“Stop scaring me! You know this is freaking me out right now.”
Max couldn’t stop laughing. “I’m right behind you. I’ll make sure you don’t fall off,” he reassured me while his arms encircled me. “By the way, are you cold? You want my jacket?”
“No, I’m OK.” While I appreciated his concern, something about it made me feel uncomfortable.
Max turned me around so my back was against the canyon and his face turned serious again. I peeked over his shoulder looking for Jake. It was sometime past 8:00, and I was hoping he would arrive soon. I wanted him to experience this Skywalk with me.
“Em, I’ve had your graduation present here in my pocket every day since we broke up. Do you think I can give it to you right now?”
His random statement put me at a loss for words.
That same Tiffany blue jewelry pouch that fell on my bedroom floor the night of the Christmas Ball produced a beautiful engagement ring. I gave him a blank stare.
“What is this? Is this an engagement ring for Jennifer?” Perhaps Max was going to propose to Jennifer, but got cold feet. “Why do you still have it? Why haven’t you given it to her?”
“Em. It’s your engagement ring. I’ve had it since graduation.”
“What do you mean this is my engagement ring?” Sometimes, I got things so wrong. A wave of nausea rolled through my body as I worked to understand this situation.
Suddenly he got down on one knee and held my hand. “Em, I love you. You have been always been the most important person since the day I met you and I want you to complete my life now. Will you marry me?”
Shocked.
Horrified.
Angry.
Confused.
These emotions engulfed my being.
“Max…why are you doing this to me now? We’ve been separated for two years. Why did you have to wait so long? I was so in love with you. Why are you trying to hurt me again? Was it not enough you hurt me the first time?”
“I know, Em, and I’m so sorry for hurting you. I wish I could take back that night, but I can’t. I just want to make things right.”
“Em?” His voice was so sweet, I couldn’t help but gaze at him. “Do you still love me?”
“I love Jake. He’s the one I want to marry,” I tried to convince Max.
“I know you turned down his proposal. You might love Jake, but it can’t be as strong as what we had. You don’t have to answer right away. It took me this long to ask you to spend the rest of your life with me; I don’t expect you to give in easily. Please consider it. Give me a reason to hope that there’s still a part of you that loves me. This part could grow, and we could get back to where we were in college. It’s going to take effort and hard work on my part. I am confident now that I can make this effort. I can’t live without you any longer, Em. I love you and would be honored if you would be my bride.”
I couldn’t answer him.
I drew a blank.
I went mute.
“Emi!” I heard a shout from the other end of the Skywalk. Horrified, I retracted my hand from Max’s and wiped my tear-stained cheeks. Thankfully, Max didn’t fight me when I pulled him up from the ground and tried to erase the proposal that just happened.
“Sweetheart.” Jake ran over and held me. He gave Max an unpleasant look. “Are you all right? What just happened?” This was a question posed more toward Max than me.
I was never more relieved to see Sarah, Charlie, and Peter running toward us. They immediately pulled Max away from me.
“Em…take your time, I’ll wait…” His voice trailed, but both Jake and I heard it clearly.
“What happened, Emily? What was that all about?” Jake needed to know, but I wasn’t ready to tell him. How could I explain to a man who wanted to marry me that my ex-boyfriend had just proposed? Jake would only jump to the wrong conclusion and get angry with me. I stayed in his arms, quiet.
Sarah walked over to check on me. “Do you want me to stay with you? Are you OK?”
I wanted to ask her to stay so I didn’t have to face Jake alone, but I nodded my head and silently told her I was OK. She handed me my belongings and left.
“Emi, please,” Jake pleaded. “Can you tell me why I saw Max on his knee?” Frustration mounted as I continued to remain silent. “EMILY!”
“Max just proposed to me.” My head stayed down. I was even too afraid to cry.
“Why would he do that? What happened between you two yesterday? Did something happen last night?” A sound close to a roar marked his last two questions.
Alarmed, I stared at him. How could you think such a thing?
“What happened last night?” he asked again.
“Nothing happened last night, and as for yesterday, it was the most pleasant day we’ve had since Max and I broke up,” I answered in an angry tone.
“Then why would he be encouraged enough to propose to you?”