Zak.”
“That’s o.k. Maggie, we have plenty of time.”
Maggie and Zak’s mother decided to have a birthday party
for Zak at his mother’s house. They felt that reaching thirty was a landmark
and it shouldn’t pass by unnoticed. Maggie had invited all of Zak’s friends and
Zak’s mother had invited all of their family. They invited about sixty people,
so they decided to hold the party out in the back yard. Zak and Justin bought a
keg and Zak’s brother Caleb was going to handle the barbeque. Otherwise it was
potluck, and all Zak’s friends were bringing various foods for everyone to
share. Zak and Justin set up amplifiers and microphones next to the house so
that all the musicians could take turns jamming.
It was a wonderful party, everyone contributing to the
celebration of Zak’s birthday. But there seemed to be a question hanging in the
air. Everyone wanted to know when Zak and Maggie were getting married. Maggie
found herself blushing more than once over the course of the evening and
realized that this assumption made her uncomfortable.
Finally, Zak knew he was going to have to address the
situation. He took Maggie’s hand and led her up to the microphone. He asked everyone
to come over because he had an announcement to make.
“Everyone here knows how much Maggie and I love each
other, and there seems to be an assumption that we were going to announce that
we’re getting married. You all know how I feel about marriage, and my beautiful
Boston girl has the same reservations. But you also know that I don’t like to
disappoint a crowd.”
Zak smiled a wicked grin and looked lovingly at Maggie.
He pulled a small black velvet box out of his blue jeans and kneeled down in
front of her.
“Maggie, will you marry me?” he said simply.
Maggie turned white and looked like she was going to
faint. She also looked like she was about to burst into tears. Zak got up, and
pulled her to him.
He whispered into her ear, “Maybe this was a bad idea,
you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
She replied quietly so no one but Zak could hear, “Yes,
but I want a long engagement.”
Zak kissed her and then announced triumphantly, “She
said yes!” Then he took the delicate gold ring out of the box and slipped it on
Maggie’s ring finger. Everyone cheered and gathered around them to offer their
congratulations.
Justin got out the champagne and plastic cups that he
and Zak had bought in town earlier that day. He started pouring champagne so
the guests could offer a toast to the couple. He and everyone else thought that
Maggie and Zak were perfect for each other and would be very happy together.
Holding a cup of champagne, Justin went up to the microphone to give the toast.
“I never thought I would be saying this, but
congratulations Zak and Maggie on your impending marriage. Zak told me on the
first night that we met Maggie in New Orleans, that he thought she was
something special and he didn’t want her to get away. Fortunately, she didn’t.
I wish them many happy years of wedded bliss.”
Justin leaned over and kissed Maggie on the cheek and
patted Zak on the back. Then he raised his plastic cup and toasted them. Maggie
and Zak kissed each other for a long time as everyone cheered.
The musicians broke into a well-known Cajun waltz called
“Jolie Blonde”. Zak took Maggie’s hand and they started to dance. Zak had been
practicing dancing with Maggie over the last few months when they went out to
some of the local clubs, so they had become quite proficient. They held each
other close and looked lovingly into each other’s eyes. He whispered some
endearments into her ear in French, and she closed her eyes and gave in to the
emotion of the moment. There were other couples dancing around them, but Zak
and Maggie barely noticed.
When the dance came to an end, Justin and Tom stepped up
in front of the amplifiers and microphones and signaled to Zak to join them.
Justin had a Gibson acoustic guitar
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