The
Proposal Story
TINA
The end of the workweek approached and I had finished up all of my work for
this week including some from next week. I was hoping to catch an early flight
back home down to Southern California. My parents and brother had kept asking
me all week what time my flight was. My parents normally asked this question
so I didn't think much of it…but my brother? Bobby never cared before what
time I came home since he was usually out with his friends on a Friday night
and was never around at that time. I kept asking him why he cared what time
I was coming home especially since I wasn't sure myself. I kept telling him
it would depend upon how much work I had. He finally said that his friend's
uncle had a dog who had recently delivered puppies. My brother wanted me to
come and see the puppies to decide if we should get one for our mother. (Getting
a dog was a topic of discussion in our home recently.) <Of
course this was all just a cover up…he was helping Raj out with a his master
plan.>
RAJ
I had asked Bobby to try to keep her busy the evening that she would be returning
so she wouldn't make any other plans to hang out with her friends.
TINA
Since I finished my work by midday, I decided to change my flight to an earlier
one leaving at 5pm. People at work kept asking me what time I was leaving. Not
a strange question since most people leave on Friday. However, what was weird
was when I told my project manager, Partha, that I'd be leaving earlier than
previously planned. I was at my desk packing up my stuff an hour or so later
when he came running over to my cube asking me if I could catch a later flight.
What? Why? I had finished all of my work. I told him I still had another 45
min or so before I had to leave for the airport and that I could meet with him
now if he wanted. For some strange reason, he didn't want to meet then and kept
insisting that I take a later flight and that we meet later on. How strange.
It was already 3pm…how much later on a Friday? I checked the flights and
saw that I would have to go standby and told him that I didn't want to take
that chance since I may not get on the last flight. My project manager said
"hold on" and ran back to his cube. He came back and asked insisted
again if I could take a later flight. This was so unlike him. Take a later flight
on a Friday night when all my work was complete? I called the airlines to see
how long the stand by list was and found out that it was pretty slim that I'd
get on a later flight. Once again, Partha ran to his cube but this time, came
back with a smile on his face and told me to take the earlier flight and to
have a great weekend. How weird!!! Talk about changing ones mine. <I
found out later that he was talking to Raj on the phone who was trying to convince
my project manager to get me to take a later flight as I had originally planned.>
RAJ
Tina had mentioned her coach, Scott, on several occasions before. At the consulting
firm where Tina works, each of the consultants have a "coach" who
is like a mentor. I was able to track down his home phone number and leave a
message explaining the situation and the help I needed from him. Luckily, he
had met me before so he didn't think I was completely crazy. Scott called back
and was happy to help out. He didn't have Tina's current project manager's phone
number on him so he called Shannon, their partner's executive admin, who then
got a hold of Partha, Tina's project manager. I had to collaborate with Partha
to make sure he could get Tina to keep her original flight since that is what
I had planned the night around. Of course, I get stuck with someone who's an
overachiever so she's all ready to go home ahead of schedule. As a result, I
had to get busy rearranging all my plans so things could still go smoothly…three
to four hours ahead of schedule.
TINA
I finally get on my flight (feeling a little bad that I didn't take the later
one since it's not like my Project Manager to make me stay late when I didn't
really have anything to do). I called my brother Bobby from the airplane saying
I had just landed. He seemed a little stressed that I called so soon and asked
where I was. I told him I was still on the plane and will be driving off to
meet him soon. We decided to meet at a coffee shop near a mall. I got off the
plane and on my way to the parking lot, called Raj to let him know where my
brother and I were meeting so he could meet up with us if he wanted to. He said
he was already on the road and could be there in 15 min or so. I hung up and
started looking around for my car. I couldn't find it. I walked up and down
the aisles and I still couldn't find it. It was cold and I was getting annoyed
with myself. How could I forget where I parked the car? I started thinking that
maybe I wasn't getting enough veggies in my diet. After another 10 min or so,
I called my brother to see if he could pick me up. His phone rang but he didn't
answer. <He had caller id and knew it was me calling and why
I was calling so he ignored me.> I called Raj and told him that I
couldn't find my car and he offered to pick me up at the airport. He told me
to go indoors to keep warm but I insisted on looking for my car while he came
to get me. He said his battery on the cell phone was low so he couldn't talk
much but would call when he was closer. Another 10 min went by and no sign of
Raj so I tried calling him again. He kept hanging up saying his cell phone batter
was running low.
RAJ
I just said that so I wouldn't have to talk to her too long. I was afraid she'd
get suspicious and would find something out. I was soo ready to simply tell
her what I was up to - but I knew that the surprise would be worth the stress
I was going through to make this work.
TINA
So I kept walking up and down the aisles in the parking lot thinking I was really
losing it if I couldn't find my car. People kept staring at me and I was getting
really cold. I pretended to be talking to someone on my cell phone so people
wouldn't think I was all alone. Several more minutes had passed when I noticed
a white limousine in the parking lot. I found it very strange that a stretch
limo would be looking for parking in a $10 lot at the airport. I caught the
limo driver looking at me and I gave him a dirty look. I was really wondering
where Raj was at this point. Next thing I knew, the limo made a U-turn and was
heading my way. The limo stopped right in front of me and I didn't know what
to think. The chauffeur got out of his car and said "Tina?" That's
when I started screaming "YOU have got to be kidding….you have GOT
to be kidding…you have got to be KIDDING!!!" He opened the limo door
and inside was Raj wearing a three-piece suit and smiling broadly.
