AT ALL...I see through the smoke and mirrors of the fantasy. To me it's just a bullshit way to spend extra time, money, and effort on something that isn't real..which is why my marriage proposal was perfect.
I knew it was coming. My man had already called my dad to ask his permission to marry me...we'd talked ring designs...and he'd scheduled a special date. On the night of that special date, I got dressed up in the new outfit I'd bought for the occasion (very bridal) and waited for my ring. And I waited...and waited. It was 30 minutes past the time he'd planned to pick me up. Because he was generally very prompt, I got concerned and gave him a call. That's when he told me, he had called me earlier in the day and left a message telling me that he'd come down with influenza and had to cancel our date. Grrrr. I was all dressed up and ready to get engaged. But, I put on my big girl pants brought him some soup (and then went over to my girlfriends' house for chocolate and sympathy).
A month later, after he had recovered, he took me out to the Plaza (the fanciest part of the city). At the movie theatre, we saw Finding Neverland...which was a sweet, wistful film. We were nearly the only people in the restaurant that night. The Christmas lights that covered the buildings twinkled magically all around us as we strolled through the streets. It was all very romantic.
Several times, my man stopped and fumbled around in his pocket. Each time, a HUGE herd of people came rushing past us, causing my introverted sweetheart to think better of it and try to find a more secluded place to ask for my hand. Finally, it just got too cold to keep walking and we headed back toward the car...unengaged.
Back at the parking garage, I was buckling in and putting take away food boxes under the seat. As I raised my head I saw a little white box with a giant diamond ring in it. All my man managed to say was "will you marry me?"....no build up, no sweet talk...just straight to the point. I said yes and that was that.
And that's the story of how I got engaged in a 1995 Toyota Camry in a parking garage on the Plaza.
That building...the one in the background...that's where it all began!
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