38. shock, surprise and delight

Once the ring was finally safely on my finger, we were officially engaged for all the world to see. We were supposed to go for dinner at the Rainbow Room, but the Tiffany’s escapade had taken up most of the day and all our energy, so we decided to rather just spend some downtime being together, cuddling and kissing and staring at Lucy. Yeah, it’s terrifically cheesy but we named the ring. Lucy for Lucida, also for Lucy in the sky with diamonds. So sue us.

That evening my Beautiful Boy took me to see Chicago on Broadway, which I absolutely loved and I suspect that he enjoyed it every bit as much as I did. I vividly remember sitting in the theatre, getting completely caught up in the action and then remembering with a shock that there was a rock on my finger. I literally got a fright each time!

Whenever this happened, thoughts would start spinning. My parents! They’d never even met him! My brother and sister, how would they take it? Sure, they liked him well enough but that didn’t mean they’d cheerfully let me marry him. My friends, his friends, would everyone think we’re crazy? When could we actually be together, would I have to move to Madison until he graduated? Spend a whole winter in Wisconsin with nothing to do but stay indoors out of the snow? When would the ex find out?

I’d focus back onto the stage, sneaking sideways looks at the Boy. He seemed in his element, as usual. Relaxed, entranced, lost in the show. I really love the way he can just do that. Be in the moment, no regrets for yesterday and no fears for tomorrow. It’s a gift. I took his cue and tried to just enjoy our date. Afterwards we had divine sushi and champagne at Blue Fin on Time’s Square – a perfect meal to end our eventful day.

I couldn’t really relax into this newly engaged state though. Not until the next morning when we both woke up eager to spread our good news to our loved ones. We found a quiet place with good reception (not so easy in NYC!) and started dialling. First up were his parents: they were ecstatic. His mom asked what took him so long! Then I called my Mom. She was surprised and a bit sad that she hadn’t met BB yet, but trusted me to know what I was getting into. My Dad was hesitantly happy, worried about the suddenness and whether I was still on the rebound after ex. Either way, they wished us all the luck and joy in the world and looked forward to meeting BB. Sheesh. Getting that out of the way felt like a weight off my shoulders.

Over a Ruby’s burger we texted all our friends and messages of shock, surprise and delight came rolling in. I was a bit worried when I didn’t hear anything from my siblings. Everyone else replied in one way or another. Also looming was another airport farewell. Before the end of the day, my fiancé (the word still sounds strange and pretentious!) would fly away back to Madison and in five days I’d leave for home. It was a mad roller-coaster ride this here girl was on.