The Story of how Tom Proposed
Home
When I look back I can’t believe I didn’t figure it out, but for the weeks preceding the surprise proposal party, I was clueless. I didn’t think anything of it when Tom took phone calls in the hallway of our apartment building—so he wanted to have some private conversations—no big deal. I didn’t think anything of the entire evening he spent in his car on the phone—so it was a little odd… but so is Tom. I didn’t even suspect anything when his grandmother, at Thanksgiving dinner, asked “Roslyn, are you excited to meet your future mother-in-law next week?!” I learned later that everyone within earshot freaked out when she said that—there were bulging eyes and people mouthing for her to “shhhhh!!!” but I didn’t notice a thing. I looked straight to my trustworthy Tom and he told her she was imagining things—his mother wasn’t visiting. Then he whispered in my ear that she was just old and nutty and I didn’t think of it again.
The conspiracy went on for weeks without my knowledge. Tom and I spent a weekend in Palm Springs with my aunt Leslie and uncle Ron. They enjoyed telling me afterward how every time I left the room the three of them would spring together and start whispering and then try to act normal when I walked back into the room. I didn’t notice a thing.
On the morning of December 6th when Tom left early to go surfing (he was really getting my mother from the airport) and then went to his grandparents’ house to watch TV (he was really cooking and decorating) I was still in complete ignorance. The message he left me talking about how fantastic the waves were and how relaxed he felt totally did the trick—it was all so normal. The only thing about the day that wasn’t normal was that one of my best friends from college, Rachel, was visiting from Oregon. It was so wonderful to see her! We went on a nice walk around my neighborhood and when we got back to the house Tom was home, freshly showed and shaven and putting on a suit for our dinner that night with Ron and Leslie.
The dinner had been planned for a few days due to Tom’s intense craving for some quality sushi. It was a dress-up dinner, but I had imagined that Tom would wear jeans and a nice sweater, not his beautiful “A” suit, so I said, “We’re dressing up that much, baby?” He said, “Yeah, I just feel like it.” I love excuses to dress up, so just like before, I didn’t think anything of it.
But he was acting a little off. And by a “little off” I mean completely freaking out. He was hyped up and smiley and the minute he left—saying he had to go to the office for some work before dinner—I turned to Rachel and said, “He’s going to propose tonight.” She smiled pityingly at me and said, “Now Roslyn, if you start thinking that everyday you’re going to drive yourself crazy.” Brilliantly played.
I said, “No, I’ve never thought that before.” I pictured him on one knee at the sushi restaurant and shook my head. She was right. I was imagining things. Then I remembered Tom and I were going to Disneyland the next day. “He’s doing it at Disneyland tomorrow,” I said with great confidence. Rachel laughed at my silliness and we went back to reminiscing and catching up. After twenty minutes or so we reluctantly said goodbye and I hurried to shower and dress for a much dressier dinner than I had planned for.
I arrived to our meeting location, Leslie and Ron’s house, ten minutes behind schedule, my hair still wet from the shower. I felt bad for being so late so I rushed up the stairs. When I got to the door I noticed it was open a crack—“Ah man,” I thought, “they must’ve been waiting a long time.” And oh they were—all two dozen of them.
I pushed the door open and saw a trail of dark red rose petals and 100% beeswax candles leading to my lovely boyfriend. I saw a large crowd of strangers cuddled together in the living room and my uncle Ron filming. I realized, “It’s a surprise party!” My first thought was that I had to go join the crowd, quickly, as no had told me about the surprise, but then my brain started to understand what was going on. I said, “For me...” and completely froze. What was happening was so outside my realm of possibilities that I could hardly function. So I looked to the one thing I could understand—Tom, kneeling at the end of the trail of petals and glowing lights. I took a shaky step forward and listened to what he had to say.
He said, “I swear by my life and my love of it that I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Roslyn Elaine Ross, will you marry me?” My barely functioning brain thought, “What a silly question; of course I will!” and then from somewhere deep down I realized I had to answer and I managed to get out, “Yeah!”
The most beautiful ring in the history of the world was placed on my finger and I hugged my fiancé tightly. After a few moments I turned to the strange crowd of people he had invited and was finally able to make out a few faces—faces so not possible that I had not been able to make them out before—his uncle Mike and Mike’s girlfriend, Megan, and…my mother! How in the world?!! (My brain justified it, “She must be on a road trip and passing through town.”) Sitting next to her was someone whose face upon a second examination I still did not recognize. (My brain was happy; it went, “Ah ha! There are strangers here!”) I demanded, “Who are you?” and the stranger answered, “Tom’s mom.”
I finally started to get it—my mother wasn’t on a road trip randomly passing though. This was a carefully orchestrated event for which Tom had flown our mothers and one of my best friend’s from college to Los Angeles. Rachel, the decoy in town from Oregon who kept me busy during the afternoon, was also present, along with our best friends from the area.
After grabbing a glass of my favorite sparkling wine and snacking on the spread of cheeses and fruits, I had a bowl of the nutritionally perfect meal Tom had made earlier that day. He had also made a beautiful and funny iMovie slideshow of our adventures over the last two years, which delighted our guests, especially the part in which he had recorded me, without my knowledge, singing some crazy opera.
The party was full of laughter as people shared the efforts they had gone to keep the party a secret from me. At one point one of my friends said, “Doesn’t it scare you to know that all of the people you love and trust are capable of conspiring against you?” My mother joined in, “It was so hard! You remember yesterday when you were bragging to me on the phone how you were going to Disneyland on Sunday, and I couldn’t stop telling you how jealous I was? I was just praying you wouldn’t notice that I was cracking up the whole time because… I’m going to Disneyland tomorrow too!” So I learned the next big surprise—the party would continue the next day. Tom’s mom, Melinda, my mom, my friend David and my aunt Leslie and uncle Ron were all joining us at Disneyland.
So that is the story, my dear friends, of how I came to spend the last few weeks perusing bride magazines and leafing through wedding etiquette books. Right now we are thinking that eloping to some castle in Sweden would be the most fun and the most “us” but opinions are welcome. Yes, we do love throwing parties, but Tom and I plan to buy a house this year and... we’re sure you understand.
I love you all so, so much,
Roslyn
Home