About 2 weeks had now gone by since my mother's passing. I fully recognized the impact Brad had and how much closer we had gotten. It was almost as if our troubled begining had in some way emphasized our need for one another, prior to this tragedy that had forever bonded us. He had truly been there for me at the time in my life I needed someone most. He wasn't just present. He was really there in every sense of the word. Never had I felt that another person had wholeheartedly immersed theirself in my own personal struggle before.
Though I had already gone back to sporting my special paperclip ring, we hadn't even had the time to talk about marriage again. It seemed we had jumped from 1 crisis to another. It was a welcomed relief when he suggested we take a ride to get out of the house for a little while. I knew where we were going. There was an old strip job high on a mountain where we had picniced many times. One spot in particular we now referred to as "our place", and had an incredible view that spanned for miles.
It had been snowing, and he borrowed his mom's 4wd so we wouldn't have to take a chance on getting stuck and then me going into labor or something. As we cleared the top of the hill, everything opened up, and the snow covered landscape was absolutely breathtaking. He had made a cd with songs on it that had become special to us and played it as we drove toward "our spot", taking in the scenery. It felt wonderful to be somewhere with happy memories. The pain of the real world seemed to fade away with each winding curve.
The melting snow had left the road a muddy mess. Lots of rain had fallen, prior to the snow storm causing deep puddles in the old dirt road. We came to a large one and hesitated. There was no other route to our spot but it looked a bit ominous. "It's okay, we can just find another spot to sit for awhile, " I said. He ignored me, determined for some reason to get there, and proceeded any way.
When we hit the puddle, water and mud spewed up into the air, covering his mom's car. It caught him off guard and he slowed down, only to realize we were stuck. The 4wd didn't seem to help much. He jumped out and began to frantically work to free us. He tried several different approaches before finally being able to get us free enough to eliminate the fears of not being able to make it out on our own. The mud had filled his shoes and was all over his clothes. I couldn't help but laugh. It felt so good to laugh. We were still in the mud, but it wasn't as deep now and you could actually walk around the car without fear of slipping. I hadn't noticed he continued to let our songs play through the entire ordeal which had lasted nearly a hour. He asked me to get out and help him assess the car to make sure it wasn't damaged.
I walked around and took note of the black, mud covered vehicle in the midst of this beautiful white backdrop. "I'm sorry I couldn't get you all the way there, but this will have to do " I turned around and there he was, down on 1 knee, fully engulfed in the mud, holding a ring. I was more surprised then I had ever been in my life. I immediately began to cry. "Dorrenna, I need you. I love you in a way I didn't even know was possible and I know always will. I want to spend the rest of my life showing you. Please marry me." I didn't have to think about the answer. I knew with all my heart there was nothing in the world I wanted or needed more. He slipped the ring right over my little blue paperclip. I didn't know what the future held, but I knew that whatever it was, I wouldn't be facing it alone.
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