The Proposal - Page 2

 


I wanted to make sure everything was in place, and then only meet Q in the evening for dinner.

But... just hours before dinnertime, she called and got really upset with me for not accompanying her earlier during her birthday. And that made me even more anxious. I had to rush to the restaurant to do a quick check on the setup, then hurry to her place. Meanwhile Daryl as the designated 'director' helped put everything in order. He, Junious and Maverick also made sure everyone arrived on time (or otherwise risk ruining the whole surprise). With Q beside me, I could not have any real contact with Daryl or anyone else in order to prevent her from getting suspicious. All I could do was cheer her up and persuade her to go to dinner. It was truly stressful, but well worth it... 😉

After getting her to agree to dinner, we headed straight to the venue. Upon reaching I had to make a fake-call to Daryl - indicating our arrival. We sat in the restaurant on the upper-floor, while everyone else downstairs prepared themselves in their separate hiding place. With Q hungry and looking at the food menu, I excused myself to the washroom. And with the help of the restaurant captain acting as if the washroom at that level was out-of-order, I went to the one downstairs instead.

It was a funny feeling. The whole place was so dark, I could only see silhouettes of people hiding. The situation was like a bunch of adults playing a big hide-and-seek game. 😂 I got ready by Wei Lee's side to light up candles on the birthday cake. It was then the Bird Park manager (Vin) went up to Q to inform her that I had supposedly 'fell down' downstairs. Surely Q had to come down to check on me, and...

Boy, was she in for a surprise...

Lights flashed on as the band started playing and everyone sang the birthday song. When Q realized what took place, she was in total shock and went speechless for quite awhile. 😬
Everyone began congratulating her and giving her birthday gifts. (Obviously she was the world's luckiest person that day. 😤)
I on the other hand was also happy for her, but I grew more nervous as I still had 'matters' to take care of.

 

Dinner went on just like every other party and the band played love songs all night long. Being the Bird Park, there were actual live birds that came to participate. Vin specially arranged for several bird trainers to come along with parrots for everyone's entertainment.

I remember it was a fun night for everyone, not so much for me...

When the time came, Daryl forced me to sing a song to Q. It was all no doubt a ploy for me to accomplish the last surprise. So I went to the band, Q was escorted to sit right in front, and everybody gathered round. I had never been more nervous in my life. 🙄
With mic in hand I said a few words, then pretended to check with the band if they knew the song I wanted - which of course they did. And so my song began - Everything by Michael Buble.

Nervousness may have gotten the better of me halfway through the song, but it was only fitting for me to finish it and then move towards the proposal. As the song ended I approached Q, got down on one knee and held her hand. Uttering the speech I had prepared, I pointed behind her where Wei Lee and gang were holding up the banner with the words "WILL YOU MARRY 🧑🏻 (Daniel's face)?". At the same time, a bird trainer also brought out a parrot with a fake ring held in its beak. In exchange for a peanut, I took the fake ring as a tease, but then brought out the real ring from my back pocket, and finally asked her hand in marriage. Flabbergasted again, she paused for a moment before saying yes. Hearing this, I was overjoyed and yelled, "She said YES!"

The night was then filled with more congratulatory words, celebration and music. As it turned out, it had become a surprise birthday + surprise proposal + engagement party.

I am thankful that everyone had fun that night, and everything that happened the way it did. Like in life, things do not turn out exactly as we picture it. Nevertheless it was still more than what I had expected. On another note, Q has already looked at me in a different way. Never has it crossed her mind that I would do all these just for her. 😳 Back home she was still pretty much stunned and found the whole experience hard to believe.

 

It is only appropriate for me to use this opportunity to extend my sincerest gratitude to everyone who was present that day to make it an unforgettable occasion. As many would say, I am usually not the outspoken type. I feel embarrassed about everything and for having to trouble a lot of good people.

Once again to everyone who helped, who gave support, and who attended - THANK YOU!


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