Chapter Six

As we were leaving the stadium that day in December, I told Nathalie that losing the contest changed nothing between us, other than moving the engagement date back a bit since I needed time to research and find the perfect engagement ring. She reluctantly agreed, and found some reassurance with my promise of an engagement around springtime.

But there's a lot of days between December and the first day of Spring. And as the weather turned warmer and the days started to lengthen, Nathalie would occasionally remind me that Spring is soon approaching. Watching the grass slowly turn green and the flowers start to bloom around us, I knew she was right. I was just waiting for the right moment.

Keeping the ring a secret was more torturous than I thought. I was dying to give it to her, to reveal my love for her in carbon form, but I wanted our moment to be special. Memorable. But not cheesy. And definitely not over-the-top. I listened to other people tell me their engagement stories and read about some others on-line, but none of those examples gave me any inspiration. So as I spent my days thinking up a unique way to ask Nathalie to marry me, I kept the ring hidden in the dark recesses of the house. Occasionally pulling it out in secret to admire it, I felt like Gollum from the Lord of the Rings. Except I didn't call the ring "My Precious."

On Sunday morning, February 26, I woke up and noticed something different. Something just felt right about that day.

The universe was in order, the stars were aligned, and I was ready. Today was the day.