Written on December 8, 2014.
Months passed before we realized that what we had been doing whenever we went out was what most people referred to as a date. We laughed about it, wondering how it took us so long; our first "date" had been a Dark Side of the Moon laser show at the Science Center- we both had been (and still are) enchanted with Pink Floyd. Bass had throbbed throughout the laser dome, focused photons providing a dancing spectacle above us. By silent, unanimous decision, we had never mentioned the unconscious hand-holding that had been distracting my mind from the music for the entire hour of the laser show. Until months later, of course, as we chuckled in the light of the 9 candles sitting upright and lit in the menorah, sharing our first Chanukah together. Once all laughter had subsided, I was pleasantly surprised by the small, bright twig she pulled out of her pocket, holding it expectantly above my head.
Years have passed now since that night as our friendship grew into something more, and now we lie, again, under the prancing shapes, 15,000 watts of Clare Torry's voice singing Roger Waters' words, our hands intertwined and hair mingling on the inclined, carpeted floor of the dome.
~Breathe, breathe in the air~
As promised by the $50 I had paid online before the show, laser shapes on the ceiling form into words illuminating our faces.
~Don't be afraid to care~
Staring me in the face and eliciting a small "oh my god" from Sitara is a simple sentence:
SITARA WILL YOU MARRY ME?
~Please, don't leave me~
She turns toward me as I pull a small box out of my pocket, handing it to her to open. She does, and inside sits an ornate diamond ring, shining brightly below the colored lasers above.
~Look around, choose your own ground~
She looks at me again now, tears in her eyes and a smile stretching across her face as she grips my hand.
"Yes!"