"The Engagement" as told by Cristina Isabel Rivera:

Thurday September 21st

It was 6:00 a.m. and my alarm went off. It is usually difficult for me to wake up so early. This morning it was extremely difficult. My throat was sore, my body ached, and I had absolutely no energy. But, I had too many things to do that day to stay in bed. My first class started at 9:00 a.m. and my last class got out at 9:00 p.m. I just had to make it through this day and I would be able to sleep all I wanted on Friday.

I had promised Kent after my last class we would go out to dinner at the Top of the Market. He had been wanting to eat there for quite some time. But the Top of the Market is a fancy restaurant. Kent often has difficulty getting me to dress like a proper lady. My khaki shorts would not do. As much as I knew Kent wanted to go there I knew I just would not be able to make it through this long day with a bad cold and go out to dinner. So as difficult as it was, I told him we would have to go out to dinner another night. He was very understanding. He said after class I could just go to his house and have dinner. He usually has the freezer stocked with my favorite chicken burritos.

Heavily medicated, I made it through my marathon day of classes. Kent pulled up in front of the library to take me to his house. He was a couple minutes late. Usually he is early. But I did not think anything of it. Little did I know that in just a few hours he had cleaned his apartment, gone grocery shopping, and bought flowers and champagne.

Kent opened his apartment door and I noticed the apartment was immaculate. Once again, I knew something was strange but I didn't suspect a proposal. The apartment was lit with candles. The dinning table had been set for the first time ever. The table was even decorated with candles, flowers, and a table cloth. My favorite Beethoven Piano Sonata was playing in the background.

Kent sat me at the table and brought me a plate filled with red rose petals. At this point I thought Kent was just trying to serve some fancy new cuisine. I started brushing the rose petals to the side to see if they were covering some type of appetizer. I found a small black box. I thought, "Oh, that's nice, Kent has bought me some jewelery." I opened the box and saw what looked like a ring. The room was so dimly lit that I was unsure what I was looking at. Was it a bubble gum machine ring? Was it made out of tin? I couldn't tell, and I certainly didn't think that Kent was trying to propose.

I looked toward Kent and he got down on one knee. He said, "I am not sure how to do this," while he looked down in a bashful manner. It finally hit me. Kent was proposing to me. I was stunned. I sat quietly and waited him to say the those words I had always hoped he would say. He finally asked, "WILL YOU MARRY ME?" I did not hesitate for a second. I said, "yes," and threw my arms around him.

I had made it through my crazy Thursday. And somehow, as we drank champagne and held one another, my sore throat and achy muscles didn't seem to bother me so much.