The Proposal – Based On A True Story

On a warm April afternoon in 1980, the tumblers were set in motion with a simple envelope entitled “Deb - #1” left in Debbie’s green nylon running bag in her first grade classroom at the Heath School and the enclosed card – “Unable to run with you today. Meet me at home at 4:30 – not before and not after”. The number on the envelope and the message in the card were just enough to raise suspicion and take the first step along the road of suspense, but not enough to raise concern or prediction of what awaited.

In fact, the plan had been in process from almost the first date when we shared fortune cookies at the end of our Chinese meal. My fortune was “There will be no troubles in your home that you cannot overcome together”. Being bold and already confident of the relationship path, for it had started long before with a developing friendship, I placed the fortune in my wallet and said to Debbie, “The next time you see this fortune will be a special evening”. On a later date, we shared an equally meaningful fortune and I made the same prediction. Other than those two times, I don’t think that the fortunes were ever mentioned again, but I knew that they were with me at all times.

As time passed, Debbie and I shared many adventures and, unbeknownst to her, I saved something from many of the special occasions from concert tickets to theater programs to invitations and thank you notes, and I kept mental notes of all that we did, which was not as difficult then since our relationship was new and, as of that April date, less than two years old. Those remembrances, both the tangible and intangible, had been reviewed and organized throughout the end of March as my plan was in the late preparation stage and I was lucky that even then Debbie accepted my later than her hours, and that she never checked to see what I was doing after her bedtime.

Having left school promptly after having deposited the first envelope, I rushed home to clean, decorate and layout the numerous cards that I had prepared, to make the final calls reconfirming the arrangements, and to change and leave the apartment before the appointed time for Debbie’s arrival. Although I was not present for Debbie’s entry and adventure, I knew what would take place and have heard on many occasions what in fact occurred.

Debbie opened the front door, heard the music playing and called out my name, but, of course, she did not get a response. What did await her was an apartment filled with beautiful roses in every room and the next envelope in clear sight. Each envelope was numbered, I believe that there were eight in the apartment, and contained very specific directions. The first undoubtedly instructed Debbie to open each card in order, to follow the directions within the cards, and then to proceed to the next card.

The instructions were clear –
“Do not call anyone but just go along, all will be fine and your enjoyment is promised” - this was to be an evening just for the two of us;
“Be ready at 7:00 p.m. at which point you will be picked up by a cab that had been prepaid and has the directions – a bit more anticipation and suspense, but for what – a play, an\ special event or something more;
“Go to the refrigerator where you will find a treat for you immediate enjoyment” – and there waited champagne, a chilled glass, cheese and crackers, just something to sustain her through the adventure;
“Run a warm bath, the bubble formula is ready, disrobe, soak and enjoy the treats” - and there awaited the necessary ingredients for a luxurious calming bath – calming in the face of the unknown;
“Rest some more on the bed” – although I knew that probably would not be possible;
“Dress in the outfit that I have left for you” - it was one of my favorites;
“Remember to listen for the cab and, just in case the cab driver is not clear on the instructions, there is another envelope with both directions and the cab fare” – but still, I did not tell Debbie where she was going.

The cab driver needed both the directions and the fare, so even the best laid plans require some redundancy for protection – especially in the days before cell phones! The cab brought Debbie to the appointed destination – The Ritz – where I awaited her entry. In Debbie style, she entered looking radiantly beautiful, and also shaking with tears that must have been flowing for some time for her make-up was running. She looked at me with that wonderful smile and asked, “What is this all about?”. I asked her to trust me and join me for a glass of wine. Our waiter, with whom I had become friendly, took Debbie’s order, a white wine, and smiled at her with that “I know what is in store, but you don’t”.

The waiter returned carrying a silver platter on which there were two glasses of white wine and two fortune cookies. Now, Debbie was even more confused and tearful. I toasted Debbie and she toasted me for the wonderful surprises in our lives. I then asked her to open the fortune cookies, for I already knew their contents. Earlier in the week, I had journeyed to Chinatown where I had a bakery re-inset the fortunes that I had been carrying into new cookies. As Debbie crumbled the cookies and read the fortunes, I reminded her of my previous promises that if she ever got the fortunes again, it would be a special night. Debbie looked at me and into me, but still was not sure what this all meant.

After we drank our wine and re-saved the fortunes, I asked Debbie to walk with me a few blocks to the banks of the Charles River. On the way, we stopped at my car where I retrieved a box and a book, and then we continued along the way holding hands and talking. Upon our arrival at the Charles, we sat on a park bench with a beautiful view of the river and the neon sign for Electronic Corporation of America. I handed Debbie the book and asked her to read it page by page. She held the book in her shaking hands turning from one page to the next. This was the book for which I had been saving for more than a year and which I had put together over the prior two weeks. Its contents held the remembrances, actual items where they were available and key words where memory had to suffice.

When Debbie turned to the final page on which I had written, she found the simple words “I Love You!!! Will You Marry Me!!!”. By now, Debbie was crying and I was both excited and nervous, for I had never thought about the possibility that Debbie would not say yes, but in those fleeting seconds, I wondered. I handed Debbie a pen and asked her to put her answer in the book. To this day, I am thankful that the answer was quick and unequivocal - “Yes! Yes!! Yes!!!”.

With that, I handed Debbie the box and asked her to open it. The contents were simple – some tissue paper and a brass hand held bell. Debbie looked at me in a quizzical way and asked, “What is this”. I reply, “Just shake it, just shake it”, and so she did. But still, she asked “What is this”, and I answered, “It is your engagement ring”.

What followed was more typical – the calls to parents (from a pay phone), a dinner at one of our favorite Italian restaurants (I had made reservations at three establishments), and home for a celebratory evening together. The next day we ventured out in search of an engagement ring – the kind that Debbie could wear on her finger, much better than carrying around a brass bell!