welcome to 2009, blog!
before we get into minutia, it makes sense to describe the most important thing that happened in 2008, so that the details aren’t lost in a haze later on. it may be long, but sometimes details matter.
so here’s how it happened.
i tried not to let it show, but the afternoon was a little nerve-wracking. i spoke to the hotel twice. once to make arrangements for the best room with the best view i could manage as well as the little romantic touches, and again later to confirm everything was set. i had to steal these conversations when i could, because that half of the evening was a surprise, and when you’re home for the holidays with your significant other, there aren’t a whole lot of moments you’re not in the same room. luckily, it takes most girls at least a little while to shower and get ready for a nice dinner date.
of course, my plan to stealthily collect a change of clothes and the necessary toiletries for a secret overnight bag was made more difficult, because getting ready to go out was put off until the last moments. that meant a bit of hovering without looking too suspicious until i was sure there would be no return trips to the suitcase before we left. as she went for a quick last check of makeup, hair, etcetera, i had to dash down to our basement quarters, collect the spare shoes, shirts, pajamas, and personal care products in less than a minute, stuff them into my backpack, and try to get them into the trunk without being caught.
this was made difficult by the fact the chosen bathroom stood between me and the exit to the garage. hmm. i dropped the bag in the corner of the staircase and waited for an opportunity. she had to go down said stairs to get a piece of jewelry (panic!), so i walked halfway down with her to distract her attention (success!). i hastily moved the pack from the stairs to the kitchen (so close!), but she was already back up the stairs (more panic!). we had some photos taken with the backpack in what i thought was plain view, but luckily some hints that we were running late had her frazzled enough not to notice. as she double-checked her things, i crept out to the car and chucked in the bag, popping back inside thinking the jig had to be up. after all, i had darted right past her, thinking i’d have to use my cover story that it was just in case we wanted to crash with my brother at our cousin’s place, heh heh, you know? but apparently people don’t pay as close attention to your actions as you might think when preparing to leave for a fancy evening.
i drove the four of us (brother, sister-in-law, the two of us) into the city with the heat on too high for the large coats we were wearing, not being used to cold climates. this was probably a good thing, as it gave an excuse for my probable sheen of nervous sweat.
we dropped the other two off at the cousin’s, had a quick drink, talked about what they’d be doing while we were at dinner, and i tried very hard to act casual. it may have worked, but a can of PBR has never been so welcome in my life. i said we would probably meet up with them later, she not knowing that this was a lie.
i don’t lie much, and i don’t like doing it, especially to her, and surprises sort of turn me into a wreck. a couple years ago, planning a surprise party, i had to have several drinks to calm my jitters, and couldn’t stop pacing for the hour leading up to her arrival in my apartment. i had to put my hands in my pockets as i took her from the front door up to our place to not give myself away with visible shaking. fortunately, in chicago two days after christmas, this can be blamed on the cold.
we arrived at dinner, and it was marvelous. i calmed down significantly with its soft soothing lighting and significant help by the wine pairings with our 10 course meal. dining at moto is a whole story unto itself, but really requires the photos to do it justice, so those details can wait. we had a lovely time, the food was impressively prepared and highly delicious. we finished around 11:30, apparently the last people left in the restaurant.
to keep up appearances, i phoned my brother so we could ‘meet up with them’. lucky for me he didn’t answer, as no prior code had been established as to how that conversation would have gone, so i came up with a brilliant decoy. i punched in the name of the bar they had mentioned earlier on the handy iphone, then covertly switched it instead to the hotel’s address and handed it to her to navigate. at this point, i’m thinking i wouldn’t make a bad secret agent or con artist.
we pull up a few minutes later, and she remarks that this place is a lot fancier than she thought for a bar my relatives would go to (no offense, it was, and is fancier than any bar i would go to either), but that’s mostly because it was a luxury hotel on the chicago river. as i gave the car to the valet and pulled the backpack out of the trunk, she began to look mildly confused and i told her to just follow me inside out of the cold. we checked in, got in the elevator, and i explained that this was just a bonus christmas present. why go on a big trip and not have at least one nice romantic night alone?
the room had, as requested, rose petals sprinkled all over the bed, and a bottle of champagne waiting. it had a nice effect (and you’d be surprised how economical such a ‘romance package’ is at a nice hotel like that). i unpacked a few things to show how well-prepared i was, and we giggled at my surreptitiousness. while she admired the view, i snuck the ring from the backpack to my pocket, careful to note which side of the box had the hinge for proper presentation.
in my head we would stand by the window for a few minutes basking in the skyline, i would say a few sweet things about how in love we were, how our years together had been so wonderful, and turn her around and go for it. it almost worked that way too. as we talked i feared she could feel my heart pounding through my chest and would ask if i needed to lie down. none of the sweet nothings seemed like quite the exact right one after which to make my move. honestly, the details were a little blurry even right after the fact. but at one point i did manage to take her hand in mine, turn her toward me, and get down on one knee to ask the question.
and she said yes. through a bit of emotional outpour and a hand which had risen to cover her mouth, but it came through. i almost stood up before realizing i should take the ring out and put it on her finger, but took care of that quickly before the several rounds of hugs and kisses and ring-admiring and ‘i love you’s took place.
we popped champagne, talked about how excited we were, how well i’d chosen the ring — all on my own — how i planned it all, how no one else knew but her yet and we couldn’t wait to tell everyone, etcetera. ten days later and i still get excited thinking about it, but that night was the most invigorating. nothing essential changed that night, we’re the same two people crazy about each other we were before and after, but now we know we both officially want it to stay that way.
so normally this week would be about new years resolutions, but as many others most of mine would be the same old things. get smarter, get fitter, get more ambitious. this year especially though, i realize all those things really just add up to one thing, which is my resolution for this and every year following: make sure she never regrets saying yes.
