Trois

Once upon a time, three years and three weeks ago, my husband bought a rock.  He teased me about it and hid it in the spare bedroom closet inside his High School letter jacket.  (Go Greyhounds!)  I found it but didn’t open it and wondered how many weeks years I’d have to wait.  I tried not to let it consume me but I mentally thought of colors in my head.  I know.  I’m bad.

Three years ago today, we went on a walk.  Even though my then boyfriend was acting strangely, I didn’t think much of it because I figured I’d have to wait months years for a certain something to happen.  By then I had thought about flowers, too.  I was giddy with possibility but didn’t want to get my hopes up, because, well, you know how men are with big nerve-wracking life stuff.  If I played up the odds of ending up like Oprah and Stedman, I figured I might get lucky by some magical mental reverse psychology.

We had Bella with us, and she was running around the trail like a banshee.  She and I were both oblivious that soon she’d no longer be an illegitimate doggie.  Sir Beauregard had not yet been rescued.

We walked and enjoyed the leaves and stopped at a stream and kissed by a hollowed-out tree.  Bella got into the tree and tried to eat some bark.  Then she bounced around in the stream and got really wet.  Then she jumped and got ME really wet.   Duchess the golden retriever puppy came to play in the stream, too.  We made small talk with her owner.

We continued walking.  At some point on the trail, about 2/3 of the way through, Joe started down a hill.

Me: You can’t go down the hill.  It’s off the trail.

Joe: Just come with me.

Me: It’s a nature preserve.  We have to stay up here.

Joe: I want to see this part of the stream.

Me: What if the ranger sees us?

Joe: We’re in the middle of the woods.

Me: [Dirty look]

Joe: Just come with me.  Just trust me.

Me: [Sigh.  Pause.]

Me: Ok, fine.  I hope our parents have bail money.

And then on the illegal part of the trail, next to the forbidden stream, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.

I said yes.  And then I started up the hill because I was nervous.

He said the ring was like me: beautiful, unique, and a little bit square.  Oh how that last part is true. Clearly we were meant for each other.

Almost instantly afterward, Duchess the golden retriever puppy came barreling down the hill towards Bella for WWF Round 2.  Her owner chased after her, oblivious to the recent events.  They played in the leaves and probably killed a few saplings.  Later, when we bought our house, we planted a few to ease the guilt.

And then Bella the legitimate doggie, her rescued little brother, Duchess the golden retriever nutball, the square, and the rock hider lived happily ever after.