Where was I?  Ah yes… the CPA had tossed my ring into the ocean.  

Before going any further,  I should probably say that the CPA had planned this for some time as he wanted to make the event memorable (and have a fun story to tell people).  I should also mention that the date was April 1st.

This is significant because the CPA has a long history of April 1st pranks.  He is legendary in his office for conducting elaborate jokes, sometimes going so far as to involve his boss in his plans.  But given the fact that we were on vacation and that I was expecting to receive a diamond for the first time in my life, I had forgotten such a minor detail as the date.

So when the ring went over the side of the cliff and I found myself looking at the CPA with tears in my eyes and shock on my face, I was amazed to hear him blurt out, “April Fool’s!”

Before I could push him down the cliff after the ring, however, he quickly pulled out a small box that held what I assumed was the real thing.  

The box was made of beautiful red wood and it had been polished until it shone.  

I gingerly opened the lid, waiting to be dazzled, and there it was… my diamond.  The one that the CPA had picked out for me and paid for with his hard-earned money.  It sparkled in the light and it was radiant.  

Then he pulled the ring out of the case and as he took my hand, he very sweetly asked, “Will you marry me?”  

Time stood still as I pondered my response:  I could chastise him for nearly giving me a heart attack a few moments earlier or at the very least I could scold him for playing a joke on me.  Instead, I looked up into his eyes, stood on my tip-toes, wrapped my arms around his neck, and said, “Yes, I will.”

He then slipped the ring onto my finger – it was a perfect fit.  Of course it should have been as we had had it specially made for us.  In fact, I spent the next several minutes inspecting the ring to see if it had turned out the way we requested.  I admit that it was not the original design that we had chosen, but I knew that I could have that fixed later.  What mattered was that my sweetie had gone out of his way to plan a romantic getaway and he had chosen this beautiful setting where he would ask me to be his wife.  And he had done it with his own unique style.  I wasn’t about to spoil the evening with concerns about the design of the ring.

Instead, we spent the next hour on the phone calling our families one by one, sharing the good news.  And the entire time, I found myself stealing glances at my newly adorned ring finger.  

That finger had always been naked, so wearing jewelry was a new sensation for it and one that took some getting used to.   I enjoyed feeling the weight of the metal, though, it felt solid and strong.  

It also felt heavy, but in a good way.

Finally, the phone calls were made and the sun had begun its decent.  It was then that we noticed music coming from outside.  Stepping onto the balcony, we saw a man standing alone in the middle of the courtyard.  

He was wearing a plaid kilt and blowing on a set of bagpipes.  The sound was both beautiful and haunting.

He stood there and played in the cool evening air…

and he didn’t finish playing until the sun had set.

Our room, from where we had been watching, had grown dark, reminding of us that it was getting late and we had reservations to keep.  We were scheduled to have dinner at the elegant hotel restaurant Navio.  After arriving at the restaurant a few minutes later, we were escorted to our window seat which offered a beautiful view.  There we dined on fine food while looking over the black ocean.  It was the perfect evening to follow a perfect day.  

And then the final touch, a congratulatory dessert provided to us at the end of the meal by the restaurant. 

 Ahh… fine chocolate and for free no less.  I was happy, content and engaged!

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