Chapter
28: Unforgettable Valentine’s Day
The Most Romantic Day Of The Year
During
his lunch hour the other day, Jack picked up the engagement ring from J & T Jewelry. This morning, Jack is wearing a navy v-neck shirt and navy
slacks. His guitar is in the trunk and he goes over to Sue’s apartment to pick her and Levi up. Sue is wearing a pleated
ivory blouse and black skirt. She has planned a romantic picnic for them.
They
spread out the blanket and open the picnic basket to find wheat crackers, salami, marinated asparagus, caramel cookies,
Wisconsin
cheddar cheese, dry roasted macadamia nuts, chicken salad, chocolate truffles, and a bottle of Merlot. After lunch, Jack tunes
his guitar and serenades Sue with a beautiful song called “The Edge Of Forever”.
It goes
like this: No one can decide when lightening will strike/And everything falls
into place/And lately it seems when you're in my dreams/ I find that I don’t want to wake/ I wanna slowly unlock the
mystery/I wanna make love/ I wanna make history with you/ With you, I see a lifetime with you/ And if one thing is true/ Is
that God knew that one day/ I would be standing/ On the edge of forever with you/ Oh yeah/ I'm ready to fall to give you my
all/ Cause you're everything I'll ever want/Its amazing to me how far we can see /Our horizon goes on and on/ I wanna slowly
unlock the mystery/I wanna make love/ Yeah I wanna make history with you/ I see
a lifetime with you/ And if one thing is true/ Is that god knew that one day/ I would be standing/ On the edge of forever
with you/ And when I am shivering/ Your body will be my blanket/ And when I am drifting baby/ You will be my anchor/ With
you, I see a lifetime with you/ And if one thing is true/ Is that God knew someday/ I would be standing/ On the edge of forever
with you/ Oh Wanna spend forever, with you/ Hold me forever, will do.
When the song finished, Sue
gives Jack a tender kiss. Afterwards, Jack and Sue head over to J &
T Jewelry. Now
Sue is walking around looking at all the different jewelry pieces and a few caught her eye. Sue decides to try a few of them
on, just for fun. Jack is having fun just being with Sue and seeing her smile.
Outside J & T Jewelry
Sue: Okay. Tell me why all of a sudden
you want to go into J & T Jewelry? (smile)
Jack: Because you want to and I will
do anything to make you happy. (megawatt smile and his signature wink)
Sue: Oh that’s sweet. Well, now
that you’ve mentioned it, I had my eye on one bracelet for some time now. (dazzling smile)
Jack: Are you talking about that emerald
bracelet in the window display? (megawatt smile and raise eyebrows)
Sue: Yeah. How did you know? (curious
smile)
Jack: I am a very observant guy; it
comes in handy in our line of work. And something tells me that glow in your eyes is not just from being here with me. Come
on, let’s go inside and you can try on it. (megawatt smile and his signature wink)
Sue: I don’t know. It is too
expensive and way out of my price range. (lighthearted smile)
Jack: Come on, we are going inside
and I am making you try on that bracelet. I’m not taking no for answer. (megawatt smile and his signature wink)
Little does Sue know that Jack already bought 24kt gold emerald charm bracelet with ornate set of emeralds nestled
between Sue’s name in the center including a shooting star, butterfly, dolphin, angel, a gold heart, sun, and moon charms.
The bracelet is in a blue velvet box hidden back at the house.
Sue
tries on the bracelet and it fits perfectly around her wrist. She stares at it for a few minutes and then takes it off. Then,
Jack and Sue leave the jewelry store. They spend another hour
laughing and talking before he drops Sue at her apartment so they can both get ready for the real celebration tonight. Jack
tells Sue he will pick her up seven o'clock PM.
Meanwhile at Jack’s house
As Jack
drives away, Sue goes up to her apartment to take a shower, put on a new dress, and fill two large bags with gifts for Jack.
Meanwhile at Jack’s house, he is putting his plan into motion.
The hidden
cameras are set to record as soon as Sue enters his house. He has strategically placed directions for Sue to follow all around
the house to find all her gifts. And Jack has transformed his bedroom into a romantic hideaway.
There are thousands of white lights strung across the ceiling and with the lights dimmed; it looks
like stars shimmering in the night sky. Jack has been hard at work since the
crack of dawn, setting up this once-in-a-lifetime surprise.
Now all
Jack has to do is take a shower, put on his black tuxedo, come back with the limousine, and whisk Sue to the final destination
where he will propose to her.
An hour later, Jack is all decked
out in his black tuxedo and white shirt with red bow tie because it’s Valentine’s Day. He checks to make sure
he has the black velvet ring box in his right pocket. Jack made
a CD of favorite love songs, which will be played five minutes before and after he proposes to Sue. There are thousands of
rose petals scattered all over the master bedroom and on the bed.
Candles are placed around the room
and will be lit later that evening. Champagne chilling on
ice and two champagne flutes are next to the ice bucket. Fresh strawberry and chocolate dip in the mini-fridge. A remote control
on the dresser table to turn on the stereo system is within easy reach. As soon as Jack and Sue walk through the door later
that night, soft music and candlelight will surround this room.
Jack has thought of everything to
make tonight perfect for Sue. With everything set, Jack calls Lucy and asks her
to drop Sue off at his house at seven o'clock PM. Lucy wants to know why he can’t pick Sue up. Jack explains to Lucy
that he has to run to the store and exchange Sue’s gift because the store clerk gave him the wrong one. Lucy says okay.
Before Jack leaves the house, he
double-checks to make sure all the cameras are set to record, the notes are where they all should be, and no candles are lit.
Jack thinking: Everything looks good. Sue is going to be so shocked and pleased by my surprises.
Meanwhile back at Sue’s apartment
Sue is wearing a finely red woven stretch silk full length evening gown with
sweetheart neckline and invisible back zipper. Linear rays of pink glass beads and sparkling sequins adorn both the front
and back of the bodice. Sue puts on her makeup, puts on Jack’s Christmas earrings, her Paris heart pendant, and red three inch heels.
Then Sue walks into the living room and Lucy exclaims; “Wow!”
“You are going to knock Jack’s socks off”. Sue smiles and says; “Jack should be here soon, I can’t
wait for him to see me in this dress”. Lucy takes three red carnations
from the vase on the kitchen table and sticks in behind Sue’s left ear.
Lucy tells Sue; “Now, you look like a princess”. And I will bring
you to your prince because Jack called about half an hour ago and said he had to run an errand”. Sue has a puzzled look
on her face; “Why didn’t Jack page me?” Lucy says; “He didn’t want you to worry. Come on, Cinderella.
I bet your prince is waiting for you”. Lucy goes on to say; “Don’t worry about Levi. We are going to watch
old romantic movies on television since I don’t have a prince of my own this year”.
