the story of the day my dreams came true
i'd like to introduce you to the man in the picture to the left with me. *ahem* as of 12/17/05, george, my dear flog friends, is my fiance. yes, that's right folks, i'm ENGAGED!!!
i'd like to tell all of you how this came about, but in order to understand how i felt, i need to set the stage.
i knew george had sent my ring off to be designed, b/c we were very open about those details. it sounds strange, but george wanted to make sure that i was definite about which ring i wanted (as if anything else we had seen could compare!) so he was very persistent about making sure my mind was set. the setting was supposed to take 2 weeks to design, but as you'll see in later pictures, the work is rather intricate and had to be done by hand, so 2 weeks ended up becoming 8 weeks. so the wait was KILLING me. i knew once george had the ring, he wouldn't be able to squelch the anticipation, so i was dying to hear that the ring had been completed.
we received word a few weeks ago that it was "just 2 more weeks" as we had heard so many times before. during this time, we had arranged to go to miami for new years. george had always been clear about his intentions for proposing -- he was going to do something complicated and elaborate and it would HAVE to be a destination. he had these grand ideas of paris but i quickly dissuaded him of that by reminding him that if we went to paris, i'd be EXPECTING the proposal and therefore there'd be no surprise. i had mentioned in passing a while back that my dream proposal would be very low key and spiritual. i had also mentioned once that i thought national cathedral would be a great place for a spring proposal b/c the bishop gardens are simply breathtaking and, combined with the ringing church bells, you can't go wrong w/ the ambience, the romance or the awe the place inspires. anyway, he said if i could wait for a spring proposal (which there was no way my heart could take the delay any longer), he'd love to do that. i responded by reminding him that i had no choice in the timing of the proposal b/c i couldn't very well force him to utter the words i've been longing to hear.
fast forward to last week -- i knew george had the ring but he made no attempt to hide the fact that he just wanted the security of knowing that the ring search was over. he had planned on just insuring it and putting it away for safe keeping, much to my extreme dismay.
on tuesday, he mentions that he has to go to work early the next day to attend a meeting. the next day, i call him a few times but i don't get an answer. the sherlock holmes in me finds it quite interesting that he hasn't been near the phone at any time to pick up one of my numerous phone calls, nor has he been online at all. nevermind that i should have been studying for finals, there was detective work to be done!
i called my mom at work only to find out that she was off that day. cut to me rubbing my hands eagerly as i realized what an awful liar she is. if geoge had actually skipped work that day to go see my rents, my mom would be unable to hide it. so i call her only to hear that she's on her way to the dmv for a new driver's license. i call later to talk to my dad and endure a lecture on renewing my passport. ok so my parents are not part of whatever shady business george was so obviously up to.
the next day, i looked for an umbrella in george's trunk. i could have sworn i had left one there, but all i found was a shirt of mine wrapped around something. i thought my umbrella had gotten entangled in the shirt so i tried to unroll it. i then realize to my extreme confusion that it's not an umbrella, it's a pineapple!
AHAH, i think to myself! (don't worry if you don't get it. this is the part of the story that everyone is like what does that mean? is pineapple a code word??) whenever george comes to my house with me, she always sends me home with random produce so i just KNEW that the pineapple had to come from her. which meant that he HAD gone to see my family the previous day! which meant that he was going to propose soon!
that day, i return to my apartment and notice a soda cup that george had left on my tv stand. no big deal to most ppl, but i've got eagle eyes and lightning fast brain processing speed...ok i just have nothing better to do. i immediately realize that it's a burger king cup.
