The Engagement

With a ring on my finger and a smile on my face, I dance around the room recounting the story. My boyfriend, Jared, and I have been dating for one year now. To celebrate this wonderful occasion, Jared made plans to take me to Olive Garden. By the way, he added, we were also going to Shreveport so Daniel and Randy could do their extra credit assignment for Dr. Watson, just like he had to do a year ago. Yes, a year ago, the first date that Jared took me on was to an art gallery in Shreveport to get extra credit for a class. I love art, so I did not mind.

Jared and I had been talking about getting married for a little while. We had discussed the future before we started dating to make sure that we would be compatible, which we were. I thought it would be cool (and easy to remember) if Jared asked me on our one year anniversary. The way he was making plans for dinner made me suspicious. I did not really want to be asked in a Restaurant or anywhere I could be seen. I figured he was going to take me to dinner, and then out to dessert somewhere special to ask me. Well, first we were going to the art gallery, so I could worry about that stuff later.

We pull up to the art gallery, all of us joking and enjoying ourselves. We get inside and start wandering around. One of the rooms full of art work done by one artist was my favorite. All of his paintings look like photographs, they were that real. There is also a large room full of dolls dressed in the old style of dresses. Last time I was there I went to the old gun room and checked out each one. I found it boring, so this time I skipped it all together and went through the doll room twice. Well, we had been through all the rooms so we walked out to back of the gallery where there were beautiful gardens.

The gardens are a pretty large area of manicured plants and paths. A small creek ran down the hill in front of us, cascading into a small pond. The paths were made of sand rock or cement making it easy to wander around. Fountains and sculptures were beautifully placed around in the garden. The day was gorgeous and bright. I stop before we get into the gardens to retie my shoe. Daniel and Randy tell us that they are going to go on ahead, we can catch up. I get up and we follow them, but they are walking too fast and we end up behind them. Jared then tells me to walk down a different path. I tell him no, because we are here with Daniel and Randy, we need to walk with them. He reluctantly follows my directions. By this time, the two guys were so far ahead, we could not catch up. So, when the suggestion was made to follow another path, I allowed it. We wander down toward a cute little bridge over the small creek.

If anyone has ever talked to me for any length of time, they know I jump subjects like frogs hop Lilly pads. Today was no exception. One of the many topics that surfaced was the conversation my roommate and I had had the night before. We had been discussing weddings, rings, boys, and life. Sharon declared that the first time she was asked to marry someone, she was going to say no. That was an awesome idea, I would love to see how some guy would handle that! Sharon and I joked about different scenarios before we headed off to sleep.

So, I told him, “Sharon and I decided that the first time we are asked to marry someone, we are going to say no.”

“Oh,” was the reply, “So, how long are you going to make the guy wait before he asks again? Does he wait a minute, a day, a month, an hour, or a year?”

With my mischievous grin I declare, “Well, I haven’t decided yet!”

On to better subjects, I wander down to the cute curved bridge and pause in the middle.

“It’s so beautiful here,” I sigh.

I notice two men working on the path above us. It was a new path, and it was the prettiest path in the garden. Oh, that was where we were walking next, it was beautiful!

“Kiss me,” Jared says.

“What?” I respond.

There were two guys there, and he sounded different. He had never really asked that way, the question was always, “May I kiss you?” He repeats his question and I walk over to give him a peck on the cheek.

“Rachel,” he asks nervously, “May I ask you if I can marry you?”

Of course he could ask me that when it was time. How else was he planning on marrying me? Eventually he was going to ask me that question. We had talked about this before; we were going to be engaged sometime. I then notice him pull out a small blue ring box.

“Now?!?” I exclaim as he drops to his knees.

“Rachel, will you marry me?” he asks while opening the box.

In the box was the ring that Sharon and I had picked out, my favorite. He was supposed to ask me after dinner or at dinner. Why here? Yes, it was perfect, but I was not prepared here.

“Yes,” I respond without thinking. I was supposed to say no the first time. What will I tell my roommate?

“Here, take the ring and put it on,” Jared tells me.

“That’s what you are supposed to do,” I respond

“Oh, right” he says as he slips it on my finger. The ring was too big. The lady at Wal-Mart had sized my finger, she said it was an 8. That was what I told Jared, just in case he ever needed to know.

I hug him, and he looks a lot happier now. We meander down the path some more and onto the walkway which ended in the center of the pond in a small circle. I stood there thinking of what a prettier spot this was.

“This is a prettier spot,” Jared says, “Do you want me to ask you again?”

“Yes,” I say while nodding.

Jared takes back the ring, puts it in the box, and slides it in his pocket. Kneeling he pulls it out while asking me again.

“Hum, well, maybe,” I stretch the words out.

“You can’t say no, you already said yes,” he objects before I can even say no.

“Yes,” I answer his question.

“Here,” he begins, then as if remembering, he says, “wait.” He pulls the ring from the box and slips it on my finger.

We sat down on a bench and called my parents. My father’s response was typical for him, “Well, it’s done.”

“Dad,” I declare, “you sound like you just checked me off your to do list.”

“Well, yeah, I did.” He responds before passing the phone to my mother.

My mother excitedly told me all the people she would call and tell. She also told me about how she had known since Sunday, and the anticipation had been driving her crazy. My mother told me that Rebecca was crying since she would never see her sister again.

“Of course I will,” I think as I ask to talk to her.

“She will not talk to you,” was the response.

My mother and I chatted for a while before she hung up to go tell my grandmother who was walking by our house. Randy and Daniel wander back as I am finishing telling my mother the news. Randy brings up ice cream, which was on my mind too. We cannot find the Marble Slab near the sign that was by the road. So, we return to campus. I tell a few of my friends, who tell their friends, and so on. Paige drags me around so I will tell people, since I did not want to bother anyone with the news. I figured people would find out eventually, without me hassling them on their last day of break.

Since Randy still wants ice cream, we decide to go out to Marble Slab after Jared and I are finished eating at Olive Garden. We tell Randy and Daniel to meet us there, since they decided to go to the Hive. Soon others are invited and we all plan to meet at about 8:30. Ardith joins us as well, which was an awesome surprise. After the ice cream party breaks up, we all part ways, return to campus, and life goes on like normal. All except mine, since I now have a pretty new ring. Oh, and I have to remember that I no longer have a boyfriend. Plus, I have to learn how to spell fiancé, which I did thanks to Randy. Who told me it was the word “finance” without the first “n.”