Though there were empty
tables up front, Vic escorted Bella and me to a darkened back room where no one
else was seated. The table sat in the center of the room and was very nicely
decorated. I could tell by Bella's face that it seemed peculiar to her. As we
took our seats, Vic lit a candle. “I’ll be right back,” he said.
Bella
started to question it, but I shrugged it off. “There must have been
reservations for the other tables up front?” I suggested.
She
nodded, and then noticed a man seated on a stool a few tables over. He was
holding a guitar and squinting at some sheet music.
He
looked over and smiled. “I hope you guys don’t mind, but I’m trying out tonight
for a weekend gig at this place.”
“Oh,
that’s great,” Bella said, with no idea Gary had already landed the job.
“Not
a problem,” I added, acting as though I’d never spoken to the man. And through
an acoustic set of love ballads, Gary was just as convincing.
Bella
had no idea but the order had already been carefully spelled out – drinks
first, Pinot Grigio for her; beer for me, and the itinerary would begin. Vic
approached with both drinks on a small round tray. “Appetizers tonight?” he
asked.
I smiled. “Why don’t we start with an order of little necks in
garlic and oil?”
Vic
nodded once and headed for the kitchen, while Gary swooned, “You say it best
when you say nothing at all…”
Bella
leaned into my ear and whispered, “How did he know I wanted white wine?”
I
was into my second shrug when Vic returned to the table with a gorgeous
arrangement of long stem red roses. Without a word, he placed them in front of
Bella and rotated the vase until the card faced her. “Your appetizer should be
out in a few minutes,” he said and strutted away again.
Gary
was already on his second number when Bella plucked the card from the
arrangement. It read: “Bella, I love you, forever – Don.” She looked up to find
the entire restaurant staring at us.
“And
always will,” I whispered when she leaned over and kissed me.
After
the steaming appetizer and another round of drinks, Vic placed a silver platter
before my glowing wife. It held a scrolled sheet of parchment secured by red
ribbon. She looked up at him, but he never let on. She glanced over at me.
“What…”
“Open
it,” I said, while Gary strummed away in the background.
She
did. It was the one thing she'd always wanted from me, but had never gotten –
until now.
Moments of Destiny
From the moment I met you,
I knew there was a fire between us
that even hard, driving rain could never put out.
From the moment we spoke,
I knew I’d spent my entire life
in search of your deep and passionate love.
From the moment we kissed,
I knew my heart was no longer mine
and I’d finally found my future.
From the moment we laughed,
I knew there would never be enough time
to share all the things I needed to share with you.
From the moment we danced,
I knew, at last, what the phrase ‘better half’ meant
and surrendered to your gentle touch.
From the moment we walked hand-in-hand,
I knew I’d discovered my partner
and that my dreams were suddenly within reach.
From the moment we lay together,
I knew I’d made it to heaven
and thanked God for blessing me with you.
From the moment you agreed to be my wife,
I knew my journey was now worth taking,
through days of sunshine –
or nights of hard, driving rain.
As
her watering eyes read the final verse, the musician stopped playing, the
restaurant went silent and I went down to one knee. I opened the ring box.
“Isabella,” I said, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you be my wife…again?”
She
never hesitated and dove into my arms. For a while, we just hugged.
“I
love you so much,” she cried into my shoulder.
“I
know,” I said. “But…”
She
pushed away from me and looked into my eyes. “But what?”
“But
I need your answer?” I said, grinning.
“Yes…the
answer is YES!” she gasped and jumped back into my arms.
The
crowd shared a collective sigh, and everyone was clapping when Bella and I
returned to reality. It took a few moments before each table returned to its
own conversation and half-eaten meals.
Chuckling,
I introduced my beautiful wife to Gary, the musician. As they shook hands, Gary
admitted, “I was so nervous.”
I
bought the man a beer when Vic delivered two previously ordered dinners to our
table. Though Bella couldn’t touch hers, I ate and listened to Gary fill the
room with a soothing melody. By the time the chocolate covered strawberries
arrived for dessert, Bella was emotionally spent. She grabbed me once more for
a kiss. “This has been the perfect night,” she whispered.
“And
for all these years…you’ve been the perfect wife, my dear.”
As
we left the restaurant, another round of applause carried us to the front door.
I opened it for my new fiancé – only to discover a white stretch limousine
idling at the curb. She quickly turned to me. “It’s not over?”
I
shook my head. “It’ll never be over for us.” As we made our way to the limo,
waves of nausea threatened to drown me. This is Bella’s perfect night, I told myself, our perfect night.
Whatever you do…do not throw up now!
