Chris:
MJ and I had been dating for 2 years, and I had finally told her my name. I was afraid that would "ruin the mystery", but instead, it didn't.
I knew it was the right time.
By now I had taken Zach's job sorting at the local Walla Walla recycling plant. I was so good, you could tell me the number inside the little triangle thingy on the bottom of your plastics and I could tell you in 30 seconds (give or take) if it was recyclable. And I don't even work in the plastics department!
Anyway, one day in the fall I took MJ to the recycling plant for a "tour." That's actually what it was, so I probably shouldn't put it in parenthesis. At the end of the tour, I took her to look at the pile of green glass bottles near where I worked in the back. I picked one up and asked her to break it. She looked at me funny... I think she might have suspected something. But thank God she didn't ask any questions, and smashed the bottle on the worktable... the ring went flying across the floor. It was a truly romantic moment.
I of course got down on one knee and properly asked her to marry me. She said yes and cried for a while, then I asked her to leave because my shift wasn't quite over yet.
MJ:
The day started like any other, but it wasn't any other day! It was the day I would be engaged to be married! To Whom, I did not know. I actually never found out his name untill we got engaged. Every day when we would polish our toe nails, I would guess what his name was. Some of my favorites were Jim Bob, Slappy and Clarence. Someone; please tell me that he looks like a Clarence. Throw me a bone or something!
Anyway, I was rolling by Zach's ole recycling place when Zach runs out and jumps on my car. "What the heck?" I thought. Zach was a good friend of mine. We met in Sunday school when I was 6 years old. Turns out that he and the man I was dating (still didn't know his name) were roomates. Back to the story, Zach jumped on my car in a panic. I rolled down my window and asked Zach what the deal was. He yelled out "Yams the recycling plant's dog, just had puppies!". Zach knew how much of a sucker I was for puppies. My room in covered in puppy posters.
My ears immediatly perked up. I parked my car in the handicapped spot and ran into the plant. I saw the man I was dating sorting green bottles and I yelled to him "Hey, have you seen Yams?". He told me that he hadn't seen her all day. I was pissed, Zach had lied to me! So there I was venting to the man I was dating about how angry I was that I wasn't going to see puppies. I stomped my foot and accidently broke a green glass bottle. "OWWWW!" I cried out, and actually started crying. A piece of glass got wegged in the sole of my foot! The man I was dated just stood there and picked up something that fell out of the glass bottle. He held it up to me and told me to look at it. I was too upset about not seeing puppies and THEN getting glass in my foot! FML! I was NOT in any mood to look up at him. Then he said "Look, it's Yams and her puppies!". I opened my eyes to see him standing there with a single, solitary ring. I was confused...he just starred at me. Then me put it on my hand and said "My name is Chris-let's get married". How could I say no?!?! He revealed to me his biggest secret, his NAME! I was so honored. My life has not been the same since!
It is a Name of the Centuries. Your glass bottle will float on with a Message of Love in the Great Sea of Time and Space. Slowly it will follow along on the easy Currents of Joy and get stirred up violently by the Typhoons of Trouble. The waves will be frothy with the Bubbles of Bitterness and they will be as tall as the self-doubt within us all. But always the Sunbeams of Redemption will break through the great Clouds of Vague and Petty Anger and gleam against your bottle. Perhaps the bottle will find its way to a wayward stranger on an Island of Self-Discovery. He'll be sitting under the Palm Tree of Fresh Thought, scratching his Chin of Reason, and peering out with his Eyes of Awareness. Over the Tides of Quick-Witted Humor he'll see your bottle's shining Glimmers of Forgiveness. Drawn to it, he'll swim past the Breakers of Personal Trial and evade the Sharks of Guilty Memories and clasp that bottle firmly in his Fingers of Perseverance. Back on that Beach of Fortune, he'll dig down into a shady spot in the Sands of Able mindedness and look to see what's in the bottle.
ReplyDeleteAlas! You forgot to put a Cork of Dry Summers in the bottle! The message of Love is lost to the Abyss of Nobody Cares! The man shrugs and dies the next day. He totally didn't even know what he was missing!
Best wishes you two! Always been my fave cupp!