March 21, 2005 - 5:03 PM

This Is A Tale of Love

It begins with a great guy meeting an even greater girl. But we won't begin there. We will begin at the end. An ending that, as with many things, is a beginning. And this ending begins with a ring.

The ring is beautiful. One perfect diamond perched atop a simple yet elegant bejeweled band. There is no gaudiness attached, no "look at me!" showiness winking at passersby. It makes no bold statement. It is not aggresive. It just sits weightlessly on the finger, quietly stating "I am betrothed". It is merely, absolutely, blessedly lovely.

The ring has been a long time coming. But at last, it has been offered, and, more importantly, it has been accepted. I guess I shouldn't be surprised at all the engagments and weddings that are falling into place around me. I am at the age where educated, working people find themselves contemplating permanent couplings. What started as a dribble, with Katie 4 years ago, has slowly become an onslaught. Phil followed 2 years ago, then Soph and my cousin Sylvia last year, my cousin Jimmy this weekend, LDBL and Mer in two weeks.

We were watching Beaches. I was there to pick out a suit for Jimmy's wedding, and as we waited for her to shower, we watched Bette Midler whirl around the dying Barbara Hershey. (Oh, perhaps I should have spoiler alerted that last bit...umm...Barbara Hershey contracts some fatal heart virus that leads to her death. [such a tragic movie...I remember watching it when I was in 7th or 8th grade and tearing up at the end. It's such a perfect "chick flick", along the lines of Steel Magnolias. Do they make movies like those anymore? I did remark that, with all the drama in their lives, it's a good thing that the characters were rich]) As the bitterness between Bette and Barbara melted away (and with it, my heart), he flipped me a small box. I strugged to open it, but once its contents were revealed to me, I became one of the happiest persons on the face of the earth.

I wanted to scream "huzzah!" and "woohoo!" but, wary about alerting her to the private knowledge held within the ring, I resorted to pumping my fists in the air and yelping silently. "Tonight at dinner" he responded to my questioning eyes.

It took much effort from me to refrain from hugging her tightly before I left, lest I give away the surprise. I called Soph as soon as I was on the highway.

"What."

"Tony is going to propose to Margaret tonight!"

Later, situated in front of my computer, I passed along the news to Nick and Mark as we slew dragons. The next day, I told Phil and Carol and Matt and Sharon. All were unanimous in their approval, and most were amusedly of the mindset that it was about time.

Ironically, when I called Margaret to confirm that she had said "yes" (yes) and to congratulate her, I was sitting at a table for two in the Cheesecake Factory, dining alone. It has been a loooong time since I ate at a restaurant by myself, and let me tell you, it is a lonely experience. The lack of conversation makes the wait between platings interminable, and the people watching can border on uncomfortably intrusive after a while. There are few things that more readily reinforce the sadness of being single than eating at a crowded restaurant by yourself. Being surrounded in your life by people getting married is probably one of them.

I am ecstatic that Tony and Margaret are going to get married. Phil proposed to Jen in Florida, Gee proposed to Soph in Boston- both times, I was thousands of miles away. But with these two, I was there an hour before it happened. I was privy to what was going on. I felt closer to it than anyone else could be, aside from the two participants. Tony has effectively filled in the "big brother" shoes since I moved out here, and Margaret has taken on the mantle of surrogate big sister quite happily. Their long courtship is now at an end. This new beginning, may it last forever.

Now Listening To : Los Lobos- Colossal Head
Random Thought : Kids are so tiny!

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