An unusual proposal

 

I used to be the president of my Students’ Union. Definitely the best job in the world! Anyway this isn’t the point.

I had to get elected into the position, so there were 2 weeks of long elections, where you are beyond exhausted because you campaign, campaign, campaign. I think I must of only slept about 4 hours a night.

I was voted in by a huge majority, and had one of the best most productive years in a long time. So I have been told I left a bit of a legacy, that’s not for me to determine, but it was nice to hear it all the same. I was just passionate. I lived to work. Obviously this wasn’t great for the gf. She had to put up with me working all manor of ridiculous hours, put up with constant ranting; and emotional swings, where something had either gone my way, or gone seriously wrong.

We also had a few housing issues whilst we were together and I was in the Union. We lived in one room, sharing a house, so there was little privacy, a lot of arguments, fallings out, my cat being abused, we ended up moving out two months early and paying rent on two properties just to protect ourselves and the cats. Suffice to say it had been a fairly stressful year. The University, Union and town we lived in had been a bit of a legacy for us too.

So I was coming to the end of my term as president, and I couldn’t re run, so instead I decided to get involved in announcing the results of the next president and other elected officers. We were in the Students’ union pub. It was noisy and rammed full of friends, family and other students, all hoping their candidate was going to win. The atmosphere was electric, all my friends were there to support me leaving, but I had gotten all emotional trying to announce the results.

I dont do emotion, and I definitely don’t like other people seeing me emotional on the rare occasions that it does happen.

All day the gf had been saying weird things to me, and I (wrapped up in the elections) just ignored it, and brushed them off.

She was saying things like:

“Oh sweetie, I know this is hard for you, it’s the end of an era.”

“Sach, we can move on, start a fresh.”

“Babe, this is the start of a whole new part of our lives.”

etc etc. If I hadn’t been so wrapped up in the union, and admittedly my own ‘end of an era’ I might have thought something was up. But as it was, I didn’t, I just thought she was trying to be supportive , if a little odd!!

Anyway, I was all flustered and upset once the results were announced and I hung around for a little while to say congratulations to the successful candidates. Particularly because one of them (the one who won president, was the mutual friend of ours that had dragged me out the night I me the gf).

Anyway I started to get upset again. So I said to the gf I was going to go home, but she should stay because of our mutual friend. When I said I was going home. I was only going to get changed and have a word with myself so that I calmed down and sorted myself out. I had intended to come back out. All and I do mean ALL, my friends and the gf’s friends were trying to persuade me to stay out, and some a little too forcefully, which I also thought was odd. Apparently I am stubborn!! and so I was like “thanks guys, but no, I am going home”

I asked one of my friends to walk me to my car, they gave me a hug because I had tears flooding down my face. I couldn’t really see, for all the tears had clouded my eye sight. But I had a funny sensation that someone was following me.

We reached the car park, and my friend suddenly disappeared like a shot as I was fumbling for my keys. I turned round to look for where they had gone and the gf was bent down on one knee holding a ring out. I saw a flash of colour in the corner of the car park, but my eyes were still too foggy to see clearly, especially as I didn’t have my glasses on.

“It wasn’t meant to be like this…. but baby will you marry me?”

Well obviously I just cried harder at this point!!

“Y, y, y, yes” I stuttered out, half crying, half giggling. As a huge crowd cheered and 40 people ran out from the corner of the car park. All our friends had been hiding watching her propose to me. (Which I later find out, was meant to be in the middle of the Students’ Union pub!)

I wore a ring on that finger anyway a ‘commitment ring’ which we both had. The gf  pointed out, that in order to get the engagement ring on, I needed to remove the other one. This just made me giggle more. I took it off and pushed on the engagement ring, and bent down to get her up off the floor and give her a massive kiss. Everyone just cheered louder at this point.

I guess now I see why she kept dropping comments in about it being the start of a new phase, the end of an era.

Although I joke, about how ridiculous it was to be proposed to in a car park, the sentiment was there, and I think it’s kind of romantic really. Especially when so much of our life had revolved around the union.

This was a year and a half ago, and now we are just over a month away to the big day… eek.