Excerpt from my new book-are you interested?

We sat on her mother’s couch visiting about our evening.  I knew I wanted to ask her to marry me, but I was so worried that she might laugh me out of the house that I stammered and delayed.  I told her that I wanted to tell her something, but I was afraid.  She used every wile she could think of to get me to speak up and eventually I did.  I said, “I think....”   And paused, I was very nervous.  My palms were sweating, my heart was pounding, and I was sooo apprehensive of the whole situation.

    “What do you think?” she asked.

    “Well, I'm not sure I I want to tell you what I think.”  I was extremely unsure of myself.

    “I’ll wait until you do.”  Now the pressure was on me.  She sat there quietly waiting for me to speak.  She wasn't going to wait for another day, or another week. She was expecting me to speak right then.  I suspect she knew what was in my heart, but I didn't know that then.

    “I think I want you to be my wife,”  I finally got around to saying.

    Oh boy!   What a response that elicited.  There was a little scream and she ran out of the room.  What had I done?  I wondered if I had offended her.  I wondered if she was gone and had left me sitting on her mother’s couch.  I wondered if she’d be back.  I wondered if I should leave.  I wondered if I had made a complete fool of myself.  I was an emotional wreck.

    What really happened is that she ran to the back of the house to tell her parents that I had proposed to her.  But I didn’t know that.  I was bewildered.  I didn’t know what to do.  Should I leave?  Should I apologize and say I would never do it again?  My mind was running through the possible scenarios and my thoughts were running amuck.

    Then she returned.  She had a smile a mile wide.  She was bouncing.  She was beaming.  She leaped onto the couch next to me and yelled “YES!”   I still hadn’t asked her to marry me.  I had only told her what I wanted.  I never did propose, officially.  She, and I guess I, just assumed we were now engaged.  Whew!  I could breath again.  My sweaty palms could dry.  My level of stress could diminish.  My anxiety could quiet.  My nervousness could quell.  My emotions could settle. I was in love!