The
Proposal
Our wedding takes place on March 20, 2005, exactly a year to
the date that Rodney proposed marriage to Kat, and a two years
from the day that Rodney
and Kat met in Whistler.
Before we get to the actual proposal scene, let us quickly
re-cap the events which occurred in the week leading
up to the proposal:
- Rodney crashed Kat's car (no injuries, except to the
entire front end of Kat's car.)
- Kat discovered her mountain bike had been stolen from
the garage.
- Kat suffered a big rejection at a job interview she had
been preparing all week for.
Although the events listed above largely appear to be injuries
sustained by Kat, those of you who know her well will understand
that when she suffers, so do those around her.
Let us begin the story then, on Friday, March 19, 2004,
when Kat is sulking around the house, having just returned
from her devastating job interview. The plan for the evening
was to attend a black-tie art opening in Solana Beach.
Being the sensitive man that he is, Rodney thought it best
to not assume that the plans for the evening were still a
go. Gingerly, he asked Kat whether she still wished to attend
the
art opening, hoping it would cheer her up, plus offer a chance
to propose in a romantic setting.
"Yeah," she replied, "what the heck, let's
go."
They dressed in formal black attire and were soon sipping
bubbly in the courtyard of the art gallery. They located
Sophie, who had invited them to the opening, and together met
the featured artist, toured his works and mingled with the
crowd in attendance. Following an hour or two of said mingling,
Rodney and Kat decided to depart and after bidding farewell
to Sophie and others, emerged into the courtyard once again.
"Lets just sit here for a minute," suggested
Rodney, beckoning to a couple of chairs to the side.
"Sure," Kat replied, but not without some confusion,
since they had just decided to leave.
"There's something important I want to show you,"
Rodney explained, as he searched his pockets for something.
He appeared nervous, like he was going to say more, yet in
a rare moment was speechless.
Kat cracked a bemused smile, quietly wondering why he had
a mischievous (and confused) look on his face. 'What
is it this time, a used piece of gum? An individual
who needs a citation from the fashion police? What is my
prankster
going to spring on me now?'
Rodney timidly pulled a small
white box from his pocket and
placed it on Kat's lap. She gave him a questioning
glance, picking the box up, still wondering: 'What
is it? A barrel of monkeys?' But something in Rodney's
demeanour prevented her from uttering her thoughts.
As she gently pried the box open and its glittering contents
were revealed, Rodney said, "I want you to marry me."
Kat sat silently, surprised and
somewhat disbelieving the situation.
Her eyes slipped back and forth between the irrepressibly
sparkly
ring and
Rodney's earnest face. The world around
her was hushed but inside her brain was screaming 'Say
something dammit! Don't leave the poor guy hanging there
for god's
sake. Speak, woman!'
For Rodney, Kat's silence lasted too long, signalling that
she was unsure or not willing to marry. He hadn't considered
that a serious possibility until this very moment. She seemed
to be hesitating,
not wanting
to commit to an answer. 'Why isn't she answering?'
"Will you marry me?" a bit more
tentatively this time.
Kat's brain was still waging an inside battle. On the one
hand, she just wanted to declare 'yes!', but on the other
hand she felt like this moment deserved a far more articulate
response. Unfortunately, her emotions were leaving her little
ability
to focus on composing anything intelligent and meaningful.
After all, she was caught completely off-guard, and hadn't
ever prepared for such a moment in her life.
Rodney's
pained expression came into focus and Kat realized that she
needed to give him some sort of a sign, a signal to hang
on for just a second, while she gathered her thoughts.
"Yes!" She blurted. Not quite the eloquent response she
was targeting, but it felt good to say it like that. "Yes,
of course I'll marry you."
"Oh good," Rodney sighed a breath of relief.
They both giggled and lived happily ever after.
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