Friday, January 24th, 2020. 3:15 PST – Everything I had done to this point was out of love for her. I prevented her from getting paid. I stole her jewelry. I invoked the help of friends to deceive her. I lied to her face and blamed it on technology. I took her to Target.
I was a wreck in the week leading up to Friday. I almost didn’t want to see her because I was terrified I would give something away. Some people say that nerves caused them to feel “butterflies in their stomachs.” That sounds nice. I got rattlesnakes. But, the closer we got, the more joyful I became. I couldn’t wait. Nervous anticipation was slowly replaced with eager confidence. I was ready, and I knew that she was going to love it.
The Proposal:
The plan was not a simple one.
I wanted to pop the question at the Pulgas Water Temple, which is an overlooked monument. Just ask SFGate (https://www.sfgate.com/living-in-sf/article/Pulgas-Water-Temple-Hetch-Hetchy-water-Crystal-14992239.php#photo-18914185). (This article was published 20 minutes after I proposed, which is very cool.) I love the structure at the back, and it is a beautiful outdoor area right off the road, allowing us to access it while still looking pretty ourselves. However, it’s only open Monday-Friday until 3:30 PM, which makes things difficult with our work schedules.
To remedy this issue, I called her work and requested the day off for her. Something about that felt wrong, but when you start with “I’m going to propose, can you…” I found the the answer to be “YES ANYTHING YOU NEED!”
First we needed to set the stage. My wonderful parents and a few marvelous friends helped set these up. I would say it was simple, but apparently the easels were mighty difficult. The idea was that when we arrived, she would walk down the row, reading the love statements on each picture, and reminisce fondly on our time together. I’ll point out now that I did not do this out of self-doubt or because I felt that I needed a last ditch effort to convince that her marrying me was a good idea, but it certainly couldn’t hurt.
You are my Angel and my Rock
You laugh at me harder than anyone else will
You laugh with me like no one else can
This is just the beginning of our journey
We can look back at our favorite moments
I’m eager for the lifetime of memories ahead of us
“It looks like a funeral.”
We can still save this.
To add more context, there was another group in black suits present. While not the reaction I was hoping for, I can understand now how she could reach that conclusion. However, when she saw her face staring back at us three pictures from the end, she understood what was happening. She wanted to stop walking. I didn’t. I guided her down the row of pictures to the last easel where the ring awaited us. I literally couldn’t wait any longer.
As it turns out, she read none of them. I drastically overestimated our combined composure. As I look back, I question why on earth I thought that in our most emotional moments she would spend any effort trying to read non-adjoining sentences? At least she did me the courtesy of pretending.
*We* cried.
The title says “She cried.” but that’s only half the story. I cried. Of course I cried. I am a man, after all, and I get to spend the rest of my life with her.
This is the most memorable day of my life. I’m not quite sure, but I think at this point I said something along the lines of:
“I had the best day with you today, and I can’t wait to spend to spend every day with you from now on. Will you mare mm-e?”
It was short, but in my defense, I figured she would have read the non-adjoining sentences on the way in.
At this point she says that she realized she needed to say something, like she had waited too long, but I heard no hesitation. She was and is perfect.
She punched me. Hard.
I will admit that I lied. I will admit that I deserve the bruise. I will admit that it was totally, totally worth it.
On Wednesday (1/22) Abby used my phone to call her phone, when she saw that I had a phone call with her best friend. She asked why, and I said that I hadn’t made that call and that “my watch does weird things when I golf.” While my watch does do weird things when I golf, it was definitely a lie that I hadn’t talked to her best friend. So when her best friend appeared from behind a pillar, I took a right cross to the chest. I’m not even mad about it.
*WALLOP* 
When you propose, but her best friend is there.
The last surprise
This was probably the most stressful surprise. I gathered parents, friends we hadn’t seen in months, work colleagues, and out-of-staters to surprise her at a brewery in San Carlos called Devil’s Canyon. Believe it or not, it’s not hard to convince people to take time off on a Friday to drink beer with you. I know, crazy right? That said, the difficult part was keeping the secret from her. I was vigorous about keeping my text messages clean. I made sure people had clear instructions about when it was safe to communicate with me (to which some ignored). It was nerve-wracking, and never before had I felt so guilty about something so innocent.
We have the greatest friends, from those who helped us plan, to those who fly across the country for us. From those we don’t see enough, to those who raised us longer than any of us had a right to expect, we are unbelievably blessed.
We partied until it was no longer our engagement day.
She gets on a plane
Since the proposal 4 days ago, we have had exactly 8 hours of alone time. They were glorious.
Yesterday, in the dark hours of “morning,” we departed for the airport so my fiancè could go show off for a medical school. I’m so proud of her and I know that she is going to be spectacular, no matter where she takes us.
So my timing might have been slightly off, and at first she thought it was a funeral, and I got a fun bruise. But in retrospect, would I do anything differently?
Nope. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Nick Bondy used to think he was a Leo, but he’s been a cancer the whole time. He blames the stars for the false sense of loyalty and courage, when all along he’s been harboring unrealized environmental sensitivity and unflappable self-protection.
Nick is a dog-lover, MBA candidate, 2x fantasy football champion, and the second-best water skier his family has ever seen.