The Perfect Proposal

I hopelessly watched her like a love struck teenager as she walked up to the stage with small nervous steps. She looked gorgeous despite being the nervous wreck she was. For the first time, her happiness didn't make me happy. With every step she took, the ring in my pocket grew heavier. The ring she refused years ago. 'It's not really my thing,' she had said. Yet I stayed. Watching her work hard just for this moment. Yet now that the moment has arrived it's leaving me nostalgic.

"I would like to thank," she started the same old monotonous gratitude speech. Slight disappointment crept up as I realized that I wasn't mentioned anywhere.

"That's a long list of people I have thanked."she continued. "Now there's this person I'm not going to thank. The one who turned my world upside down. The one who managed to wreck my priorities. This moment has been my dream for so many years. I should be the happiest person on earth right now. Yet this moment feels so incomplete. It's all because of you. The one who taught me the warmth of unconditional love and support. The one who left me greedy, wanting for more. For a long time I have battled the question: love or dream? Now that I think of it, the answer seems so simple. It doesn't have be a choice. Love doesn't have to be the anchor that ties you down. It can be the wings that help you fly. It's all because of you.

But I'm not going to thank you. I'm going to promise you. I promise to stay by your side for better or worse. I promise to spend the rest of my life trying to love you in the same selfless way you do." With that she walked towards me. She went down on one knee and uttered the impossible words,

"Will you marry me?"