Page 30 of Love and Pumpkins
Chloe has pulled off another wonderful excursion. We shopped at Union Station, toured the Gateway Arch, and hung out in the eclectic Grand Center Arts District. My favorite part of the day was popping into a jazz club.
Now the bus lights are dimmed, voices quiet, and I hear snoring from a few seats behind us. I’m by the window and Hunter is next to the aisle.
He leans over and whispers, “I’ll be right back.”
I assume he’s going to the bathroom, and I continue to watch the highway as it rushes by. I’ll be asleep before we get home.
Unbelievably, the speaker system crackles. Why is my sister making another announcement? We’re tired. We know we’ll be home in an hour. Hopefully, there’s no emergency. I shift my eyes to the front of the bus to scowl at Chloe, but it’s not Chloe standing there holding the microphone. It’s Hunter.
“Um, hello, everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful day; I did. Didn’t Chloe do an amazing job putting this trip together?” He looks around. “Let’s give her a big round of applause!”
Everyone on the bus cheers, and I’m glad Chloe is getting the recognition she deserves.
The cheers quiet, and Hunter is still standing at the front with the mic.What is he doing?
He takes a deep breath, audible through the sound system. “There’s one other person I would like to thank. And that’s Phoebe.”
He moves towards me with the microphone.
“What are you doing?” I mouth silently. I don’t need thanks.
“Phoebe, you brighten every day. You are my first thought when I wake up and my last thought before I go to sleep. I knew moving back to Lichtenburg was the best decision for me, and that’s all because of you.”
His eyes dart behind me to where his mom and sister are sitting. “You too, Mom. Joy,” he adds, which gets a hearty laugh.
“It may be a little strange to do this here, in such a public way,” he continues, “but you told me once that your mom is your sounding board for big decisions, and since she’s here, I thought I would ask you this now.”
My hands fly to my mouth. Is he going to askthatquestion?
He kneels down in the aisle and reaches into his pocket. He is!
“Phoebe, we’ve known each other since kindergarten, when I had to pull you into that classroom.” Another chuckle from the bus full of witnesses. “In the future, there will be times when I need you to give my hand a tug or maybe give me a push. And I’m here to do the same for you. Whatever we face in life, I know we can be successful doing it together.” He takes a deep breath. “And it would be my greatest honor if you would marry me, be my wife. I will be a better man if I’m your husband.”
He sets the microphone down, which generates some static, and from a few seats away, I hear Grandma Birdie say, “Did she say yes?”
“Not yet!” someone says.
There’s a loud “shush” from somewhere in the back.
I feel tears stream down my cheeks as Hunter opens the ring box. I don’t even notice the ring; my eyes stay focused on Hunter’s. Whispering, I say, “Really?” and he nods his head.
“Do you want to check with your mom?” he whispers, which the mic barely picks up. My mom is sitting across the aisle, right behind Hunter. Without looking towards her, I can sense her there.
“No. I don’t. No offense, Mom.” I glance at her now; she’s beaming at me.
She shakes her head as she smiles, seeming to say, “No offense taken” or “You don’t need to ask me.”
Hunter says, “Well?” He says it loud enough that the microphone picks his question up, and I hear a collective gasp from everyone around us.
“Yes!” I cry, and everyone cheers. The bus sways, and I worry the driver is cheering, too. He needs to pay attention to the road.
Hunter grasps my hands, pulling me to my feet, and embracing me in a tight hug. I laugh and hug him back.
“I love you,” he whispers in my ear.
My lips find his, and I don’t care that everyone on the bus is staring at us, as we stand in the middle of the aisle, tears streaming down my face. There will be no second-guessing this moment, this engagement, or this man.
Hunter Young has been my friend since the first day of kindergarten. Yes, he’s been my occasional nemesis over the years, but we’re competitive people. Being competitive has made each of us stronger and smarter.
