FURITURE DAY

TODAY WE WENT TO GET JAYBIRD'S FURNITURE- HE LOST EVERYTHING IN THE HURRICANE, AND IT HAS TAKEN THIS LONG TO GET HIS ROOM BACK WHERE WE CAN FURNISH IT. WE WENT TO GALLERY FURNITURE, WE ALWAYS GO THERE, THE QUALITY IS WONDERFUL. ANYWAY, THE OWNER IS ALWAYS AT THE FRONT DESK AND WAS THERE TODAY AS USUAL. AS SOON AS WE WALKED IN, HE LOOKED AT JAYBIRD AND SAID, "HEY JARED! HOW YOU BEEN BOY?" WELL I WAS JUST STUNNED, AS JAYBIRD HASN'T BEEN AT GALLERY FURNITURE SINCE JULY. THAT STORE HAS THOUSANDS OF CUTOMOERS EACH DAY, AND I WAS SO IMPRESSED THAT MR. MCINVALE COULD REMEMBER ONE LITTLE BOY AFTER SO LONG. ANYWAY, WE BOUGHT THE FURNITURE, LOOKED AROUND FOR AWHILE, AND FINALLY AFTER A COUPLE OF HOURS, STARTED TO GO HOME. AS WE LEFT, MR. MCINVALE SAID, "OKAY JARED, SEE YOU NEXT TIME!" I TOLD BECKY THAT I COULD NOT GET OVER HOW THE MAN COULD REMEMBER JARED LIKE THAT, I THOUGHT HE MUST BE A GENIUS OR SOMETHING. BECKY STARTED LAUGHING AND I SAID, "WHAT?" SHE SAID, "COULD IT BE BECAUSE JARED HAS HIS NAME ON THE FRONT OF HIS SHIRT?" SURE ENOUGH, THERE IT WAS, "JARED" RIGHT ON THE FRONT! AS USUAL, I FELT LIKE A FIRST CLASS DUMMY- I NEVER PAY ATTENTION TO THE LITTLE THINGS! WE LAUGHED ALL THE WAY HOME.
NOW, BACK TO THE LOVE STORY. IT WAS THE MIDDLE OF MAY AND CLOSE TO GRADUATION. ONE BRIGHT SATURDAY, MARTIN DECIDED HE WANTED TO COOK FOR ME. OKAY, I GUESS I AM GAME FOR THAT AND HE TOOK ME TO HIS MOM'S HOUSE. (HIS PARENTS WERE DIVORCED AND LIVED APART). I WENT TO HIS MOM'S HOUSE AND HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO SURPRISE ME. HE MADE A DISH CALLED, "TUBATELL". IT WAS A HUNGARIAN DISH THAT HAD BEEN IN HIS FAMILY FOR YEARS. I COULDN'T WAIT. IT SOUNDED SO GOOD! FINALLY, AFTER BANGING AROUND IN THE KITCHEN FOR AWHILE, HE TOLD ME TO GO TO THE TABLE, SIT DOWN AND CLOSE MY EYES. I DID, AND WAITED WITH ANTICIPATION. I HEARD HIM SET THE DISH IN FRONT OF ME. I HAD RESOLVED TO ACT ENTHUSIASTIC NO MATTER HOW IT TASTED. HE SAID, "OKAY, LOOK!" I LOOKED AND THERE IT WAS, A BOWL OF MACARONI, HAMBURGER AND SPAGHETTI SAUCE. I BLINKED A MOMENT, AND SAID, "THIS IS TUBATELL?" "YUP! SAYS HE, "AND MY MOM TAUGHT ME HOW TO MAKE IT JUST FOR YOU!" "OH, HOW NICE! I CAN'T WAIT TO TASTE IT!" SAYS I. SO, WITH HIS RAPTUROUS FACE GLEAMING, I TOOK A SPOON AND TOOK A BIG BITE, THINKING THAT MAYBE THERE WAS SOME EXOTIC HERB IN THERE THAT MADE IT SPECIAL. AND GUESS WHAT? IT TASTED JUST LIKE---- MACARONI, HAMBURGER AND SPAGHETTI SAUCE! WELL, WHAT COULD I SAY-- EXCEPT, "YUMMY! IT IS REALLY GOOD! CAN YOU TEACH ME HOW TO MAKE IT?" BEAMING AT ME, HE SAID, "YOU KNOW, IT IS NOT AS HARD AS IT LOOKS! I BET YOU COULD LEARN HOW. I HOPE SO, BECAUSE IT IS MY FAVORITE DISH". (I ALMOST TOLD HIM THAT BELIEVE IT OR NOT THERE WAS A DISH CALLED SPAGHETTI THAT HE MIGHT LIKE TOO!) ANYWAY,WE ATE OUR FILL, (HE HAD MADE A HUGE POT OF IT) AND THEN DECIDED TO GO FOR A RIDE. AS WE DROVE I LOOKED AT HIM, AND SAID, "YOU KNOW, NOW THAT WE