Holidays are special for me and I always try to make them special with either special people or special events. Even I don’t know the reason behind that, but I enjoy doing it. After all, that’s the spirit of holidays right? This year was going to be no different. I even had a plan laid out on how special this time it was going to be.
It was during Neal’s cousin Adam’s case that I had realized that Yvonne was the one for me. I didn’t need any other conformation as at the point where my life was in limbo of life and death, she was the first person I thought of and that was proof enough for me. I planned to propose to her on Christmas but that year the Christmas itself was out of order for me due to work. So I had planned to do it on the New Year’s.
When I relayed my plan to Daniel, my best friend, he seemed to be lost in thought. After I pressurized him into telling me what was bothering him he finally told me that since I was going to propose to Yvonne, the pressure would be on for him as well since Kaitlin and he had been dating before I met Yvonne. So he wanted to propose first so that things stay on normal grounds. I told him not to worry and that he could propose to Kaitlin on the New Year’s instead. I even told him my plan and asked him to go for it.
So in accordance with the plan, we organized a New Year’s Eve party in our home town, at our parent’s home. We checked with the gang and thy agreed to come since it was going to be special for Daniel and as it is, they were bored of doing the usual circuits of bar hopping on New Year’s Eve in New York every year.
Daniel and I got to our hometown two days before so that we could plan everything accordingly. Yvonne and Kaitlin along with the others joined us on the 31st morning. Everything was set and Kaitlin had no idea of what was coming her way. Everything was perfect.
We began the party and everyone was enjoying the suburban setting of the house and the decorations that we had put up. As the music and the champagne began to flow, the crowd relaxed more and within no time we were nearing the fateful second. Just about minute from the midnight, I stopped the music and asked everyone to clear the center of the room for us. Neal got a chair and put in the middle while I gently took Kaitlin and asked her to sit on the chair reluctantly, nervously and hesitantly she sat and was immediately presented with Daniel, getting on his knees.
“My dear Kaitlin, at the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world turns over to a new decade, I want us to turn over a new leaf in the chapter of our love….”
We slowly began the countdown in the back; our sounds like sweet chiming that would egg on Kaitlin.
10…9…
“… You are the only thing constant I see in the coming future, nurturing it, safeguarding it and fulfilling it…”
6… 5… 4…
“… Kaitlin Collins, Will You Marry Me?”
3… 2…
“Yes…”
1… Happy New Year…
And then they kissed…
Happy New Year Yvonne, I told her as we kissed.
I took Yvonne over to my parent’s house and asking her to stay outside, I ran in to switch on the flood lights in the garden. I took her hand and took her to the place where along with the age old orchids of the garden now bloomed the violets that I had recently planted. She said nothing but just kissed me with that pleasing smile.
