Modern Day Fairy Tale Revised

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! I opened my eyes and tried to clear away the fogginess of my dreams. It took just a few seconds for me to remember where I was and why I was getting up at 5:30 in the morning. I stretched to hit the alarm. Rolling over I saw that my boyfriend was already pulling clothes out of his suitcase and beginning to get dressed. He pulled his favorite yellow sleeveless t-shirt over his head. It always amazed me how only one day at the beach made his skin so perfectly tan. “We don’t want to miss it. Get up. Get up!” I laid there for just a few more moments, smiling inside. I couldn’t show any of my suspicions for fear I would ruin everything.

This was our third vacation together and I had a feeling it would be a special one. We both loved the hustle bustle of Ocean City’s boardwalk and nightlife. So when Jeremy suggested that we take a long weekend and escape to the beach, I was all in. We loaded up the necessities in my aging 95’ Ford Contour and made the 5 hour drive to Maryland. All the while, my mind was replaying the collection of clues that I’d gathered since Jeremy first proposed the trip. My relentless mind couldn’t submerge the hope and excitement I was feeling inside.

After a little more goading from Jeremy, I hopped out of bed and headed to the bathroom. The hotel was nice. Nothing overly fancy but it was clean and that’s all I cared about. I brushed my teeth, popped in my contacts, and slathered some lotion on my freshly sunburned face. I never did have Jeremy’s luck with tanning. When I emerged from the bathroom, Jeremy was standing at the door looking impatient, nervous and wide-awake. “Good morning,” I crooned, hoping to see him relax a little. I slipped on my shorts and tank top, and slid into my flip-flops. He kissed me and opened the hotel room door. We knew we hadn’t missed it.

Traffic was minimal at this time in the morning. The beach was just a block from our hotel. We quietly strolled across the street hand-in-hand, each deep in our own thoughts. I could hear my heart beating. It felt like my whole body was pulsing. “Don’t get excited. Don’t expect anything. This might not be it,” I kept telling myself. We walked past a lofty hotel. I looked up at a few folks standing on their ocean-front balcony. “They are probably waiting to see the same thing,” I thought.

We hit the sand and took off our shoes. The sand was cool now but in a few hours it would be scorching. We continued to walk, more like float, down towards the water. Then Jeremy stopped, reached an arm around me and it began. The horizon turned orange. As the sun rose out of the water, a reflection of orange, yellow, and pink hues stretched out towards us. It was breathtaking. He wanted to see the sunrise and here it was in all its glory. I was sure Jeremy could feel my heart racing as we embraced, watching the colors rise higher in the sky. “Are you sure you love me?” I heard him murmur. I nodded my head but didn’t speak a word. My voice wasn’t functioning. He pulled out a small white box and flipped open the top. That’s when the tears began. This was really happening. He told me how much he loved me and, abiding by tradition, he got down on one knee. The look on his face is locked in my memory forever. He was so serious, so close to tears, so nervous. He asked me to marry him. My reply was, “YES, of course.” We spent the next few minutes hugging and laughing. We walked along the edge of the water and collected some shells. We needed some keepsakes to help us remember this special sun-lit morning.

Call it woman’s intuition. Call it wishful thinking. Somehow I sensed it. Sure we had many talks about being together forever. We both knew it felt right, like our lives were meant to come together. I had a year left of college and I thought maybe he would wait until after graduation. But, when you know, you know. Call it what you will. I call it love, my very own fairytale.