We were fourteen years old, standing in the middle of a vast field, staring at a big boulder for our ninth-grade science classes. There we stood in our adolescent insecurity and awkwardness, when our eyes locked for the first time. At that moment, we knew we were about to embark on a romance, but we had no idea then just how perfect a romance it was to be.
We would spend the next decade of our lives as best friends. We had seen each others family members fall ill and pass away, seen nephews and nieces grow up, seen our college careers and professional lives beginbut I was still waiting, waiting for him to finally make me his wife. I waited and waited, and life, and our beautiful romance, continued to roll on.
Then, it finally happened. The snow was falling in white heaps outside of my apartment. I was spending Christmas Eve staring at my dilapidated little Christmas tree, waiting for him to finally make
his way to my apartment. And then he walked through the door, a small Christmas gift in hand. Disappointment at the small size of the present fluttered through my mind. He sat me down in front of the tree. Open it, he said almost immediately upon seeing me. I gingerly unwrapped the emerald green paper. In the box was a hideous red and green handkerchief. Another, brighter, flash of
disappointment.
But before I could politely thank him for the shabby bandanna, he was wrapping it around my head, covering my eyes. The world became dark, and I grew a bit worried, disconcerted by my sudden
blindness. He walked me outside, through the snow and all the way to the car. He helped me into the car, reminded me to remain blindfolded, and proceeded to drive for sixty long, obscure minutes.
And then the car finally came to a halt – we had arrived at our destination. "A Christmas Eve dinner at a surprise restaurant," I thought to myself. But when he helped me out of the car, the world
was utterly silent. He led me through the thick padding of snow, and I begrudgingly trudged on for what felt like a mile.
At last, he told me to stand still. He carefully removed the handkerchief from my eyes. I took in the scene, still unsure of where we were, and then noted the familiar trees, the open field, the big
boulder. This was the exact spot where we had met more than half a lifetime ago, the exact place where our eyes had first met. We were children then. But now, in that very same place, surrounded by
nothing but snow and childhood memories, he knelt before me, tears in his eyes, and I knew the moment had finally come. I didn’t need him to say a word – I knew. He took my cold, naked finger and placed the diamond ring on it gently.
We were twenty-six years old, standing in the midst of a vast football field for the second time. There we stood, again, beginning the second chapter of our lives together.
Proposal Story By:
Anitra Lahiri
New Hope, PA
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