♪♫ YOU MAKE ME WANNA SAY I DO, I DO, I DO... LOVE YOU ♪♫

I'm sharing this over Memory Lane Monday - Special Thing: MY ENGAGEMENT RING

SCENE 1

It was just one of those ordinary Thank God It's Friday days. My job was pulling the wits out of me, so I was relieved that the week had come to an end, and Friday meant volleyball night and Chinese dinner afterwards. South of the border, a co-resident of Vince apparently got sick, so he was called to fill in a night call. He informed me by text, and when I called him, he did not pick up. I assumed his service was busy, so I went about my way to the gym.

My bestfriend was already at the gym when I got there. We did our usual beso-beso and chicka-chicka while stretching before the games. It turned out to be a slow volleyball night for me, and whenever I would sit one down, I would check my phone for messages or try calling Vince again. He never picked up though. I was starting to get worried because it's not like him not to return calls or text, regardless how busy he may be in the hospital. My bestfriend was there to assure me that most likely Vince was just swamped with patients or doing a procedure, and that he'd give me a call back in a little while. True enough, during a half-time break, my phone rang, and it was Vince. He said he had been admitting patients that's why he wasn't able to answer my calls or return them.

My bestfriend and I cut our volleyball night short. We left ahead of our teammates and went to Ajisen Ramen for dinner. We had a wonderful "girls night out" time - one thing I totally miss at the present time. At one point, we touched on the topic of me moving to the States, and how it's going to be sad that we won't be able to do our regular Friday dinners anymore. I consoled ourselves and said that I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon, which he somewhat disagreed with.

SCENE 2

Home after dinner, I did a quick spic and span of my midtown apartment then took a bath. My phone had been quiet since Vince had last called. It was past midnight already but I didn't want to sleep yet. I was waiting for him to send me to bed. It was a routine. He would always call to say goodnight. It had always been our cue, and so I had to wait for that.

Finally, Vince called. He asked me to come down the building and meet him at the door. What? The whole story of filling in and being in the hospital was a cover-up as he wanted to surprise me. All the time I was wondering of his whatabouts, he had been driving his way to Toronto. Sweet ♥

SCENE 3

The following day, Vince and I did some errands in the morning and then had dinner at Memories of Japan, where he handed me his pasalubong - a box of Ferrero Rocher chocolates adorned with a golden bow. After dinner, we went to a movie, and then back home.

By the time we got home, it was already late at night. The epiphany of our long distance relationship dawned on me again. He would travel so far to see me, and yet, no matter how much quality time we spend during those visits, it never seemed enough. Goodbyes were getting harder each visit. I gave him a hug and rested my head against his chest while I poured my heart out to him - how I wish he could stay longer and us to be "together together" and not together apart.

Vince hugged me back and comforted me with very loving and thoughtful words. With my gaze fixed on the wall, I savoured that moment of being once again close to him, and at the same time counting the remaining hours until he leaves again. He then broke away from my embrace, dropped on his knee, a red box on his hand, and asked, "K, will you marry me?"

There wasn't any flash mobs or elaborate scripted acts when Vince proposed, but it felt like a hundred firetrucks blared their sirens when I said, "Yes!"

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One time a year or so after Vince and I got engaged, we were having a conversation about an article I read in Yahoo which said that men nowadays do not pay as much for engagement rings as men in the past did. This led to Vince disclosing the cost of my ring and that he really saved up for it. Awwww :') I then teased him and asked what do I need to do to match that gesture to which he replied, "Just be with me for the rest of my life." Now, that is easy.

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