Three Proposals

   

 

    “Wanna get married?” The question blindsided me.

           

    “What!? Wait! What!? Are you crazy?” I screeched at him.  It wasn’t exactly the proposal

every girl dreams about.

           

     Sam picked me up for our date about an hour before and headed straight for Penn’s

Landing.  We were walking along the waterfront when he threw this doozy at me out of nowhere.  

It was the most casual marriage proposal EVER!

 

     This man is a loon! I thought to myself. My complete shock brought out my mean side.

“Three kids!? Instant mom? Do you really think this is a good idea? Me, the mom of a teenager,

a soon to be teenager, and preschooler?” I ranted at him.

           

     Sam looked at me with a slightly confused expression and simply stated, “You’ll change

your mind.” He walked away, changed the subject and left me scrambling to recover from my

shock and catch up.

           

     When I first met Sam, I was only 23 years old and had just graduated from college. Marriage

was the farthest thing from my mind, but I felt an instant attraction to the young, soon to be single dad. Whenever I would see him, my heart would beat furiously in my chest and butterflies would flutter nonstop in my stomach. This was something I hadn’t counted on when I received the initial call asking me to help out by babysitting for his kids.

           

     I spent several weeks looking after Danielle, Nicole and Sammy before Sam asked me to dinner the first time. I declined, but he didn’t take no for an answer. He kept at it, showing up where I was housesitting, putting flowers under my windshield wipers before he left for work so I would find them when I went out to my car in the morning, and basically stalking me until I finally caved and said yes. As the summer past, I found myself falling head over heels in love with not only Sam, but also the kids. I was beginning wonder if this is where I was meant to be?

           

     It was not even a full year after I received the call asking for my help when he took me up to Penn’s Landing on that now infamous night and made his impromptu proposal. I knew I was definitely in love with him, but still had severe reservations about an instant family. After all, don’t all stepmothers turn wicked and evil in the end?

           

     Two months after that Penn’s Landing date, Sam made arrangements for a 4th of July date to go see the fireworks and fountain show at Longwood Gardens. On the ride there, he explained to me all about how he hauled the marble for the new fountains and the difficulties they had preparing for the opening.  When we arrived, Sam surprised me with a picnic basket with my favorite wine, fresh fruit and several different cheeses. We spread the blanket out on the grass, and situated ourselves so we would have an unobstructed view of the festivities.  About half way through the light, water and sound extravaganza, Sam pulled me tight, and told me how much he loved me. I had been second-guessing my initial reaction to his first proposal and had been hoping the discussion would come up again, however, I was not completely prepared for what came next.

           

     “You don’t understand everything I have been through in my life, if you did, you would understand why I feel so strongly that my life up till now has been a series of events leading me to you. I have never felt this way about anyone before, and I would like for you to be my wife.” He declared as he proceeded to kneel in front of me with a rather small box in his right hand.

           

     Tears filled my eyes as I nodded my acceptance of his proposal and everyone around us began to clap. Sam placed the ring on my finger, and I happily stared at it the rest of the night watching the fireworks flicker off the princess cut diamond.

           

     “What did the kids say when you told them you were planning to propose to me?” I interrogated him.

           

     “They don’t know yet.” He explained. “I will tell them when I get home.”

           

      I took the ring off my finger, placed it back in the box and handed it back to him. He again looked at me with a confused expression, and I explained to him that it was important for the kids to feel as if they were part of the planning in this major change they were about to experience. I told him that if I was to become their stepmom, they needed to feel as if they had a voice in the decision-making. He nodded, took the ring back and did not say another word about it. Several months went by, and I did not see that ring again, nor was there any mention of it.

           

     The following Thanksgiving, I was sitting at the end of the table when the dishes were cleared. Sam and Sammy had disappeared for quite some time, and I turned in my seat to see where they may have gone. I immediately saw them strutting through the hallway. I noticed with anticipation that Sammy had that ring box in his little 5 year-old hand. When he reached the chair where I was sitting, he knelt down on one knee in front of me with his big brown eyes sparkling as if they held the best-kept secret ever. His sisters stood behind him giggling with anticipation.

           

     “Will you marry us?” Sammy inquired of me, bringing me to tears at this second proposal too.

           

     “Yes, Sammy, I would be honored to marry you.” I responded.

           

      I married Sam, Danielle, Nicole, and Sammy 7 months later. At our wedding reception, during our first dance as husband and wife, Sam whispered in my ear, “See, I knew you’d change your mind.”