I Said Yes

After a very peaceful, albeit short, sleep we rousted each other out of bed and got ready to head over to Dave and Diane’s. 7am came unusually early for me though Mr. Happy was bouncing around like a kid on Christmas morning…well…that actually was the case…a big kid on Christmas morning. I laughed and snickered at the way he was acting but I certainly was not going to question the good mood.

As we arrived at Dave and Diane’s, we were greeted by their pack of 4 dogs, Dave and Diane, and Michael’s two sisters…Megan and Melissa. Introductions were made…puppy kisses given, my pups and their dogs scoped each other out and then big hugs from Diane. If the greeting was any indication this was going to be a good day. After some coffee and juice were consumed we all sat down to an amazing breakfast…so fulfilling that it made me want to go right back to bed so I just plopped down in a big chair staring at Diane’s beautiful tree. Megan made her rounds, circling the tree and passing out gifts to everyone. Just before breakfast I had managed to slip Dave & Diane’s gift under the tree and, in doing so, I had noticed a small box with my name on it and another one, also with my name.

Megan dumped the two boxes in my lap and I quickly learned that each person was to unwrap one gift at the same time as everyone else. Amidst all the ooooh’s and ahhhh’s in the room I happened to pick the small box and realized it was from Michael. We both tore the wrapping off our prizes and he got his opened first…he let out a “yee haa” and had a big smile on his face. I guessed I had done ok judging by his reaction and everyone had a hearty laugh at his goofiness. I took the wrapping off the small box in my hand and realized, inside, was a classic looking jewelry box. I stared at if for a few minutes when he beckoned me to open it. I was nervous…flustered and rattled. When I opened it, the box contained a beautiful onyx wedding band. I was speechless and had a whole flood of different emotions and reactions all instantaneously. Before I knew it, Michael was on a knee in front of my chair. I was keenly aware at how quiet the room was and realized I had broken out into a sweat…

“Matt…I knew the day I met you, despite how I acted…that you were the one. I don’t know how or why but I knew. The past several weeks have only made my feelings for you stronger and deeper. I can’t explain it…I can’t describe it…but I know I can’t ignore it and I don’t want to. I want us to be together forever, no matter what happens or what we face. Would you do me the honor of saying Yes?”

It took me a few minutes to catch my breath and to fully comprehend what he was saying. I retrospect I know I thought the whole thing was nuts…6 weeks before this day I was married to a woman…We had decided to go our separate ways but none the less, that was only 6 weeks ago. At that moment I was also deeply aware that there were still no sounds coming from anyone else in the room. I scanned their faces and saw nothing but smiles…Dave and Diane’s appeared to be polite smiles…but smiles anyway. Megan and Melissa seemed to be waiting for me to say something, but I could tell they were excited. Why did it not feel like there was any shock in the room? Had he had a conversation with the family prior to this? Why did he do this in front of all of them…oh that’s right…Because it was Michael who tends to just drop bombs on people…

“I am in awe of your self confidence and the fact that you dropped this bomb right here, right now”…”I also gotta say you have surprised me and blown me away on several occasions since we met…but this one…this bombshell…it’s the biggest one yet…Makes me wonder what future bombshells are gonna be like”

“Is that a yes? I mean…you just brought up future bombshells so does that mean you are gonna give me a shot to keep dropping them on you?”

Suddenly it felt like it was just him and me in the room. I leaned over and kissed him and whispered in his ear…

“I think you are absolutely nuts…but YES!”

I would like to say that the rest of the day was mellow and relaxing but that wouldn’t be the right description. While everyone seemed really happy and full of the Christmas spirit I couldn’t help but feel some tension in the air. Don’t get me wrong, everyone was really nice to me…polite and pleasant…but I just felt weird and knew there was something not being said. In thinking about it…considering the short period of time Michael and I knew each other…and the fact that he dropped this on me at that moment…and if he hadn’t already said so…he outed himself to his family publicly…one shouldn’t wonder about the tension. Had he started dating a woman and, after several weeks, he proposed, I am certain the family would have the same reaction but this…this declaration that he was in love with another guy…it might be a little unsettling on the best day.

