You’re not going to believe this happened… I inadvertently proposed with someone else’s ring in Disneyland
Target publication: Narratively.com (with an increased word count of 1,500 — editor’s minimum requirement)
For anyone who’s ever proposed, the sense of anticipation mixed with fear is unlike any other. All rules go out the window as you drop down to one knee, ring in hand and find yourself confused and asking those four magic words — “What hand is it?”
Trust me, I’ve done it. It’s a strange experience, but you’re not going to believe this happened… I inadvertently proposed with someone else’s ring in Disneyland!
A QUICK BACKSTORY
I was 20-years-old. I quit my job and went to California on a 3-month trip. I stayed with a friend and her family. Naturally, we grew closer and eventually decided to give it a go as a couple.
Fast forward three years, we were a very happy couple, albeit long-distance, in a good relationship. I felt the time had come. I gained her father’s permission. He agreed — I began to plan.
JOURNEY TO THE MAGICAL KINGDOM
Six months later, back in California, I was at a ring store, *coughs* Tiffany & Co, purchasing a ring well outside my budget. I was informed a princess cut was ‘worth the expense.’ Even as I thrust that diamond into my eye, I struggled to concur.
The long road trip down from San Jose to Anaheim took a good seven hours. Routes 101, 152 and 5 were giant asphalt snakes with iffy patches of black repair tarmac, abused carpool lanes clogged with single-occupancy vehicles and a steady stream of 4x4s without lane control.
Between towns and cities, miles of cattle ranches and farmland stretched out to the surrounding mountains and rock formations; pylons punctured the earth as far as I could see, especially on Interstate 5 — all 275 miles of it! Gas stops and food outlets appeared every 25 miles or so. The classic all-American freeways baby!
We were almost killed en route when plastic wrapping from a shipping palette flew up, hooked on to the Mercedes emblem on the bonnet and began to flail at 110kph across the windscreen. Somehow we avoided a crash.
It should’ve been an omen really.
L.A. traffic extracted another two hours of our lives as we squeezed through the bottleneck lane systems to eventually reach Anaheim and with it the ultimate prize: Disneyland.
THE SETUP
My girlfriend was a big Disney fan, and more specifically, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. As part of the Disneyland water ride, a restaurant, The Blue Bayou, was available to dine at. I’d reserved a table weeks earlier.
By late afternoon, the smell of popcorn and hotdogs overwhelmed me as much as the queue for rides, so I suggested we head over to The Blue Bayou for an early dinner. Our candlelit table sat beneath a starry bayou sky and hanging Chinese lanterns whilst we watched riders pass by.
It seemed perfect.
Over dinner, we discussed our Disney adventure so far, the ‘booty’ (that’s pirate slang for Disney merchandise, not ass) she desired and what our plan in the park was post-dinner.
Awaiting the bill, I started a speech about how great the last three years had been — the unlikely circumstances of us getting together, surviving the tests of long-distance and the memories we’d made. As far as I remember, it was beautiful.
It was then, from the corner of my eye, I noticed the kitchen door swing open and a waiter approaching our table with a tray in hand. He stood beside us, lowering said tray down.
A stunning ring of pink rose petals surrounded a sizable black box in the centre. My girlfriend beamed. The waiter leaned in.
“This is for you, Felicia.”
Amazing, right? To be honest, it was astonishing, for two reasons:
1. My ring box was safely tucked in my right trouser pocket.
2. My girlfriend’s name was NOT Felicia.
A LESSON IN HOW (NOT) TO PROPOSE!
Things descended fairly quickly from there. The guy behind us tapped the waiter and ushered him and the tray over. Severely annoyed, he had to propose to a waiting girlfriend who had already sussed the surprise.
As he told his girlfriend she was ‘his whole world’, I had to look on at my devastated girlfriend who looked like I’d promised her an introduction with Johnny Depp and instead, Johnny Vegas had turned up.
Two engagements had been ruined, all parties looked severely confused and I sat applauding with everyone for a guy who had stolen my proposal limelight.
When you wish upon a star, eh?
(NOT) HAPPILY EVER AFTER…
This story didn’t have a traditional happy ending.
My proposal did take place by the castle fireworks display later that evening, but perhaps this episode was a sign. In short, I messed it all up — the story of my life.
Still, Disneyland was pretty epic (just look at that face).
