Time for one of my patented longwinded intros leading to a small bit of actual content. Sally, of Santa Fe fame, and I have known each other 42 years. So, when she asked me if I wanted to come down, visit Santa Fe a bit, then road trip together to go to her mother’s 98th birthday festivities, I jumped at the chance.
She was Donna’s friend from elementary school onward and the two families belonged to the same church. When I got out of the Navy in 1983, we moved back to Donna’s home town of New Orleans. The 2 girls connected again, Sally had married, so the four of us naturally became a group. Sally and her husband bought the house 2 doors away. Donna and I babysat the daughter Claire and then a couple years later, son Stuart.
For various reasons we moved up to New Jersey for work in 1987. The Lewis clan also moved north to Lexington, Virginia shortly after. We visited several times a year first from Jersey and later from Aiken. In the early two thousands Sally’s husband proclaimed he was in love with someone else and wanted out. Claire was already in college and Stuart was a Junior or Senior in high school. After his graduation Sally joined the State Department. Whenever she was back in the states for language training or something, Donna and I would get to DC to hang for a couple days. Anyway, we go way back.
With just Sally and me, we get along sort of like an old married couple without the sex. Our senses of humor are similar, we would be in a store somewhere and we would cut up with each other in the checkout line. We “argued” who’s turn it was to fill up the car up with gas. “We’ll always have Paris.” A plan was concocted. There was a get together on Saturday the 18th with the whole family at a place downtown Hammond called Tommy’s on Thomas. A local pizza joint/night time entertainment place that is where Stuart met his wife and where they go every year on their anniversary. This would be the most perfect place for this, I was going to pretend to ask her to marry me. I wrote a script. I practiced kneeling.
We thought for sure that Adele and Stuart’s wife Cristina would be flummoxed, Stuart’s two small kids wouldn’t know what was going on. We thought Sally’s kids, Stuart and Claire, would not know what to say or their sense of humor might kick in immediately and call bullshit on Sally and me. At the last minute, because of a miscommunication, Adel and Claire couldn’t make it, so we decided not to do it, because those were 2 of the 3 we thought would get the biggest kick out of the stunt.
Scene: Restaurant Interior
Brian
(stands)
"As we knew the end was getting nearer, I asked Donna if she would be okay with this, and she smiled and said of course."
(slight pause)
"So, Sally, these last 2 weeks have been the happiest that I’ve been since last September.
(he kneels)
It would be great if we could grow old, older, together. Will you marry me?
Possible Responses:
Sally
1. Yes, I thought you’d never ask.
2. Stunned silence.
3. What?
4. I hope you didn’t buy a ring already?
Brian
1. You’ve made me a very happy man.
2. Stunned silence.
3. I feel so embarrassed.
4. I may be an old fool, but I’m not stupid.