She said OK

Behind the scenes of our engagement

Friday, January 20

11:25am

We’re both at home when I get a message from our jeweler: “Ready when you are.”

The ring has been in the works for a few months, and despite being party to some very concrete steps, the weight of the occasion doesn’t really descend earthward until now.

Coincidentally, this is also around the time I start acting like a weirdo and hoping no one will notice.

3:50pm

I told the jeweler that I’d try to sneak over around 4, and I’ve yet to come up with a plausible excuse for leaving the apartment. If I take the dog, it’s suspicious. If I don’t take the dog, it’s suspicious. I decide to go with a story so implausible it can only be true.

A lingering knee injury has prevented me from using our Peloton so I mention to Julia that I want to get a little exercise while there’s still daylight, and haven’t I been talking about things like pull-ups? And how the one redeeming feature of the scaffolding that covers our block is that it’s perfect for pull-ups? I’m just gonna go out for a bit, take a little walk, and do some pull-ups.

3:59pm

I do 5 pull-ups in case I’m asked any tough questions when I get back.

4:05pm

The ring is stunning. It’s everything we asked for and here it is in all its brilliance. The diamond was Julia’s paternal grandmother’s, and unbeknown to her, I’ve adorned the setting with a few small diamonds that were my great-grandmother’s. It’s a blend of our families and it’s perfect.

Now that it’s in my possession I realize that my inexplicable behavior will only get stranger until I propose. On the walk home, I decide that tomorrow is probably the day.

Saturday, January 21

8:30am

Julia rolls over and says, “I’m furious.” Oh dear. Was it something I said (in my sleep)? No, it has nothing to do with me, but this could affect liftoff. She also needs to get some work done this morning. Yes! Great! Let’s get our work done so we can enjoy the afternoon.

11:05am

I fiddle around on my computer for awhile, but I also need to make some preparations if today is to be the day. I tell Julia to take another hour to get to a good stopping point while I take the dog out and get us a treat to tide us over until we make a plan.

11:15am

I leave the apartment on a mission for champagne and something tasty. These are the last few moments that this secret is mine alone. It’s an amazing feeling that sharing will only make more powerful. I settle on chocolate croissants and a bottle of Veuve.

12:00pm

On the way home, I text Julia to let her know we’re close, hoping that might spur her to hop in the shower and give me some time to set the stage. When we get back she’s still on the couch in her robe. I want us to be on a level playing field when this goes down so I get back into my robe. She notices this is weird, but I must have rewired her standards for weird with all the decisions I’ve made over the last 24 hours because she doesn’t find it alarmingly weird.

We agree to get ready for the day and while she gets in the shower, I change my pants three times before I put back on the jeans I was wearing in the first place. I hide the champagne behind some pillows on the couch and sit down with the ring behind me.

I fidget uncontrollably, trying to remember any of the English language while she does her hair and makeup.

She comes out to the living room, somehow more beautiful than the day I met her, and asks what we’re doing today.

I tell her I love her very much, that I want to spend the rest of my life with her, and before we do anything, I think we should get engaged.

She says OK!

For an hour, we’re the only people in the world who know our news. We sip champagne and marvel at each other. It’s all gone perfectly to plan.