RAJ
Oh yeah, me wearing a suit with a smile on my face…. Little did Tina know
how much bribing with key people was done to make sure this would all work out.
I had originally planned for the limousine to pick Tina up without me. Getting
a limousine three hours earlier required that I take all the necessary items
(as well as myself!) and meet the limousine about 30 minutes away from my home…in
traffic! Did I mention, that I had left some flowers behind?! One of my friends
was kind enough to hold on to them for me.
TINA
Raj explained all the previous happenings in the limo…the fact that my
brother and his friend moved my car to the other end so I would have no choice
but to call someone for help. The reason my project manager kept trying to get
me to take a later flight…Raj planned everything (dinner, limo, etc.) around
the fact that I'd be coming on a flight 3 hours later. I asked how he got my
project manager's name and he explained all that as well. I couldn't believe
that Raj got my coworkers involved as well!
In
the limousine, Raj had some Hindi music playing (a CD he made by downloading
some songs from the Internet) and some presents waiting for me. He had my brother
pick my blue velvet dress and shoes to match.
RAJ
It takes a real man to be able to go through his sister's closet and figure
out what goes with what.
TINA
Anyway, Raj went shopping and bought me some nylons to go with my dress and
a light blue pashmina shawl. He also made me several CDs that we listened to
throughout the night. We made the limo driver stop a little bit later so I could
use the restroom and changed into my formal wear in the limo while the driver
and Raj waited outside. We were finally on our way but since I had arrived ahead
of schedule, the limo took a detour and headed for Griffith Park Observatory.
We spent some time there and looked at the city lights and stars up above. Afterwards,
we got back into the limo and headed to dinner.
I
assumed we were going to some fancy restaurant since Raj was dressed in a three
piece suit and he had picked out formal wear for me to wear. I asked where we
were going but obviously he said nothing. The limo came to a stop and the door
was opened for me by a man in a white waiter suit who handed me a bunch of roses…
RAJ
Ahem...31 to be exact.
TINA
…and told me that my table awaited me. I looked up and was in complete
shock. We were standing on top of a hill overlooking the city lights. Around
us were huge homes and on the edge of a cliff a table decorated with candles
and formal dining ware. There was also a heating lamp to keep us (mainly me
since I'm always cold) warm. I looked up at the waiter and realized that it
was Raj's best friend, Sanjiv!!! What in the world was going on!??!?! I was
in shock and didn't know what to say. I looked at the houses nearby and could
see people peering out of the windows. They had apparently been waiting for
our limousine to pull up for quite some time. <Raj had left
a rose tied to their doors with a note explaining what he had planned with a
number to call if they had any complaints.> I sat down and looked
out into the city lights still in shock. Raj and I chit chatted for a while
and our "head waiter" (aka Sanjiv) brought us our menus. Raj had designed
the menus and the items that he had ordered a head of time were in bold face
and what seemed like font typeface 24. The items I was not to order were in
small typeface. Very clever. I ended up ordering what I could read in the candlelight,
and according to the headwaiter…it was an excellent choice. (Apparently,
since that's what was ordered ahead of time! Luckily Raj had pre-ordered everything
that was my favorite! Caesar salad and pasta with seafood! Yummy!) The food
came about 15 to 20 minutes later (just like a typical restaurant) but in the
meantime we listened to music and enjoyed the view. We were served salad and
bread, and I noticed it was another waiter this time…it was another one
of Raj's good friend...Harmish! I couldn't believe how many people Raj got involved
in this plan of his. After salad came the main course and after that…dessert!
Several desserts were ordered ahead of time so I could choose what I wanted
just like at the restaurants. I couldn't believe how much attention Raj paid
to the even the smallest detail. After dessert…our plates were cleared
and the waiters seemed to disappear. We chit chatted for a little bit and Raj
said he wanted to talk with the "waiters" to see if they were okay.
When he came back he had a rose in his hands. That's when he did it.
He
got down on his knee and told me that this was the 32nd rose that he was giving
me tonight. (The first 31 were handed to me when I got out of the limo.) With
the rose, he said a bunch of other sweet stuff (censored for your ears) and
handed me the rose. Tied to the rose with a gold ribbon was an engagement ring.
More shock on my part. He put the ring on my finger and that was the end of
that…and the beginning of a whole new chapter in our lives. He had some
minor difficulty with the ring as his roommate, Rodel, had tied the knot on
the ribbon too tight and Raj couldn't get the ring off! So much for trying to
be smooth. We stayed on the hill for a little bit longer and then the waiters
(his friends) called the limousine back which was hiding at the bottom of the
hill. We took some pictures before getting back in the car and inside, the chauffeur
opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate the night. He poured the champagne
into flutes which I noticed that Raj had engraved with our names! More shock
for me that he paid attention to every detail that went into this night! The
limousine and Raj took me home and that was the end to my special night.
RAJ
*smile*
TINA
*smile*
wedding
info | proposal | juroon
| ceremony | reception
| after the ceremony