He had been acting funny all day long. Giving me short, one-word answers for all of my questions, cutting class, and abruptly ending conversations without much of an explanation. It was the second night he would be performing as Inigo Montoya in our college play, The Princess Bride. I had gone the previous night and everyone had performed spectacularly; I couldn’t wait to see improvements and differences with each subsequent performances. Before the play started, I went backstage to bring him and his sister a plate of cookies to wish them luck. And, you know, to hang out with the cast and my boyfriend because it made me feel cool. But as soon as I got there, Adam got all weird and shoved me out into the hallway, and told me I should go sit down. I was a little bit crushed and pretty confused, but tried to shrug it off. I told myself it was probably just his nerves getting to him before performing tonight.

I went out to my seat and chatted with Adam’s brother and family, who were there to watch the play that night. The lights dimmed and I joined a few of my friends in the second row. The play was, once again, a hit and the crowd loved Adam. Everything went smoothly….that is, until the very end. Until Wesley said his lines wrong! Oops. My stomach sank in embarrassment for him. But then Adam (er, Inigo), went along with him and suddenly I’m thinking, “That’s really weird. Why did they change the lines to the play?” I’m busy thinking about all the possible reasons why they would have changed the lines when suddenly I hear my name loud and clear…coming from Adam. Coming from up on stage. And then Princess Buttercup (who is Adam’s sister, Keola) is floating down the stairs, reaching for my hand, pulling me up and out of my seat and walking me onto the stage.

There are bright lights, shrieks and laughter from the crowd, my hand covering my mouth breathlessly….and then there’s Adam. And he’s down on one knee, holding a ring in his hand.

I can’t speak. I can hardly move, but I mange to nod my head yes, my hands still glued to my mouth. We kiss and the crowd screams louder. Adam whispers in my ear, above the noise and above it all, “I’ve already asked your dad for permission, your parents are watching this streaming live right now.”

My husband: Recording proposals before it was even cool to do that.