By Nicole Asal
In June of 2015, my then-boyfriend-now-fiancé and I took our first road trip together to Montreal (from Providence — where we met). Dan had been several times and I had never visited, so he took the reins on planning. We previously decided we would dress up for dinner one night. Sunday came and as we sat down for dinner, the server asked Dan if he could hang his suit coat… and Dan said no. I thought this was strange. Why would you want to hang your nice suit jacket on your chair and ruin it? (Little did I know my engagement ring was in his pocket!)
Dan changed the subject and offered me some wine. Later, he decided to take the gentleman up on his offer and as he walked away with his jacket, Dan never broke eye contact with it. I remember saying, “Why are you being so weird? I’m sure your jacket will be just fine!” (Still no idea.) After dinner we took a cab to the next place on Dan’s itinerary: Barmacie (a pharmacy-turned-lounge). We are both pharmacists so this was a fun detail for us! After we arrived, the cab drove off and as we crossed the street, it became apparent Barmacie was closed.
The street was quiet and secluded, probably the most serene of the weekend. No cars, no construction, no people — we stood on a beautiful patio, just the two of us. Remembering how frustrated he got when his plans were not perfectly executed, I gave him a hug, thanking him for a wonderful weekend and reminding him that even though the bar was closed, we still had so many great memories. As we shared a long embrace, he said something about “just one of many adventures to come”. (Again, still no idea.) I felt him reach between us and thought he was just adjusting his jacket. When it seemed like he was struggling with something, I pulled back to see what was going on and saw the little blue box. I was in shock! After some tears and a very nice one-knee proposal, I said yes 🙂
