My friend has acquired a new, temporary title: fiancée. She called this weekend to say that she and her long-time, live-in boyfriend had become engaged. I was quite taken aback. Who’d guess that a long-time, live-in boyfriend would ask his girlfriend to marry him just after her April birthday :)? Well, not me, for one. Just the night before we had all spent the evening together celebrating my friend’s birthday and the boyfriend never gave out any clues regarding the proposed proposal. No slip-ups, no hints, no give-aways that tomorrow he would ask M for her hand in marriage. Even while talking to me and my sister in private about how this year he bought M a gift she will truly like, he never gave us a crumb that tomorrow he would frost and cherry-top the proverbial birthday cake with such a precious gift: a declaration through a request that he loves you so much and finds you so wonderful that he would like to spend his life with you. He wasn’t even tempted to tell while reciting the story of his not so coveted gift he gave to M for her grad-school graduation: a box of Oreo cereal. He said that he thought the cereal looked quite scrumptious, but apparently gifts that require explanations do not always go over too well. Perhaps. But rest assured this birthday will undoubtedly remain in M’s memory for a lifetime.

Congratulations, guys!!!! I wish you a lifetime of happiness!