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And with the look of a possessed woman, she gets up, takes the candle box and leaves.
I grin to myself. I'm not too worried about what she'll find out. Nobody in the sorority knows what will happen tonight but me.
And what the hell was that anyway about Phillip and me coming to our senses? Whatever. She so knows we are just friends. I don't understand why people always think there is something between us.
I think if there were, I would know.
Duh.
I call Da
She is going to be so surprised!
I can hardly wait!
Because Lori has verbally abused nearly every sorority member, and no one seems to have a clue about whose candle it is, there is much interest in tonight's ceremony and every member is present and accounted for. Our usual, long lasting, and sometimes even a little boring, business meeting is rushed through in record time.
I hope Da
Finally, it's show time!
In usual presidential fashion, Lori a
But everyone already knows this and is forming the circle. Someone dims the lights while Lori lights the candle and starts the singing.
I knew that, as pla
I told him to not get distracted and to peek and listen carefully, so he would come out at just the right time. Lori starts passing the candle around the circle to her right and says, “Promised or Lavaliered.”
I'm strategically standing next to Lori on her left. I know she will practically shit a brick when the candle makes it all the way around to me on Engaged.
The candle makes its first lap, and as Lori starts the second round, she says, “Pi
Once again, the candle makes its way around to Lori without getting blown out.
She pauses, holding the candle for an extra second, then says with dramatic flair, “Engaged.”
Then she starts it on its third go round.
Whenever we get to Engaged, there is a special magic in the air and even though we are all singing, there is kind of a collective OH!
This time is no exception. We know it's the big one!
The candle is almost back to me, and I am FREAKING OUT! I'm using my mind to try and send Da
COME OUT NOW!
Come out NOW!
But it doesn't seem to be working. The candle is just being passed to me. Lori is giving me a look that by all rights should have knocked me dead. She waits for me to blow out the candle.
What a joke that would be!
Me engaged! Ha! And to Phillip!
Although, I mean that wouldn't be an awful thing. He is really hot and adorable.
But oh, yeah, everyone is staring at me. They now know that either Lori or I got engaged. I look at Lori and smile at her. She gives me another death look.
I'm frantic!
So I decide to stall, I take a breath in and pretend like I'm going to blow it out, and THANK YOU GOD, Da
I shouldn't have freaked. I should have known his timing is always impeccable.
I watch him walking toward us. Da
Well, all eyes but Lori's.
She's still got her eyes laser locked on the candle she thinks I am about to blow out. I keep the candle in my hand, look at her and bug out my eyes toward Da
She sees him and gets a look of horror on her face.
I can tell she is thinking, Oh my God, why is he here? Did something terrible happen?
He stalks up to her, and she whispers, “What's wrong? Why are you here?”
Da
He looks her straight in the eye and slowly bends down on one knee.
The singing stops, and there is a collective gasp of breath from the girls. They've all figured out what is about to happen.
Lori still isn't completely sure what Da
Da
Lori and most of the sisters have tears streaming down their cheeks.
Da
Lori looks at Da
The girls go aawwhhh and just as they are finishing, a loudmouthed sophomore yells, “Where's the rock, Da
Da
“Come on, ladies,” he says, leaning back and holding both arms out in the air. “I have just pledged my undying love,” he brings both his hands to his heart, “to this woman in front of all of you. Do you really think she needs a ring?”
All of us, Lori included, scream, “YES!”
Da
For the first time in my life, I see Da
He does manage to pass the ring box to Lori, but the pass is wobbly and a bit too high.
I fight my natural reaction to reach up and grab it.
Sadly, this pass is not meant for me.
Lori, bless her heart, who has probably NEVER caught a football or any ball, for that matter, in her life, suddenly develops the reflexes of a cat. She leaps up and snatches that ring box right out of the air. It's amazing what a girl can do with the proper motivation.
She opens the box. I can't see the ring, but when I see the way she looks at it and how happy she is, I start to tear up a little myself.
Da
I gently nudge her shoulder.
“I think this is yours,” I say, and pass her the candle. Da
She and Da
Someone turns up the lights.
Da
Da
I've got to see this! I can't imagine what Da
This could be a total disaster.
This was the part he and Phillip pla
I just hope for her sake, she's not embarrassed if it's totally pathetic.
But as we come out the door, I literally see a SEA of red.
I gaze around at the mass of people that Da
There is, what appears to be, like the WHOLE football team dressed in red practice jerseys, pretty much every fraternity boy at the school, each wearing his house letters across his chest, and MY GOD, what must be the majority, NO SHIT, of the Husker marching band!
They are wearing assorted red Husker shirts, shorts and their big band hats.
Like magic, when Da