Part III: In Which I Come Riding in My Knight's White Horsepower

Such disappointment drove me to make an appointment with Mrs. Havener for us to come visit. The date was fixed for the last Friday in January, and we all anticipated it with bated breath.

When we arrived, Jonathan was at the garage submitting his car for repair and had just phoned his mother for a ride home. I was elected by her to accompany Emily to the task... we were to go in Jonathan's white F-150.

Wait, Jonathan has a pick-up truck???? Oooh man.

We had a fantastic time talking and laughing and reminiscing old times, not shying away from talking the cab to it's volume limit. When we arrived, the noise mysteriously ceased and we watched Jonathan, obviously take aback at my presence climb into the truck, hardly saying a word. (He tells me that he expected Ruby, if anyone, to come.) I decided to break the ice, and believe me, I had the most brilliant thing to say: "Hello, Jonathan Havener." And to my delight he came up with something equally original: "Hello, Chloe Hopkins." I loved to hear a guy say my name, and I've heard words are powerful, but really? That set the ball rolling? Really?

When we returned, the outdoor activities commenced and the horses were saddled and ridden. Ruby took off in in a canter across the field which ended in one dramatic tumble, and when I was finally persuaded switch my coat for something less refined (which belonged to Jonathan, but I didn't find this out until much later) and go for a ride myself, I was proud that I 'made it under twenty minutes' around the field, perfectly content in allowing my lazy horse to embrace it's laziness, emersed in a placid walk. I wasn't about to risk do something that looked silly, they were already laughing at me. On the home stretch I managed a trot, bouncing up and down like a... (words escape me).

We had wonderful time sitting around the living room talking together, on average 4-5 conversations going at once. Jonathan always insisted on sitting next to me. At one point, he put his arm around me when one of the little boys teased us about flirting. But when the joke was over, his arm stayed. We bid our goodbyes full of joy and amusement from the combination of our two families, Jonathan always giving me one more hug than he gave everyone else. I sometimes wonder if he kept giving other people hugs just so he could give me one more. He told me I must come visit again "extraordinarily soon", and the rest of the Havener herd agreed that I should move in as they were in need of another older brunette sister to live with them. I was happy to have seen them all. I had enjoyed myself so. I wondered when I would see them again, but never dreamed it would be so soon.

Three days later, my father received an email from Jonathan requesting permission to pursue a relationship with me. This information was withheld from me for the next week and a half, during which I chatted online with him for hours each day. He didn't know that I didn't know. When daddy did break the news to me, my response was frank, "You're kidding, right?" It was the last thing I was expecting. and I thought I wasn't that interested at first, so i told him that I really didn't want to be in a relationship. With the knowledge of Jonathan's feelings, and two days more in communication with him, I had changed my mind.

Two weeks later Jonathan, Emily, and David (another Havener) drove up to see a play I had designed costumes for. It was a very treacherous winter night, snowing like it was going out of style. Home from the play, we decided they needed to contact their parents to request permission to spend the night. There wasn't any way they were going home that night. Finally!

We got our sleepover! Well, I didn't sleep... I spent the night lying awake and falling in love.

The next weekend (March), our relationship became official. No one had more fun spending weekends at each others families houses than we did. We took long walks, attended social events, and did all sorts of other things that I can't remember. Our courtship was short and sweet. Six weeks.

One windy, rainy, April 17th morning, Jonathan was discussing a business proposition with my little brothers in my room while I lounged on my bed with my little sisters, fresh out of the shower, grungy clothes (out of character for me), and hair a messy wet state of tousleness. Jonathan and the boys departed to (I thought) prepare the work the boys were to do. I thought, "Perfect... I can throw on some real clothes before he comes back up." Or not. He was on his way back up before i had time to finish thinking. I greeted him with a hug, which made the fact that he was trembling from head to foot very apparent. What in the world!

"Johnny, why are you shaking??"

"You'll find out in a minute." (That went right over my head.)

"What are you talking about??"

"Well, I'm not very good at being original..." (And so did that.)

"Huh????"

"...but... will you marry me?"

"Seriously??" Here he presented me with a beautiful three-stone diamond ring set in white gold.

"Well, I'll have to think about it." (Way to stall, Chloe. I knew the answer since that night I lay awake.) Several moments of me being speechless ensued. Of course, I filled them with little squeals and plenty of hugs and kisses and the like.

"Chloe Laurene, I love you more than anything in the world."

"Well... then... umm.... yes!!" At this point, the little girls looked up from what they were doing and wondered why we were acting so weird.

"Jonathan just proposed!"

"No he didn't... you're just joking."

"No she's not, we're engaged!!"

*GASP*