Last Saturday the Beau and I went shopping. He said he needed a new brown coat and wanted to go earlier in the day rather than later.

Now, there are two very important things that you should and need to know about yours truly: I am NOT a morning person. Baby is a bear in the early hours of the day, especially on the weekends. On the weekends, I want to lie in bed for as long as I possibly can. You’re lucky if I am conscious by 10 a.m. And, I do NOT like to shop. It is that simple. I only shop when it is necessary and/or I need a pick-me-up.

But, the Beau got his wish. Lucky for him, though unlucky for me, I’ve been a bit stressed out at work lately and could have really used something new and fabulous to distract me. Oh the possibilities…

So, we made a list of all the places we would go, T.J. Maxx, Target, Marshalls, etc., and headed towards the mall at about 11 a.m. We also threw in Lowe’s (for home supplies) and Barnes & Noble (because we’re book junkies) into the mix for good measure.

It was about 2 p.m. when we finally finished our shopping and ended up at Barnes & Noble. The Beau had not found a brown coat and I did not find anything tempting enough to purchase, so we were both looking forward to some B&N love. I was at the register checking out a book when the afternoon began to take a bizarre twist. I noticed the Beau standing behind me and acting peculiar as he seemed distracted and was fidgeting and bouncing around quite a bit.

“What’s wrong?” I inquired innocently enough.

He smirked, said “Nothing,” and proceeded to giggle like a mad man. Not a normal reaction in my opinion.

“What’s so funny?” I prodded.

Again with the giggles.

“Nothing, it’s just how you said it.”

And then he started to blush. No, correction, his face was on fire!

“You’re blushing?! What’s going on? Is there an ex-girlfriend here or something?!”

“No! No, everything is fine, I’m fine. Let’s go eat in the caf�. Everything is fine.”

While I remained skeptical, that’s just what we did. We went into the caf� at B&N and ordered drinks and sandwiches. The Beau asked me to go secure a table by the front windows while he waited for our order, and I continued pondering over why he was acting so strangely.

The bizarre (him) and the confused (me) continued on for some time until at one point during our meal the Beau was staring zombie-like out the window and started to laugh again like a hyena when I asked what was on his mind. Obviously I was missing something.

After we were done eating, I found out why.

“Do you know what today is?” he asked me.

I took a moment to ponder, though I didn’t need it. It was the four-year anniversary of our first date together. A date that occurred at Barnes & Noble and at the same exact table we were sitting.

He slid a card across the table that had a hand written note inside. The note, which I won’t share because it is mine, all mine, basically stated that B&N was the place where our story together began and that he hoped could be the beginning of something else for us.

And then the Beau slid off of his chair, down onto one knee, and proposed to me.

WE’RE ENGAGED!

After some crying and truth telling (he didn’t need a brown coat, he simply needed an excuse to get me to B&N, that sneak!), we headed back home to tell our families.

And now, one week later, I think I am finally coming down from my totally blissed-out cloud and allowing reality to sink in.

The reality is that the Beau and I have been together for four years. For four years we’ve learned the ins and outs of each other, our likes and dislikes, experienced good times and bad, loved and fought, laughed and cried. And we’ve learned that we want to continue doing just that for the rest of our lives together. I love you, Ryan.

About the Author

Haley Taffera covers for the Times Leader. Reach her at or .

Archives

Barnes & Noble

Saying goodbye to Pittston

Expensive Eighteen

Pretty, witty, and gay

Second period

Like second skin

About me

On moving

Sale pending

By land or by sea for me