Frodo on Maui (with apologies to Tolkien)

As I ascended the volcano with my beloved companion by cover of darkest night, I knew what I had to do. It was time-- in my heart, I knew that. We had traveled so far together, and this was right. As we got nearer the top, I could feel the ring, heavier, heavier, weighing on me.

As we waited for the beautiful sunrise, I wondered, is this the time? There are all these orcs and goblins around (okay, tourists in bad outfits). The sun peeked over the glorious clouds... and still I waited.

We looked into the huge crater of the volcano, deep and wide enough to swallow all of Manhattan... and still I waited. The plan was to ask him here, so I could throw the ring in and jump after it if he said no. What's my backup plan if we're not on a crater? This was to have been the time, but fate stilled my hand. The ring would have to wait.

We glided down the mountain on our bicycles, curve by curve, and it burned in my pocket. When? In the garden of protea flowers? In the grove that reminded him of his home across the Western Ocean? Maybe after we saw T3 that afternoon? (It was better than we expected, by the way, and gave my sunburn a chance to heal.)

It was dusk as we made our way back to Little Beach, where the previous day we had frolicked carelessly (and clotheslessly). The full moon shone above, huge as it loomed over the craggy horizon, lighting our way over sharp black rocks to the hidden cove. The ring, again, so heavy. This was its time, its place. {End Tolkien ripoff}

On the almost-deserted beach, under moon, as he spread a towel out, I dropped to one knee.

"David?"

"Yes?"

"Come here."

"What... what's that in your hand?"

"A ring."

"What, baby?"

"David, will you marry me?"

"Yes, yes."

And so it went. We had our moonlight swim, our giddy ramble, our glasses of champagne back in civilization. He loved the ring (thanks Paulette for your invaluable assistance; more later on the experience of being a man shopping for a man's wedding band at the Bellevue E.E. Robbins), and despite my incessant indecisive blathering to all our friends in the weeks before, he was completely surprised.

That night was the highlight of a beautiful, marvelous vacation celebrating our first year-- of many-- together. The rest of the pictures are here. We're thinking about a little trip to the more civilized civil courts of Canada in May (to be followed by some sort of ceremony and one hell of a party), and looking for a little place with a nice back yard for Dozer.

Posted by jay at July 16, 2003 01:41 AM | TrackBack