The Engagement
For a decade, Christopher Jacob Ross, known affectionately as
“CJ”, had contemplated asking his beautiful girlfriend, Reena Nadler, to marry
him. Paralyzed by fear, CJ could never embolden himself to utter the magic
words. The words were never just right,
the situation was awkward, or the timing was off were all a part of his stone
reasoning.
Meanwhile, CJ’s family got to know Reena. Year after year, she’d stand by CJ’s side in
fine times and dark times. Each
Christmas, he’d trek to his aunt and uncle’s house in Roanoke with Reena
happily along for the endless banquet.
Reena, who grew up in a house without Christmas, received an
education. Wine, trashy reality TV,
uncontrolled board games, bizarre letters to and from Santa, and ripped
packages to the ceiling were her lessons.
It was over Christmas this past December that everyone sensed
that CJ had a more determined outlook regarding his future with Reena. Perhaps it was the fact that Reena’s
identical twin had successfully married last year. Perhaps, he was realizing that no person
could put asunder their love. All of us
wondered when and how he would pop the question.
As fate would have it, CJ won an Amway promotional trip to
Snowbird Resort. His team signed up more
team members than any other team in the eastern region. So CJ and Reena dashed off to Utah, and he
thought that THIS would be that magical moment. Armed with a ring and his gumption, CJ
planned the perfect romantic proposal.
In his head, CJ played out the whole scene. They’d take the lift to the top of one of the
most remote runs and then would ski together down the slope drinking in the
intoxicating beauty of the stunning vistas.
There, halfway down, CJ would motion for Reena to stop. He’d release his bindings and drop on bended
knee in presentation of the ring framed by the magical words.
Yet things didn’t go exactly as planned.
Reena, a direct person, consumes her space from point-to-point.
CJ, the calculated one, missed this
variable. Once at the top, Reena
rocketed down the mountain, leaving CJ staring at nature’s beauty and a ring in
his pocket. No worries. He figured that
he’d be more ready the next time down.
So he began exploring his way down the mountain, seeking wayward cross-over
paths and virgin snow.
CJ also neglected to consider one other variable. When CJ was 14 or so, his uncle was tossing
the football with him at a church vacation bible school. A dedicated receiver, CJ dove for an errant
pass and crashed into the concrete stairs of the church building, smashing his
clavicle into several pieces. Such is
his athletic fortune.
It’s unclear how CJ ended up in the ravine off-trail with a
wrenched knee. Perhaps he was gazing at
the pristine snow-capped peaks. Perhaps
he was consumed by proposal fear. Regardless the cause, CJ found himself alone
on a seldom-used spur trail with a ring in his pocket. His dream was shattered.
Reena, meantime, had made it to the bottom and headed over to
the brunch bar to await CJ’s arrival.
She figured she could sneak in an early lunch without him knowing. Time passed.
Lunch was over. CJ had not appeared.
She knew that something must be wrong.
CJ was never late. Connected and attuned to each other as they had been
for a decade, she knew that there must be trouble.
Decisively, Reena trammed back to the top to search for her
love. She made it to the point where she
left him for her early lunch and brought her focus on CJ to think like him for a moment. He
most likely would have fallen into a ravine somewhere on a spur trail, she
thought. Carefully she explored each
possibility, looking for spurs where only lonely tracks could be seen. Finally, she saw promising tracks. She veered off the main run and onto the spur
through a stand of pines. She
followed. The tracks then disappeared
over the edge. There, lying at the
bottom of a shallow ravine was CJ, her love. He grimaced in pain and explained
his plight.
Reena, fully understanding his dire plight, zipped away and
sought help. She returned to CJ and
worked her way down the steep to be with him as they awaited medical
assistance. It was there, as they waited
together in that lovely spot gazing at the beauty of the western world, that CJ
asked Reena to marry him. Of course she
said, “Yes!”
When the ski patrol arrived, they really couldn’t understand
why the two were laughing and crying. It
took just a moment for Reena to explain that CJ had proposed. They placed CJ in a splint and sledded him
down the mountain after taking a picture of the two of them together on the
slope.
The real story from Reena
Jacob fell into a ravine and twisted his knee
(but he's fine now!) I skied back to attempt to rescue him and there we were,
stranded on a slope overlooking the most beautiful vista we'd ever seen. He
asked me to marry him while we waited for ski patrol medics to come evacuate
him :) The best laid plans of mice and men...