AHAH #2! I think to myself. there is no burger king by my apt or by george's work or anywhere in between. so if he HAD gone to work the previous day as he so claimed, where did he get this burger king cup from? (yes i realize that i need a hobby, but i was inundated with exam studying...i needed a mental diversion).
throughout wednesday and thursday, i had been regaling vanisha with my supposed theories. she was in agreement that something was up. i thought that he might propose on saturday night b/c we were going to our favorite restaurant, bistro asiatique (think back to the flog collage of food i had a few months ago).
by friday, i was so excited, i could barely stand it. this boded well for my last exam for which i should have been studying. george had a holiday party to attend and b/c i couldn't go, he took our friend achamma. i told achamma that george was taking me out to a special dinner on saturday. her response was, "ooh can sanjay and i come too??" the 4 of us double date a few times a month so normally this would have been an unsurprising request but because i was certain george was going to propose, her question completely threw me for a loop. i expected her to be in on the duplicity so why would she take a chance that i would say, "sure you guys should join us!"? anyway, i couldn't let her deter me from getting ready for saturday so instead of studying, i spent the evening waxing my arms, threading my eyebrows, putting hot oil in my hair, etc. i finally calmed down enough to review the material for my saturday exam a bit but i was so restless i doubt anything sunk in.
i finally gave myself a reprieve and settled into bed around 2 am. i knew george would be late but i accidentally locked the deadbolt to which he doesn't have a key. this caused me to wake up to an insisent ringing doorbell at 5 am while he was drunkenly irate that i'd lock him out. george, once riled up, is hard to calm down again. he started going on about how we weren't going to get married b/c he had asked my parents (aha! i was right!) and that my dad said no! JIGGA WHA??? that scenario never crossed my mind and so i was stunned. george eventually went to bed while i stayed up the rest of the night/morning perturbed by how dumb i was -- i had let myself get my hopes up only to be disappointed that my stupid father had derailed the george and julie love train.
completely devastated but trying hard not to show it, i dressed for school and made last minute preparations for my exam. george and i agreed that we were still on for dinner but then he says instead of asian fusion, he wanted something hearty like indian food from heritage india, one of the best injun places in dc. this was last nail in the proposal coffin for me. i knew he'd never propose at a random indian restaurant that held no meaning for us other than yummy food so i realized that i had been hasty in jumping to conclusions. george walked me outside and i trudged to the metro. once i turned the corner and left his line of vision, i immediately called vanisha to break the news to her. she was about as disappointed as i was. we agreed that i possibly connected dots whose only thing in common was being tantalizingly random to capture my attention. i resolved to go into my exam with a clear head and not be distracted b/c even if george wasn't going to propose that evening, i firmialy believed he would EVENTUALLY ask me to marry him.
my exam started late and ended later than i expected. by the time i reached home, it was 6 pm, instead of the 5 pm on which we had based our evening's plans. george was kind but abrupt as he tried to rush me through my beauty preparations. if i hadn't been convinced that 12/17/05 was NOT the proposal day, that was it -- he would NEVER let me walk out the door looking like a hobo as i did that evening if he were truly to propose. we were late for our reservations at bistro asiatique so he called the restaurant to warn them. on the way, he says that he's finally decided on food -- he definitely wants indian food, not the asian fusion, which apparently was convenient b/c he made 8 pm reservations there under the assumption that i'd be late.
we headed down wisconsin ave towards heritage india with the view of the national cathedral as our north star. as we drew closer to the beautiful church, we discussed how lovely it was and i mentioned how i had never been on its grounds. this led george to do a quick u turn and park in front of the cathedral. there was construction of a parking garage that married our view from the street so we had to walk a short distance to circumvent the obstruction. as we walked, we oohed and aahed over the beauty. i felt a sense of tranquility come over me as i stood in awe of this beautiful edifice which has been a haven to countless numbers of people. i mentioned to george that i would like to see the bishop gardens one day when the weather was better. apparently george missed the" when the weather is better" portion of my remark b/c he yanked my arm down some dark and rocky path as towards the bishop's gardens. i'm sure it would have been a beautiful sight in may or june with the flowers blooming and and balmy 60-80 degree weather to greet us. however, at 9 pm in december, there are no tourists, so the lights are not on and the 20 some degree weather seemed to be a harbinger of bad things to come. i felt a little wary and wanted to turn back but george was hit with such enthusiasm that i felt bad.
