The Proposal

Three months had passed since the first date.  I met Marlene's baby sister Marjorie the first weekend in June, attended a baptism for one of her friends, broke someone's heart and was the subject gossip in the office.  Life had changed for the better as I now had found the one.

Perhaps it was curiosity that brought Marlene's mom out for a visit from Boston.  Who was this person who stole her daughter's heart?  And who was this woman I would someday call my mother in law?  We would have our questions answered on Saturday, August 16th.

Meta was outwardly frail yet inwardly a very strong willed woman who seemed very intimidating.  The girls submitted to her requests for the day's activities.  I just needed to come up with a plan to spring the little surprise during the course of the day. 

We somehow ended up admiring the roses displayed at the Rose Garden in Golden Gate Park.  The rows and rows of roses was like candy to a kid for Meta.  She loved roses, and there were so many.  It was a chance to sneak away.  I mentioned to Marjorie that I had something to show Marlene and that it would be out of the way for the entire party.

I had no idea what I was doing and had to play it by ear.  I randomly chose the path we would take and Marlene simply went along with what we were doing.  It was just a walk in the park and some time away from her mother.  We passed by the bison paddock to have a look.  It was something I heard about but did not recall ever visiting. 

We then doubled back to a nice setting nearby which had a park bench overlooking a body of water and an old columned structure from a world's fair that was decades before out time.  The site was Lloyd Lake.  It became a rest stop.

We exchanged a few moments of small talk before I rose to get on one knee.  She knew at that moment that her whole world would be turned upside down as she grinned when I asked if she'd accept my proposal of marriage.  I presented a gold necklace with a small diamond.  It was something I had purchased a few years prior for this very moment.  We would definitely be sized for rings at a later date, but for now it was simply a perfect day.

When we returned to the Rose Garden, we were met with smiles.  Meta and Marjorie somehow knew what had happened and congratulated us before we finished telling them we were now engaged.   Alas, both Marlene and I can't remember what transpired after we left the park.