When I arrived at the hash to run this evening, I raced into the bathroom for one last pit stop before we went out on the run, where I ran into Cookie. She actually almost didn't say anything, except held up her left hand. I shrieked with delight when I saw the ring there, and gave her a super-excited hug. What wonderful news!
After the run, I was able to get more of the story, which was that he'd asked her two weeks ago while she had been out in Germany visiting him (he's in the Army and stationed out there). It was actually quite a funny story, as she said the proposal didn't come as a total surprise (they've been together for five years and own a house together), but she didn't realise that he had planned on proposing that weekend. And so, he'd had this brilliant plan to propose to her whilst they were out on a run (I would think that a horrible idea, to be hot and sweaty in the midst of a proposal, but I know the both of them are athletic, so perhaps it made sense for them). Except that after an afternoon of sight-seeing in Germany, she was tired and decided to skip the run.
The poor chap, thinking on the fly, then suggested they go downtown for a drink, and he figured he would propose in a beautiful spot in town. Except when they got there, a whole group of loud adolescents were there, so that killed that idea too!
So they went for a drink, with the boy hoping that the loud teenagers would be gone when they came back, but no dice. So they went for dinner, and at last it was very late (about 1 AM), when finally the beautiful spot was free and clear, and he was able to at last get down on one knee and ask her. She said yes, and they were all happy and now thinking they needed to toast their engagement with champagne. Except it was 1 AM, and everything was shut!
They ran back to the hotel, remembering that the hotel bar was open until 1:45 AM. Except despite that they made it back at 1:40 AM, the hotel bar was already shut. Looking around for somewhere else to go, they found a place that was still open, except as they sat their, drinking their champagne, they realised that the "bar" was filled with old men and very tarty-looking women who were all over them, and who then occasionally disappeared through a door in the back. At which point it dawned on Cookie: They were toasting their engagement in a brothel!!
All of which made for a very funny story, one that I think will make for good telling to their grandkids some years hence. Yet, it was hilarious to me how Cookie glossed over the details as she was telling it to other people (I guess she'd had enough of telling the story numerous times), so finally I just took over the telling of the story (embellishing it slightly, of course!) I just love telling stories (even when they are other people's), and at least as I had everyone cracking up in hysterics at the story, one of the people laughing her head off at the tale was Cookie herself!
Finally, we kept chatting late into the evening, until it was only myself, Cookie and Sweedy left, along with a few of the guys. And then Pork Pie pointed out that it was almost his birthday, which I realised was right. (I'm one of the people who knows his true birthday, although he puts a fake one up on Facebook to confuse people). He's turning 28, and we heard the story of how his ex-girlfriend got knocked up, how he got quite upset when he heard the news, and went around to his current girlfriend's house to moan about it (and how she didn't take kindly to hearing how upset he was about an ex-girlfriend). Kind of an amusing conversation overall, just about how boys are shallow but yet have emotions too...
At 11 PM, I finally decided I was tired and ready to go home, so I gave Luke (guy I've always known and liked, I think we have mild crushes on each other) a kiss on the forehead, to which he protested and insisted I take it back. Kind of hilarious scene, where I had to "take back" the kiss on the forehead and put it somewhere else. And then since it was Pork Pie's birthday, gave him a nice, sloppy kiss on the lips. It made me laugh.
The other two girls remaining decided to come with me, and so we all walked to the Tube together. And then as we were standing at the Tube, Cookie said, "You know, I could really go for one last drink." And then, in a fit of inspiration, we decided to make a mad dash to the Zetland Arms (another pub we know of), and I bought a round for the three of us, and we just had a hilarious time, the three girls enjoying one more drink, having a girly chat.
We talked about boys and attraction and what we were looking for, and I was surprised to hear how long it had been since Sweedy had been on a date. She's beautiful, sweet and funny, I have no idea why boys aren't all over that. Although as we related some of our hilarious dating stories, I suppose occasionally the boys are all over it, but they're not the kind of boys you want!
And I was relieved to hear that Cookie's fiancee is four years younger than she is, reinforcing to me what I was told on Sunday, that I'm too hung up on the age thing. I'm probably going to marry a guy younger than I am, so I should just accept it and be open to the idea, and not put false barriers in their way.
It was funny as well as Cookie revealed that when they first met, it had been all about sexual attraction, that she'd thought it was just going to be a fling with a younger guy. And now here they are, getting married. But it was a good point about how that initial attraction can carry you a long way in a relationship.
Finally, we realised that it was already 12:15 AM, and so we needed to rush to the Tube if we were going to make the last train! Luckily we made it and headed home, giggling all the way! What a great idea to have one last drink with just the girls!
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