The love of my life proposed to me three months after we starting dating. It had been a rocky start for us, because he originally began dating my best friend and I was dating his best friend. However, I only had eyes for him. Each night I would say a little prayer that he would notice me. Little did I know that he had the same feelings? We began dating in December 1973 and we were engaged in March 1974.
He asked me to meet him at the mall after work, to do a little window-shopping. As we walked past a furniture store he said, "That is the bedroom suit that I hope we can afford." After a few minutes of complete and awkward silence I asked him, "What do you mean you hope we can afford this bedroom suit?" He winked and said, "when we are married, I hope we can afford it." "Married? You must be kidding… You’ve never even told me you love me."
Later that evening we joined a couple that we occasionally had drinks with at our favorite hideaway bar. It was just a little hole in the wall. However it was romantic. The bar had little alcoves that each table was located in. It was very private with very dark lighting. Each table had a small candle and we ordered a bottle of cheap wine. The bar had a small band that played country music very softly. Just old timers that played because they liked to play.
As I was telling our friends about our window shopping, they began to laugh. I was confused by their laughter and I wanted in on the private joke. I knew something was up, but I had no idea he was about to pop the question. After we each had finished a glass of wine he turned to me and said, "Will you marry me?" I was in total shock, this man that I loved, adored and knew was the man of my dreams had never told me he loved me. I looked him straight in the eye and said, "No". "Why not?"he asked me. "Well you haven’t told me you love me and I think that’s pretty important. Don’t you?"He roared with laughter. I could have slapped him silly. He eventually stopped long enough to say, "Well I thought you knew that I loved you woman." "Just say it you damn fool," was my response. He grabbed me by both arms and said, "I love you. I love your awful cooking and I even love your ugly dog. So are you going to marry me or not?" Needless to say I married the fool and we have been happily married for 29 years.
He still never says I love you. But if I ask he always says, "I thought you knew I loved you." Every year on our anniversary we play the same song that the little band was playing the moment he asked me to marry him. It is a George Jones song titled, "Walk Through This World With Me." We may not be the hippest couple. However we have stayed together through thick and thin. I made a home for my truck driving man and he always comes home to me, his children and our ugly dog. Life hasn’t been easy, I now have MS but everytime I ask, "Do you still love me?"He replies, "I thought you knew."
Diane Brooker,
Columbus, OH
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