The girl who cried wolf

I am engaged. To be married. To one handsome and witty Wolf.

It all happened Thursday, February 17, 2011.

It was a Thursday like any other Thursday; full of carefree events that might make it into a daily journal (if I kept a daily journal) and yet not memorable enough that in ten years I would sit my children down and tell them the tales of that Thursday. I lunched with my {then} boyfriend at noon, went wedding present shopping with my darling friend Manny in early afternoon, and then dutifully went to my two classes that are held on Thursdays.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

That night, I received my nightly phone call from work and called my boss to pass on the numbers. Immediately after I hung up with my boss, I headed out the door. I had plans that night to have a laid back evening with Manny. However, as I pulled into her driveway/parking lot, I got another call. From Kaeli. Kaeli closed at work.
"Hey, Laura, I locked my keys in the cart. My work key and my car keys."
After running a few options through my brain that did not involve me actually going to the mall, I agreed to come rescue her. (It was not the first nor probably the last time.) As I pulled up to the mall, I noticed my {then} boyfriend's car still in the parking lot.
'Strange. He was supposed to have left twenty minutes ago.' And yet, I did not suspect anything. I dashed to the cart and then stopped in my tracks.
There was no Kaeli.
I walked around the cart once.
No Kaeli.
As I was about to pull out my phone to call her, I saw my {then} boyfriend walking up.
"Hey! What are you doing here?"
"Kaeli called me to come unlock the cart. Her keys are in there."
"I saw her leave fifteen minutes ago."
"Oh."
And yet, I did not suspect anything.

Until.
"But since you're here..." And with that, he pulled out a ring box. A deliciously colored ring box that made my heart start to pound and my eyes widen. I slowly opened it and then felt annoyance start to rise in my being. In this gorgeous box that I would have filled with my most prized trinkets fifteen years ago was a very large, very obnoxious flower ring.
For the next five--very long--seconds, I thought he was trying his hand at pranking. A fake proposal just to mess me up. Something that would give him street cred in the humor department. It just was not working for him.
After those five seconds, I noticed him pull something off his pinky. This ring came with a proposal.
And I honestly don't remember the two minutes right after that moment.
I do know that when he gave me the real ring, my first reaction was "I hate you."
I do know that I was kidding about hating him.
I'm pretty sure I told him yes.

I accidentally stood up Manny that night.
She has since forgiven me.