Prompt #4 response

We pulled up the Japanese Garden and I knew that this was it.  This was where he was going to propose to me.  Earlier in the week, he'd told me he had a plan, but that the ring wasn't going to be ready.  What did I want to do?  I told him to go ahead and I got a ring my grandfather brought home from Vietnam for my mom, had it polished and lent it to him for the big day.  Now, we were finally here.

I ran quickly to the bathroom and when I came out he was on the phone.  He hung up and I offered to grab his camera bag for him out of the back of the car.  It was incredibly heavy.  I wasn't sure why.  We went into the Japanese Garden and wandered around.  It was a beautiful place, but I wasn't really paying attention.  I just kept wondering when he was going to ask.  This had to be it.  Didn't it?  I mean, we'd talked about getting married and he knew my answer.  He had spoken with my dad and gotten his blessing.  Hell, my parents may have loved him more than I did.  (Not really, but it sure could seem like it).

We kept wandering through the park and I was beginning to wonder, was I wrong?  Was this not where he was planning to ask?  I knew we had reservations at our favorite restaurant later.  Was he planning to go cliché and propose at dinner?  How would I handle it if he did it so publicly?  He knows me better than that.  Doesn’t he?

Finally, he suggested we wander up to the oriental gazebo up on the hill. I saw two older couples leaving and realized he must have been waiting for them to clear out of the space.  We entered the shaded space and sat on a bench.  He took his camera bag off his shoulder and unzipped a pocket and pulled out….

His laptop.  What?!  “What are you doing?” I asked, completely confused.

“Just, trust me,” he said, as he booted up the laptop.

“Is that why your bag was so heavy?”

“Yes.”

“Ahh.  I was wondering.”

At this point, he had the laptop booted up and handed it to me, hitting play on Windows Media Player.  I was highly confused, until the video started to play.  Suddenly, I was presented with clips of The West Wing, all starting CJ Cregg and Danny Kincannon.  I smiled.  This had been a metaphor for our relationship since we started dating, since, like Danny, he had asked me out a bunch of times, and like CJ, I finally said yes to one of them (or asked him out, if you believed his version).  We were both huge fans of the show, so it worked out well.  He even brought me goldfish crackers on our first date (but thankfully, not a real goldfish.  My cats would have eaten it). 

The clips ran through all seven seasons, including our favorite CJ and Danny moments.  He sat next to me, watching with me.  Finally, the clips came to a close.  He got down on one knee, on the hard concrete of the gazebo floor and pulled out a beautiful ring box.

He told me how happy I made him and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.  He asked me if I would marry him.  I couldn’t hold back my smile and barely held back tears.  I said “Yes” immediately.  We kissed.  It was the happiest day of my life.