A Love Like This

It all started with “Once Upon A Time”. Odie and I attended the same college in Albany, NY and though I would like to say it was love at first sight, he continues to tell me it was love at first insult. At the time, I loved to dance, he loved to step, and we were on two teams that had the idea of collaborating for a show. It was during one of our joint rehearsals that I decided to approach him, but it wasn’t because I was into him. I just thought he looked funny when he danced and felt inclined to tell him. I was hoping to be helpful but he thought I came off a little snobby. Despite that, Odie told one of his closest teammates “if I looked into her beautiful eyes any longer, I’d fall head over heels.” Fast forward a full year of him looking into my eyes, he asked me to be his girlfriend with the cutest photo album engraved with the words “Once Upon A Time”, our very own storybook.

The next four years together were nothing short of amazing. We celebrated many accomplishments, holidays, birthdays and enjoyed many family vacations together. Many of which were captured in our storybook, each picture supplemented with another reason as to why he loves me. I can still remember our very first Valentine’s Day together. I told him how little I cared for the holiday, but he wasn’t having it. Odie, so full of surprises, made it his personal mission to have me love Valentine’s Day by sending me on a citywide scavenger hunt. By the end of the day, I not only fell in love with Valentine’s Day—I had also fallen deeply in love with my very own Prince Charming. This was only the beginning and it’s hard not to get teary-eyed thinking of all of our other experiences together that led to our proposal.

When asked what my “perfect proposal” would be, my answer was usually “something small and intimate with a few close family and friends”. As I mentioned before, Odie is a man full of surprises, so of course, a small intimate proposal was the last thing I was getting. Odie has wanted to be a Cardiologist for as long as I’ve known him. July 22nd, 2019 was his white coat ceremony which signified the beginning of his medical school journey. Odie and his school’s dean had convinced me that he was the recipient of a “special award” and that it was a “tradition” to have close family and friends to be there on stage with him. At first, I was a bit skeptical when he asked me and my parents to join him on stage along with his own family, but then I thought to myself—hey, it’s his special day let’s be there for support. “Odolphe Augustin” was announced and we all went up with him for a group picture. Before I could walk off stage, he took my hand and a microphone, and I proceeded to panic. We were in the middle of a stage in a theater filled with 700+ people. Then he started speaking to me as if we were the only ones there, and that’s when I knew THIS WAS IT! I really can’t remember all that was said because I was too busy crying, but believe me when I say he took my breath away. What I do remember were the words “be my Happily Ever After” leaving his lips before getting down on one knee to officially pop the question while displaying the most beautiful diamond ring. Most people would scream “YES!”, but I was so overcome with emotion by the occasion that I could only nod my head and kiss him deeply, while the crowd cheered and cried with me. Spoiler Alert! There was no award that was actually presented to him, it was all made up by Odie, some amazing staff members of the school that helped him execute his plan onstage and some special close family and friends.