How I Met Your Father, Part 5

Dear Ming Wai, Siu Jeun & Baby Ying Ying - 

Once upon a time, there was a boy and a girl who fell in love. They got engaged, got married, had babies. This is their story. 

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

It was March when I realized that I wanted to marry your father. I had known him for two months. (See Part 4). Shortly after that, he was on a business trip, and called me to say goodnight. He wouldn't make much of a note of it at the time, but when he was saying goodbye, he said he loved me. I think I stuttered something, because I certainly had noticed that it was the first time he'd said those words. 

We continued to date, and play house, and spend all of our free time together. Realizing that we weren't seeing anyone else, and didn't really want to, he asked me one day if he could introduce me as his girlfriend. I told him I thought that would be entirely appropriate. One night, at a volleyball game, he casually mentioned that his sister would be moving to Shanghai with her family. He then, casually, mentioned that it would mess up "plans." Something in the way he said it, or tried to explain it once he realized he'd said it out loud, tipped me off to the fact that he was talking about a wedding. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who had come to the conclusion that the two of us ought to get married! 

Days passed. Weeks. Months. Every weekend was a special kind of torture for me. As much as I adored just spending time with your Dad, I wouldn't rest easy until he had actually asked me, out right, to marry him. I wanted to hear the words, and give my response. So, every weekend I would get my hopes up. Perhaps this would be the weekend he would ask me? And as every weekend came to a completely non-momentous close, I was disappointed. It was kind of exhausting. 

While this was going on, your aunt (my twin sister) was going through her first pregnancy. Ernie was on her way! Aunt Myrnie's due date came. And went. Still no baby. (As it turned out, when your Dad did finally decide to "pop the question", he also decided to wait until after the baby was born, so he would be sure to have my undivided attention. I had already made plans with Aunt Myrnie to attend the birth, so I was kind of on standby for the two weeks we waited for her after the due date. So, looks like your Daddy got some waiting time of his own!) 

Ernie was born on Friday, June 24. I attended the birth, and went home that night. In the morning, I went back to the hospital to visit with Myrnie and the baby again. I came home from the hospital, and went downstairs to my room. On my desk was a huge bouquet of roses, and a binder. It was labeled as a scavenger hunt - the first page was a letter to me, with instructions to only read the first clue, follow the instructions, and then proceed to turn the page. I would continue that way until I made it through all the clues and found my prize. 

With my heart thumping, I went out to find my parents. I teased them, "Dad? You really shouldn't let strange men into my bedroom when I'm not home!" He gave me a blank look, so I turned to my Mom. Another blank stare. Realizing they had no idea what I was talking about, I led them both down the stairs. My mother's reaction was priceless. "Ugh...Mormon boys are so silly!" (She could immediately see, as I suspected, that the scavenger hunt would end with a ring, and couldn't imagine why I had to drive around for hours to earn it. I think I had told her how frustrated I had been the past few weeks, waiting for Daddy to ask me to marry him.) (Your Dad had the code to get into the garage, and had come to the house while I was at the hospital. When nobody answered the door, he let himself in and set up his surprise in my room, and then let himself back out. Come to think of it, it must have been him who encouraged me to head back to the hospital on Saturday morning.)

I turned to the first page, and started reading the clues. At each location, I had to take a picture, and then turn the page. I ended up at Top Gun in Factoria (our first date!), the church building on Mercer Island (where we went to church), the stake center in Eastgate (where we first met), my own home (a picture of my mother playing piano), Lakemont Park (a picture of something living), back at his house (a picture of his favorite movie - Spider Man!) and finally, to the temple in Eastgate. 

I found him on a bench in the back of the temple, under a blooming apple tree, reading his scriptures and waiting for me. He had my "prize" waiting for me - it was a small gift bag. I slowly unpacked the contents, my pulse beating madly and my heart in my throat. There was another bouquet of flowers in his hands, some candy in the bag and...a ring pop. Like, a small plastic ring with a huge sugar "gem" on top. "Wasn't that a fun game, honey?? What do you want to do now?"

The adrenalin drop was too much. I was furious. And so disappointed. I knew I was being silly, but after all the weekends when I thought I might finally hear the question outright that would allow me to lay claim to this amazing man, in a public way...I was met with this. A ring pop. I picked up the bouquet of flowers, and turned around so he wouldn't see my red face. "Well, I guess we'd better get these back to my house and into a vase of water." I walked to my car, with my ears ringing, and slowly opened my trunk to pack the flowers carefully away for the short drive to my parent's house. My hands were shaking and I was trying not to cry. I turned back around to get the bag from him, and he wasn't there. I looked down. There, on one knee, in the damp temple parking lot, was your Daddy. Holding a ring. "Will you marry me?" 

Kids, he got me good. After a resounding YES, he slid a beautiful diamond ring onto my finger. And that was it. The ring was perfect. We had gone together to a jeweler, to look at ring styles, earlier. He knew that I favored the rings with intricate engravings along the sides. He went to a jeweler that he knew and looked through book after book of rings, with his mother to help him. He picked out a white gold ring (another preference of mine) that has a lovely infinity design along the sides. There is room for the stone in the center, flanked by four tiny diamonds on either side. 

I was so happy. We did go straight back to my parents' house, to put the roses in water and to show them my beautiful new ring. I think I got on the phone after that, calling grandparents and siblings. I can still picture all of this, so clearly. I stood just next to Grandma's Yamaha piano, in her beautiful living room, calling people, and repeating my good news, over and over. 

I found out later that his original Proposal Plan had involved a hike down to the base of Snoqualmie Falls, and two rings. One ring would be a cheap imitation ring, and he would "accidentally" drop it into the deep, swift water, where it would be washed away. He would then pull the real ring from his pocket, and that would be that. 

I have since informed him, it's an awfully great thing that he didn't go with Plan A, as I most likely would have punched him. 

To be continued...

(Today also marks my in-laws second day in town, as new residents! I dropped my kids off for camp, but the road outside my neighborhood was being repaved and signs promised "up to 30 minute delays". It made a whole lot more sense to just take MaMa and YehYeh out to lunch instead of waiting in line to get back home, only to turn around and wait in line to get back out! We tried to go to McDonald's, but the entire parking lot was full, so we ended up at Five Guys. One regular burger "all the way" for MaMa and YehYeh to split, one small bacon burger for me, and a regular order of fries to share. Poor Baby Ying Ying wanted a go at those fries so badly. MaMa understood - fries are her personal favorite. I think she gave Ying Ying a few hits. Salt? Not Ying Ying's thing. Heh. She wasn't too impressed, and didn't ask for more.)