The days were drawing closer to the time scheduled for me to go out to Washington to visit my dear Jonathan. I was making small preparations for my trip, buying a few little presents for my Johnny and spending many hours daydreaming of my trip.
The day finally arrived for my departure and so with much drama and flare I left for my four-day vacation with my love.
When I got off the plane I found myself completely lost in the airport, but before I had a chance to start crying a great big man came up from behind me and wrapped his great arms around me. At first I was startled, but instantly comforted as I realized the “man” was my very own Jonathan.
“Hi baby, how was your trip?"
In my mind I thought, “It is perfect now.”
All the first day we traveled around Seattle, took a ferry to a small island (I think it was called Vashon) and drove all over the island. A beautiful park with a pond and waterfalls, there were weeping willows and beautiful brush. The pond was filled with Mallard ducks; and the whole scene made for a perfect setting to talk and open gifts that each other had gotten.
At one point we stopped at an old-fashioned hardware store that was turned into a restaurant, it was not open for dinner, so we went to look at a quaint old bookstore. Driving back towards Olympia (as we were leaving the island) we did stop and got a huge cheese roll that was completely scrumptious.
By the time we made it home it was 9:30pm Washington time and 12:30am Virginia time. Needless to say I was pretty wiped out. Almost as a joke I looked at Jonathan and said “Tomorrow we will have to stay up later and talk about serious things.” He laughed and said “oh, don’t worry…we will.”
I slept at Jason and Kristen’s house, a young married couple who work at EFF with Jonathan. They were very normal, wonderful people who made me feel right at home as soon as I arrived.
The next morning arrived with much anticipation and excitement. The day before I was still suffering a bit of jet lag and didn’t feel my usually self, but Friday, October 28th, 2005, I could have run a marathon (just kidding).
My Jonathan came and picked me up at 8:00 a.m. we drove to a cute little coffee shop called “Cutters Point” and there we chatted a mile a minute about life, love, Washington, work, family, friends, the trip…blah, blah, blah. Before long we were off to the mall where we window shopped for a few hours and had a yummy, fattening, lunch in the Mall’s food court. Around 1:30ish, we left the mall and Jonathan took me to a furniture store, “just because” and we looked at all kinds of furniture. To be honest, I thought looking at furniture was odd, but I did know that at some point, with the potential of marriage, it would be nice to know what the other's styles and tastes were. So I disregarded the fact we were both single with not much living space to put furniture and just enjoyed being out with my love.
From the furniture store Jonathan took me to “World Market” which I found absolutely delightful. I had never been before and their unique foods and kitchen and living accessories had me all excited. Also, the more we window shopped around the more I realized just what a wonderful catch I had in Jonathan.
In my mind I thought, “What’s this? A man who likes to shop? Wonderful!”
At around 2:00 Jonathan asked if I’d like to go grab a cup of coffee at this cool coffee shop he knew of. Of course I wanted to see this new coffee place and I was willing to do pretty much whatever Jonathan was up to doing. So, he said he needed to make a quick call, and I said I needed to make a quick stop at the ladies room. When I returned to Jonathan he took my hand and then (while walking) said “Ready?"
We briskly walked out of the store and to his car, this was a bit unusual, as the pace was much faster then he walked. Slightly concerned that something was up and a bit confused as to his sudden change in character I did ask him,
“Jonathan, are we in a hurry?”
The look he shot me was that of utter confusion and casual boredom.
“Why no, just thought we’d grab a cup of tea or coffee or something”
Convinced that was all that was “up” I giggled and sat back as we drove to the coffee shop.
It was up on a hill, that was set in with different stones. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, the clouds were cartoonish and puffy, and a light drizzle made the air smell sweet, fresh and clean.
We walked in the shop, both ordered some tea and listened as the girl said to us “you can sit, I’ll bring it out to you.”
As though it was perfectly normal, Jonathan told the young lady that we’d be in the "conference room."
Knowing Washington was a bit different then Virginia, with coffee shops as unique as the people, him saying we’d be in the “conference room” did not phase me one bit.
Not until we walked in, that is.
The room was empty, save a few tables and chairs. Panning the room from the left to the right, in the far right corner sat a lone table covered in a white table cloth, with a single red rose, a simple candle and a small box of specialty chocolates.
With surprise I looked at JB and asked,
“Is that for us?”
He nodded and we walked towards it. In my mind I thought, “No, he wouldn’t be proposing, it is to soon….I’m sure he is just being extra special to me…as he usually is.”
With this thought I chalked off the proposal idea and was able to be attentive to my love with out having any expectations.
The girl brought in our tea and Jonathan and I sat back to enjoy our romantic afternoon…tea.
“So,” He said “last night you mentioned you wanted to talk about “serious” things”
I nodded, he continued
“Well, I do have something I want to talk about, but first, I have a story to tell.”
With that he launched into a heart wrenching story of an elderly couple in a hospital. The wife was passing away and the doctors said there was no hope for her. The old gentleman was heart broken “No, you must keep her alive! You must!”
However, the only hope to keep the old woman alive the woman herself said she’d rather not do. The old lady looked at her dear husband and whispered to him, “We have had a wonderful life together, let us end it well.”
With that she slipped into unconsciousness and left the old man to gaze on the only love of his heart. He gently lifted her soft hand and began to sing, he sang a love song from their youth, starting out a bit quiet and shaking and steadily growing more confident and louder. He ended the song, kissed her and walked away.
Jonathan’s eyes seemed to have taken him somewhere into the story as chills run up my spin and a tear threatened to leave my face. He then looked at me and said,
“Missi, the more I think about that story the more I have thought that is what I want to be. I want to be the old man desperately in love with his wife, wanting to do everything within my power to keep her with me forever. But if the Lord does take her, knowing we lived a full and wonderful life together. The more I think on that, the more I wonder who I would spend all of my life with…
He started to trail off as I began to get a clue as to where he was taking this.
And then he looked at me oh, so intently, and said “Melissa, the only women in all the world that I would want to spend the rest of my life with…is you.”
He reached behind him and took something from his coat pocket, I started to loose my breath and found myself desperately fighting tears, as with one fluid motion he went from his chair across from me to being down on one knee in front of me.
He looked me in the eyes and with an opened ring box in hand said “Melissa, would you be my wife?”
I couldn’t breath, there was a tear in my right eye, a million things were flooding my emotional brain as I looked at the man I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my years with. Mustering all that was in me I finally was able to breathe “Yes.”
The conversation and shear joy and excitement that followed are all to personal to type (wink), but let me assure my eager audience that no happier couple could be found in the State of Washington (or the world for that matter).
The room was reserved for but half an hour, and as we walked outside we were greeted in the sky by two marvelously brilliant rainbows over our heads.
With delight and joy I looked at my fiancée and said “It looks as though everyone is making promises today…”
“I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant…” Gen 9:13
“Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord…”
Eze 1:28
