A Proposal to Forget

It was the night of our next date. I was wearing a red, tight, body-fitting dress and my red, high heel Louis Vuitton shoes. My hair was neatly pulled up into an up-do, and my makeup was of a natural look with a shade of fire red on the lip. In my hands, I held a small red and black clutch. Before I got up from my vanity to leave, my 4-year old son ran over to me and said "Mom, you look pretty! You look like a princess!" I smiled and gave him the biggest hug ever. Feeling super confident now, I got up, walked downstairs, and then walked outside. My date was sitting in his car in my driveway waiting patiently. He looked up and, instantly we locked eyes. He smiled the biggest smile ever. He got out of his car and opened the passenger side door for me. Dressed in a black Italian suit with a white dress shirt and striped, black and red tie, he matched my outfit perfectly. On his feet, he wore black patent leather shoes, both shined to perfection. I got into his car. He closed my door, walked back to the driver’s side, and slid back into the driver’s seat. Then off we went on our escapade to downtown. Tonight, we had decided to check out a play that my best friend, Liz, was starring in at the FOX theatre. He and I both had an affinity for the arts, so it was the perfect date night for us. Once at the theatre, the ushers escorted us down the aisle to the front row. We watched the entire first act from there. From what I could tell thus far, there was a love triangle going on. The wife, played by Liz, was being cheated on by her husband. Unbeknownst to her, he was cheating on her with her best friend, one whom she had had since childhood. Apparently, the two first slept together 5 years prior and had kept the affair a secret the entire time. Now, they were ready to come clean, but the audience would have to wait until the second act to see when and how the truth would be revealed. It was time for intermission. My date had left to go to the restroom and to grab us a few snacks from concession. In no time, intermission had come and gone, and the second act was about to begin. My date hadn’t returned yet. I continued to sit there watching the play, and lo and behold, the cheaters finally came clean at a family picnic. The wife had gotten sloppy drunk and started throwing insults at her husband left and right. He eventually got fed up and started firing back insults of his own. It wasn’t long before his anger peaked, and he asked his wife for a divorce in front of all her family. To make matters worse, his mistress stepped up next to him, grabbed his hand, and cheered him on. Fast forward to the next scene, the wife and husband were now at a law office sitting across from each other with both their lawyers at their side. Just when the wife was about to sign the divorce papers, another character emerged from behind the curtain and onto the stage. When I saw who it was, I gasped and nearly fell out of my seat. To my surprise, it was my date. "What was he doing up on stage?" Before I knew it, he grabbed a microphone and first apologized to everyone for the interruption. He then continued and talked about how the play was speaking to his heart and how he felt that it was time for him to come clean as well. Imagine my surprise when my date, my very own husband of 15 years, said that he couldn’t live a lie anymore. He expressed that he wanted a divorce from me, his wife. He expressed how when we first met, he knew that he would marry me, but somewhere down the line, after 10 years of marriage, he started falling out of love with me. It just wasn’t fun for him anymore. He went on to confess that he was actually in love with someone else. Then he turned to the one person that I wouldn’t have ever thought in a million years. He turned to my best friend, Liz. He expressed how now his heart belonged to her, and how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. My mouth dropped and for a split second, I was shocked. “Is he for real, right now? How could he stand up there asking me for a divorce and at the same time professing his love for Liz." Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, this man knelt down on one knee and proposed to Liz right in front of me, in front of all these people.” My eyes quickly darted over at Liz. Surely, she would say “No”. Instead, I saw her jump up from her chair, crying, and run over to him saying "YES, I'll marry you". It was at this point that one spotlight shined on them as they kissed and embraced, and the other was turned and shined directly on me. For the first few seconds, everyone in the audience was silent, including me. I was at a loss for words. Then suddenly, I heard someone yell out loud "Hell Naw", and the crowd burst into laughter. A thunderous applause followed. It was clear that the audience thought we were all actors in the play and that the wife had indeed had the last laugh by being proposed to by her secret lover. The audience was surprised and ecstatic at the story's twist, all the meanwhile, I sat there feeling humiliated and embarrassed. My husband and I were supposed to have been there that night working on our marriage, and that date was supposed to have been an attempt at rekindling our love for one another. Instead he chose that night to reveal his true feelings. The very play that we had come to watch was now my actual life being played out on stage. At the start of the next scene, I quickly grabbed my things, got up, and rushed out of the theater in tears. I took an Uber home that night and never looked back. As for my husband, he didn't come home that night or any other night after that, and I’ve since moved on. However, I’ll never forget that night as the worst moment in my life but the best proposal ever for two people I thought would have had my back forever!