we strolled hand in hand through the gardens as we appreciated the beauty. even in the winter, the landscaping deserves a moment of adulation, especially as it is bathed in the residual light shining from the cathedral. we stopped near a fountain (no water running of course) where george drew me in his arms and started slow dancing with me. he talked about how we met and how he always knew i was the one for him. he embarrassed me with appreciation of my quirks and qualities. if i wasn't dumbfounded enough, he told me that he had a poem he wanted to read to me that encapsulated his thoughts. while he read the lovely words to me, i tried to understand what terrible news he had for me that he thought he needed to buffer by some kind consideration first. i imagined news that i had a fatal disorder that would claim my life the next day or that my law school had called -- i was too dumb to continue as a a third year and they were going to expel me one semester before i graduated.
as i entertained such melodrama, george got down on his knee. i still didn't understand what was happening, but i knew that something momentous was about to occur and i couldn't stop the pounding in my heart. he uttered the words i'd been longing to hear. my graceful response? "where's the ring???" i'm not normally so materialistic but after over 2 years of hearing george telling me that we weren't getting married, i couldn't believe he wasn't teasing me. i fully expected him to stand up and yell "PSYCHE!" after i said yes. he must have understood my trepidation b/c he pulled out the ring and nearly blinded me with its beauty. it finally sunk in -- the man i've loved and waited for since the day i was born had asked ME to marry him. i didn't know it then but apparently the tears had been flowing freely from my eyes the moment he gathered me in his arms. maybe subconsciously i knew what was about to happen.
after squealing and yelling and hugging and kissing, we walked hand in hand back to the car. i called my rents to gush and squeal some more. we called his family and informed them of the good news. THEN we went back to the asian fusion restaurant where george had arranged for the chef and staff to treat us extra well. we dined on wonderful food, some appetizers and desserts designed for us, accepted congratulations from all the staff and got drunk on champagne. we called a few friends to share the story as well as coordinate the next part of george's plan. i had told everyone on my birthday a month before that i wanted to get drunk with everyone the evening following my last exam. i thought a few of us were going to meet for this purpose but george had invited all of our friends to a lounge to celebrate the engagement.
it was the perfect proposal. if george had stuck with the original plan of proposing at a destination like on our new year's trip to miami, i would have been suspicous the entire time. by doing something low key, even despite inadvertently leaving clues, he took me by complete surprise. it was understated as i wanted, romantic in its naturally beautiful setting and spiritual in its awe-inspiring venue. the night was capped by wonderful food, thoughtful staff and the greatest friends a girl could ask for to celebrate the best day of her life.
~~~
in the weeks since the proposal, i've started to realize how inordinately blessed i am. i have a wonderful family who will do anything to make me happy, including giving me the wedding of my dreams. i am about to join a family that treats me like daughter/sister they've always wanted. i'm planning a future with the man who will always take care of me, support me, love me and tell me when i'm being an idiot without fear of reprisal. i'm so blessed that it makes me tear up everytime i think about it.
i'm also so fortunate for all of you. i know i promised this story a month ago. i swear i wrote nearly all of it but i didn't write the ending (as if it were a surprise). i finally finished it a few weeks ago but it didn't capture the magic of the moment or the emotional upheaval i'd endured that week. i finally realized that nothing i could write would adequately explain the events of that week or how my heart twisted and turned. it was time just to tell they story the best i could -- as if you were there for every moment. i'm fortunate for all of you b/c you've been so thrilled with me and for me. you've congratulated george (or expressed your condolences), jumped for joy and squealed with excitement with me. you've bitten your nails with me as i worried about our parnets' official meeting and sighed relief as i told you the meeting went better than any of us could have hoped. you expressed your inordinate pleasure that we found the wedding hall of our fantasies...but most of all, many of you who didn't know the whole story waited patiently for me to put it to words to read. so for you, my dear friends, i thank God.
(i know this is pure drivel but i didn't have the energy or the know-how to make this read smoothly. sometimes you're just too close to the material to care how it comes off. dammit it's my story! =)
posted by happy roy @ 11:09 PM
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