My Magical Engagement (Part 2 of 3)

“I believe this was our fourth stop,” Jason commented as we were on our way again. “Fourth stop?” I wondered. I’d been so involved with my own feelings that I hadn’t even considered that there might be a reason for interrupting our walk every few minutes.

“Let’s see,” I thought to myself. “That was stop number four. It’s our seventh anniversary. I just received 77 roses…if the pattern holds, then our seventh stop will be our last and I bet I know where we’ll end up!”

The sky behind us deepened into indigo. On the horizon to our left, which now included the Annapolis cityscape, faint orange rays struggled to light our way. For our fifth stop, we rested on another wooden bench (still not ours, by the way) and watched silhouettes of motorboats cut through the dark tide. It was lovely.

“You know,” Jason began, hugging me closer, “It brings me such joy just being near to you.” My heart fluttered. We held each other for a few minutes and watched the sun dip from view. “We still have places to go,” Jason eventually said as he released his embrace. We rose and walked back toward the path, my body still enjoying the warm memory of Jason’s arms.

It was now nearly dark. Jason slowed as we approached stop six. I was slightly confused, for this time no bench was in sight. To our right waved the tall grasses of the park. And to our left was a clear view of the Annapolis Capitol and city lights from across the river. Jason shot me a reassuring glance and started descending the bank. I followed, greatly curious as to where we were heading.

“Careful,” Jason instructed as he guided me down the rocks. “Watch your step.” In a minute or so, we had successfully navigated to the water’s edge without so much as a scraped knee. The water lapped the land as Jason led me to a nearby boulder. “Rest here a moment,” he said as he started searching for something. Within seconds he found a wooden bowl and small towel. My heart skipped a beat. I remembered the story of how Jesus had shown his love to his friends by humbly washing their dirty feet. Now it seemed that Jason was about to follow in His steps.

Jason dipped the bowl into the water and stood before me. “Katie,” he said quietly, “I desire to serve you. May I please wash your feet?” I nodded without a sound. Jason started untying my double-knotted shoelaces. My, was I ever grateful I’d shaved that morning!

Jason’s strong hands gently removed my shoes, then my socks. He dipped each foot into the bowl, his fingers caressing me from my ankles to my toes. I watched in reverence as he then patted them dry and tenderly reinserted each foot into its proper sock and shoe. Despite the lack of light, he even managed to retie my laces. I smiled. Jason helped me down and led me once more over the rocks and back to the path.

We now approached what I was certain would be our seventh and final stop. This particular part of our walk was both the most surreal and the most silent. We spoke not a word, but listened to the music of the wind, the waves and the rhythm of our own heartbeats. With each step my expectation rose. I felt like I was climbing a high dive, traveling further and further from the life I’d always known. Soon the proverbial board was beneath my feet as an old, familiar bench stood twenty yards away and closing. Jason reached for my hand once more and I wistfully followed his lead.

Jason sat me down. “Just a minute,” he said before rummaging in the tall grass for something. He returned bearing an ornately carved box about eight inches long - a little too big for a ring box. Nevertheless, he knelt before me...