Lunch With Love
My girlfriend Veronica and I had been together for six years, ever since our freshman year in college. We were both working in the Twin Cities, MN, and ate lunch together daily.
On the day that we got engaged, I was supposed to choose a place for lunch. So, without letting Veronica know, I chose a small Italian restaurant in downtown, where I spoke with the manager. He let me plan out the perfect engagement party.
I called up Veronica's father, Daniel, who was a fabulous cook! He and the restaurant manager met at 11:00 am that day to plan out a meal, which Dan would cook. I asked Veronica's mother, Isabella, to buy a few boquets. Instead, she bought over five hundred roses and placed them everywhere in the restaurant!
I asked my mother, Sylvia, to rent a limousine and my father, Henry, to find a few old records that could be played at lunch.
Veronica and I had been ring shopping, but I was told by her sister, Victoria, that she was dreaming of a small diamond ring. She gave me a copy of the ring from a magazine that Veronica kept in her scrapbook.
I purchased the ring and had it placed on a small cheesecake, which was to be served for dessert.
Then, knowing Veronica was available for lunch, I grabbed my car and raced to her law firm, where I met her as she came out the door.
"Geez, Mike, you look excited," were her first words as she seated herself in my car.
I hoped I wasn't TOO excited. We drove to the restaurant, parked out front so Veronica wouldn't notice the empty parking lot, and hurried inside.
A small table had been set in the middle of the restaurant. It was covered in a beautiful white cloth. A bottle of champagne and two glasses were on the table. An old song - I don't remember what - played on Daniel's old recorder in the corner.
"Oh, Mikey, this is so beautiful!" Veronica gushed. "Is there a special occasion today?"
"Our sixth anniversary, dear," I told her. I could tell by Veronica's face that six years had been a long wait for her and I knew she would be overjoyed with the proposal.
"Of course!" Veronica had forgotten, and I wasn't surprised.
We ate dinner. I could hear Veronica's father cooking in the back, but he didn't show himself. Veronica loved the food, but she didn't mention anything about it tasting like her father's.
Finally, Daniel, dressed as a chef, showed up with the cake. He placed it on the table, smiled at us, and walked away. Veronica didn't recognize her own DAD!
"Veronica, would you like to start with the frosting on the top?" I asked, pointing to the frosting-covered jewelery box on the top of the cake.
She laughed. I couldn't take the suspense! "Sure."
She took the frosting off of the top and the black of the box revealed itself. Veronica looked up at me with a questioning look in her eye and then took the box from the cake and opened it with a gasp.
I got down on my knee. "Veronica, beloved, we have been through the good and the bad for six long years. I love you so much and, if I am to live another day in this world, I want to live it with you as my wife. Will you marry me?"
Veronica fainted. She was revived a moment later and she, of course, said yes.
Proposal: 05/17/04
Wedding: 05/19/07