ARE GETTING SERIOUS AND ALL, AFTER ALL YOU HAVE COOKED FOR ME AND EVERYTHING, WELL, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT , YOU KNOW, SINCE WE HAVE BEEN TOGETHER FOR TWO MONTHS AND ALL, AND, WELL, SINCE WE LOVE EACH OTHER, WELL, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT OUR GETTING MARRIED?" HE PULLED THE CAR OVER, LOOKED AT ME, AND SAID, "NO". WHAT? WHAT? NO? WHAT DID HE MEAN NO? I SAID, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO?!!! I CAN'T BELEIVE YOU SAID NO!" I IMMEDIATLY BEGAN TO CRY. HE SAID, "OH, JIMENY CRICKET! DON'T CRY- LISTEN. I WANTED TO ASK YOU TO MARRY ME BUT I WASN'T SURE THAT YOU WOULD SAY YES, SO IF FIGURED IF I WAITED LONG ENOUGH YOU WOULD GET IMPATIENT AND ASK ME FIRST. THAT WAY I KNEW YOU WOULD NOT TURN ME DOWN." NOW, THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD TIME TO THROW IN HIS FACE THAT I WAS ONLY 17 AND STILL JAIL BAIT- (EVEN IF WE HAD NO REASON TO WORRY ABOUT THAT) AND EVERY OTHER REASON THAT WE WERE TOO YOUNG TO EVEN THINK ABOUT SUCH A HUGE DECISION. BUT, AS YOU ALL KNOW BY NOW, I AM IMPULSIVE. SO, I DRIED MY EYES, LOOKED HIM STRAIGHT IN THE EYES, AND PUNCHED HIM IN THE STOMACH. "HOW DARE YOU UPSET ME LIKE THAT! HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME CRY! WHAT KIND OF A JIMENY CRICKET ARE YOU ANYWAY?!!!" HE SAID, "WELL, AFTER TWO MONTHS, IF YOU HAVENT' FIGURED THAT OUT, YOU MAY NOT BE AS SHARP AS I T HOUGHT YOU WERE!" "OH, YOU JIMENY CRICKET! YOU, YOU, MAN! WHY DO I PUT UP WITH THIS! I AM NOT GOING TO SIT HERE AND TAKE THIS, THIS, UH, WHAT WERE WE TALKING ABOUT ANYWAY?" HE SAID, " YOU ASKED ME TO MARRY YOU AND I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY THAT I WOULD BE HONORED." "OH, YOU ARE SO SWEET, AND---WAIT A MINUTE! NO, YOU TRICKED ME! YOU MADE ME ASK FIRST! YEAH, THAT'S WHAT YOU DID AND I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT------ I DIDN'T GET TO FINISH, BECAUSE HE GRABBED ME AND KISSED MY SENSLESS. AND THEN, HE GOT OUT OF THE CAR, CAME AROUND TO MY SIDE AND OPENED THE DOOR. HE THEN TOOK MY HAND, GENTLY PULLED ME OUT AND THEN KNELT AT MY FEET. "I LOVE YOU," HE SAID. "WILL YOU MARRY ME?" THEN HE STOOD UP, TOWERED OVER ME AND WAITED FOR AN ANSWER. I JUST STARTED LAUGHING AND SAID, "WELL, IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH. I GUESS WE WOULD HAVE DATED FOR 50 YEARS IF I HAD TO WAIT ON YOU TO GET YOUR GUTS TOGETHER! AND THEN I SAID, "OF COURSE I WILL- THAT IS THE GREATEST WISH I HAVE, TO BE WITH YOU FOREVER." THE POOR THING THEN LOOKED KIND OF SHEEPISH, AND SAID, " I DON'T HAVE A RING FOR YOU. I DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU WANTED A SENIOR RING, OR AN ENGAGEMENT RING." I SAID, "AN ENGAGEMENT RING PLEASE". (LOOKING BACK, I COULD HAVE HAD BOTH, IT WOULD JUST HAVE BEEN A MATTER OF TIME). AND SO, THAT IS HOW WE GOT ENGAGED. THERE IS MORE TO TELL, BUT THAT WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW. LOVE, NANASEE