I also remember thinking I was a tad bit irritated because, not only did he out himself to them, he also outed me to them…and…as always…there was no real discussion about that ahead of time…so I think I was a little miffed. Clearly it was something I could get over…but it spoke to this pattern I was seeing where he made a lot of assumptions and took things for granted…a pattern I would see and experience regularly. Notwithstanding all of that…I felt really good…happy…and excited about the days events.

Dinner was awesome as Diane and the girls out did themselves. Michael, Dave and I managed to find some basketball on the TV so we just lounged around before and after dinner. We even went outside and had a quazi snowball fight until the frigid air and wind got to be too much. And, of course, they had busted out their best bottles of Reserve Cab and Chardonnay to go with dinner and a nice Syrah for after dinner. Nothing about the afternoon and evening could or did go wrong and I was feeling more and more comfortable.

When we realized the snowfall was getting heavier we decided to wrap it up and head back to the apartment. There was an invitation to stay overnight but Michael quashed that pretty quickly and it was clear, at least to me, that he wanted some alone time with me…totally ok with me by the way. Kisses, hugs, pats on the back, a few bottles to go with us, some pie and left-over ham and we were on our way. As we walked to the truck I made it pretty clear to Michael that there would be a serious conversation about the days events…maybe not tonight…but there was gonna be a talk!

We got back to the apartment with no trouble. The snow was heavy and it was a slow drive but I was loving it. It was bright out…and quiet…just like a Christmas card and I couldn’t get enough of it. I grabbed the pups out of the truck and put them down on the ground. It was hilarious to watch them. In Seattle we hardly ever get snow so this was a somewhat new experience for them. Scooter (boy dog) was bouncing and pouncing all over the place running and running his nose through the snow. Sassy (girl dog) was having none of it and just sat there shivering so I picked her up and put her back in the truck for a minute. Michael started chasing Scooter and he slipped and his feet went out from under him. He landed hard on his ass and he just lay there for a minute. I could not help but bust up in laughter and then I saw scooter go tearing towards Michael and jumped up on his belly and started licking all over his face. It was a sight!

I grabbed some snow, formed a snow ball, and hucked it Michael’s way. I nailed him right in the chest and the surprised look on his face was awesome. He was now sporting an evil grin and I knew I was in trouble so I took off running…well trying to run anyway…towards the large grassy area in front of the tasting room. No sooner had I made the break I was tackled from behind…went down…and ended up with my face in the snow. It must have been funny to see from a distance. Michael straddled me…sitting on my back and holding both of my arms and Scooter came around to my face and started licking me…after a few minutes Michael let go and stood up…I rolled over, face and hair still covered in snow…he put his hand out…I grabbed and he pulled me upright. Scooter was doing his happy dance…running in circles and bouncing around and then, like a shot, he headed for the stairs up to the apartment…ok…he was done with the cold and snow. As I opened the door to the truck to grab Sassie Michael gave me a swift smack on the ass. That actually stung a bit as my pants were wet and I was soaked through to my skin. We headed upstairs, got the dogs situated and I told Michael I was going to take a hot shower…there was that evil grin on his face and I knew he would be joining me.

As I have said before, the shower thing is something that really gets me going and, on this night, Michael did not disappoint. He was naked and was in with me in a heartbeat. He adjusted the water and began soaping me up from behind. I do not want to get too graphic but I must say he soaped up all the right spots…hitting every one of the zones on my body. I stood there, eyes closed with the water cascading over my head, and just soaked it all in. He was very frisky and did well to get me in the same place so, needless to say, that shower took a long time…and we found ourselves having to soap up and rinse off multiple times (insert evil grin).

As I lay in bed that night, I started to realize the enormity of what had taken place that day. Had he really asked me to be his life-partner? Had I really said yes? Was I over reacting in terms of the response from his family? All these thoughts kept my head in a virtual spin and it was difficult to get to sleep. I also realized that I was incredibly sleep deprived since the time I started spending the nights with Michael…I really ought to think about that too…he was a bit younger than I and seemed to never really require sleep. I guessed I would just let that go…it’s not like I didn’t enjoy his energy…among other attributes!