Imperfectly Perfect

The dream proposal was supposed to be perfect. At least, that’s what Disney princess movies told me. But the day came when I would find out for myself what it was really like. Most young starry eyed girls dreamt of Prince Charming ready to carry off the lady of his choosing, but real life didn’t always go as planned. The unexpected was the expected in the real world. The moment came when I thought he would pose the question in the cold winter evening in December. The moon was full and the stars shined brightly. For once, my hands weren’t sweating especially for the possible perfect moment. He was sitting next to me near the fire that was burning wood that was making crackling sounds. Being prepared was my forte, and that morning I curled my hair so that I was fully prepared. Of course I wanted to be myself, but putting some effort into it was important. That moment seemed right, just perfect. Mario looked over at me, smiled in a charming way to make any girl swoon. He brushed my cheek and told me he loved me. What girl wouldn’t feel comforted by those words? And I knew he was being honest. But he didn’t say a word about it, not even once. When he left, confusion was the only emotion I felt. That night, as I slipped under the bed covers, I sighed thinking about ‘what could have been.’ Or more importantly, what may never be. Was it just a game? Then I wondered, was love supposed to feel this lonely? Whatever the case, it didn’t always seem right to be waiting for something. But I had to remind myself: I knew he was worth waiting for. 

Then April rolled around until June arrived. Both passed just as quickly as the previous months had. But by July, I was slightly concerned that my feelings didn’t match up to his. At this point, I felt more ready for him to say something more than all the years we dated. I just hoped that he was ready, too. 

“Ruth?” I called hoping she would answer. I heard nothing but the floor creak under my footsteps. “Ruth!” I called again. I sighed thinking about where she could be. “Waaah?” I heard a muffled groan, “what on earth? I’m sleeping...” I followed the trail of her voice to a fluffy oversized blanket, and a gloomy face looking back at me. I cringed, “Sorry for waking you. I thought you were awake.” She shrugged, rubbing underneath her eyelids where dark circles appeared. “What’s up? It must be important.” I had been thinking of Mario recently and I needed to talk to someone about it. Getting comfortable on the couch, I sat to spill my thoughts. “Ok, so I was just thinking about Mario. Is he ever going to propose? I’m thinking about surprising him at his gym where he goes on Tuesdays. Then, I could bring up the topic. What do you think? You have a fiancé, tell me what I should do.” Ruth laughed, tucking her blonde hair behind her ears. “Well, I waited. But I knew he wanted to marry me. And Mario hasn’t been clear with you.” She paused seeing my face change to a depressed look. “But, there is a chance you could surprise him and talk to him. Plus, ‘honesty is the best policy.’” She smiled patting my back, “What’s the worst that could happen?” I chuckled, raising my eyebrows, “Yeah, but what if I don’t like what he has to say?” Then what would I do? She shook her head smiling, “Keep this in mind, you are such a beautiful, genuine, and kind young woman who loves him. If he can’t see that, he isn’t worth your time.” I sniffed saying, ‘thank you.’ Ruth nodded and at that moment I knew she had confidence I could do it. And I would try. 

The next morning I arrived at the gym. I breathed in deep channeling the confidence I hoped to have when I saw him. ‘It’s ok, what’s the worst that could happen?’ Those thoughts quickly brushed away as I walked through the automatic sliding gym doors. To my relief, Mario was there. But then I saw something I hoped to quickly forget. Right before my eyes, I saw Mario kneeling in front of a woman, taking her hand in his. I saw his lips move saying, “will you marry me?” A gasp broke from my mouth and he turned and saw me. Before he could say anything, I ran to the bathroom not knowing what to say. I felt so embarrassed for seeing him but slightly more angry that he led me on for so long. A few minutes later, a pair of feet walked in front of the bathroom stall. 

“Why are you here?” He asked. Really? Was that all he had to say? 

“I’m here because I was going to ask you if you were ever going to ask me to marry you. But I guess you found your match already.” A pause stretched out for a moment before he spoke. “Well I don’t know what to say to you... This situation feels more awkward than it actually is.”

I laughed, “How so?” 

“In truth, I was practicing. I want to marry you but you never gave me the chance to make it a surprise. I was going to surprise you at tomorrow’s dinner. You are the only woman I would ever dream of marrying. I love you.” How could I doubt a man who just took his time on everything? Then I heard a thud. Right on the other side of the door, he was on his knee. I opened the door seeing him looking up at me smiling. He took my hand in his saying four special words I had been waiting for a long time. 

“Will you marry me?” My answer would always be the same three letter word back. Yes!

Written by Aubrey Maria