The Proposal In Full
As you might have gathered by now, I recently got engaged while on holiday in the Maldives last month. To say the proposal went without a hitch is probably the understatement of the year. Having been planning it for some time, I was hoping for a smooth ride to engagement-ville. I should have known better really…
Firstly, I had to hide the ring from her for 2 weeks. Not an easy task especially as there was really only one place I could put it, the room’s safe. But the gf would be in and out of it most days, and so it was placed inside my headphone case. I knew she wouldn’t go anywhere near that!
Secondly, the original plan was to do the deed on the penultimate evening, on the hotel’s jetty at sunset. However, after 12 days of glorious sunshine, we woke up on the Thursday morning to torrential rain. It chucked it down with rain all day so the clouds obscured the sun all day and there was no sunset to speak off. Just a slowly descending darkness. A bit like my mood!
Never mind, I thought, you can do it the next night at the same time. But the gf went and moved our last spa appointments from 2pm to 6pm, so that she could get all of the sun-time she could and, as she was having a hair treatment, it meant she could also go in the water up until that time as well. So while the sun would be going down, colouring the sky with beautiful reds, pinks and oranges, at 6.15 we would now be in the spa!
Straight after that we had to pay our bill, sign our PADI AOWD forms, have dinner and pack to go home as we were being woken the next day at 4.30am. Time was running out, and needless to say I was not in the best of moods at dinner time (even though they had the best puddings on offer!) as I started to panic a little bit. I don’t think the gf noticed though.
When we finally got round to finishing our packing it was getting on for 10pm and we still had to go the bar for one final drink as we’d also planned to meet up with another couple. We left our room and took a stroll down to the jetty to enjoy that walk one more time, and try to spot the barracuda again. I decided that I would pop the question on the way back, stopping at one of the pagodas under the stars.
As we’re heading back, another couple come down the jetty and, not really wanting an audience, we took our seats and I waited for them to pass us on their way back. But they don’t come. For ages! Eventually they appear but they stop at the pagoda before ours, about 30 metres away, and sit down. Sod it! It’ll have to be now, they’re too far away to see or hear and there’s no-one else around. This is my only shot…
So there I am, down on one knee, in my shorts and flip-flops asking her!
Her first response wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for as she said “You’re kidding me right?” followed by “You’re really making me do this?” Who says romance is dead eh?
After what seemed an eternity she eventually says “yes” and we head off to the bar to celebrate and despite having to be up incredibly early the next day we stay out until about 1am celebrating!
