Dedicated to Mark
Submitted by Marnie
It’s sunset in Maui. Orange, red, yellow –
the sky is a beautiful collage of color as
the sun descends over the calm ocean.
Silhouettes of sailboats glide under the
magnificent sun. I’m not alone. My boyfriend
of almost one year is sitting beside me on
the rocky beach, his arm around me, and a
content silence between us.
It’s been a long year. A whirlwind romance,
moving in together after only two months, my
lost job and months of unemployment. It was
taxing, but we prevailed. I thought I’d never
meet anyone like him. The previous year, I
battled tumors, which ended up being benign.
I survived a home invasion while I was
sleeping. I dated men who were more
interested in themselves than anything else.
My life was one mishap after another. And
then there he was. Out of the blue. I guess
that’s how it’s supposed to happen.
And now, almost a year later, we are happy
and more in love than ever. We came to Hawaii
to relax, to have the romantic getaway that
we needed so much. What a perfect place to
celebrate our love and spend every waking
moment together. So beautiful, so peaceful,
such lovely people here.
We’re on the beach at sunset and his arm is
around me and my head lies on his shoulder.
He whispers that he loves me and I smile as
I whisper it back. I close my eyes hard and
savor this moment with him.
And then it happened.
He turns to me and stares into my eyes. He
tells me again how much he loves me and how
he can’t imagine spending another day in his
life without me. He reaches behind him and
presents me with a small box. I gasp as I
realize what is happening. I feel a solitary
tear drip down my cheek. “I love you,” he
tells me, “and I want you to be my wife, my
partner, my best friend.”
And then the four words every girl wants to
hear.
“Will you marry me?”
I open my mouth to say something, but the
words just don’t come out. Instead I throw
my arms around his neck and nod my head
furiously. A minute later, I manage to let
out a throaty “yes”. He slips the beautiful
platinum ring on my finger as the tears
continue to fall out of my eyes. This is the
happiest day of my life.
And this is just the beginning.