An unexpected and unwanted proposal.
Maybe it is common for some children to dream of happily ever after, but I did not expect to be proposed to during my eighth birthday party.
In case it's helpful, below are the topics covered in this post:
Before the Party
I hated my birthday celebrations because it never felt like it was about me. My Mom used it as an opportunity to show off to her friends. Most guests were my Mom's many adult friends.
My Mom also invited my entire class. I hated this as I did not talk to many of my classmates. I was an introvert who preferred to be alone. While I liked my classmates, I did not care to see most of them outside of school.
However, I was ecstatic that Mom organized my birthday party at McDonalds. I loved hanging out on the playground, or PlayPlace as McDonald's calls it nowadays. I could spend hours playing on it, and I had that opportunity to do so on that Saturday.
Before the party started, Mom had me greet every guest. I had to hold the door open for everyone, including boys (ew), and thank them for coming. I hesitantly obeyed, although I knew there was one boy I would NOT greet.
The Proposal
Sure enough, when I saw him in a car that pulled into the parking lot, I walked away from the door and headed for the playground. He was the last person I wanted to see.
Unfortunately, Mom yelled at me in front of all the other kids to do as I was told and greet the kid that arrived. Everyone laughed, and some made smooching sounds knowing who I tried to avoid.
Mom and I walked to the door to see the boy - I will refer to him as Jason for this story - wearing a blue suit complete with dress shoes, cummerbund, flower in the jacket pocket, and tie. Jason's mom was also dressed in formal attire. They looked like they came straight from a wedding.
Before I could speak, Jason pulled out a corsage and asked to put it on my wrist. Adults were gathering around us smiling. I was embarrassed. I told Jason no and turned towards the playground.
Mom stopped me. She complained that I was rude, and he was only being nice. Mom said a bunch of other things I did not listen to, but she caught my attention when she said I was not allowed on the playground until I properly greeted him.
I turned around and apologized. Jason said it was OK, then handed me a gift bag. He asked me to open it then and there.
There were three boxes in the gift bag. Jason gave me a purple heart jewelry set. I unboxed a necklace, bracelet, and clip-on earrings. They were plastic jewelry pieces made for kids, but I thought they looked great.
I was impressed. I did not expect a boy to like me enough to buy expensive jewelry for me. It had to have cost him $10 at the least! His mom must have placed them in fancy boxes for adult jewelry.
Jason got down on one knee in front of me. He reached into his pocket and pulled out one last jewelry box. When he opened the box, I saw a purple heart ring.
Adults were oohing and aahing. Some adults and a lot of the other kids started laughing. Jason choked as he asked his question.
"Will you marry me?"
My Answer
I quietly and embarrassingly told Jason, "No."
I reminded him of what I told him about every day in class. I did not want to go on a date. I did not want to hold hands. I did not want to kiss. I did not want a boyfriend. I did not want to get married. I just wanted to spend my life having fun with toys and on the playground.
Every day in class, our teacher would have to pull Jason away from me. He always tried to hug and kiss me. When he could not be near me, he would have the other kids deliver his love letters to me.
Jason would tell me I would cook and clean for him when I became his wife. I would call him stupid because I would only cook and clean for myself. I was not going to do what any boy wanted me to do.
He sometimes said that no boys would like me the way I was. I cared too much about toys and being on the playground. At some point I would have to see that I needed him in my life.
I argued that I liked toys and playgrounds more than anything else in the world. His being annoying proved to me that boys were annoying, horrible creatures that should not be allowed in school without a leash. We would get into some heated arguments at school.
However, I did not yell at him after he proposed to me despite my hatred towards him and the embarrassment, I felt with all attention on us. If memory served me right, I tried to speak nicely because his mom was standing next to him.
Jason had the audacity to ask me if I was sure I would not marry him. I again told him no.
He ran out of the restaurant crying. His mom ran after him. People were laughing, but I got in trouble for being mean to Jason. I had no regrets, though. I was not going to lie.
After the Party
Mom told me to return the jewelry to Jason. Yet, when I went to class on Monday, our teacher let us know that Jason was no longer a part of our class. I was unable to return the jewelry to him.
Mom later found out that Jason was so heartbroken and embarrassed that his mom enrolled him into class. I never saw Jason again.
I kept the jewelry in a memory box for years. As a teenager, I re-gifted it to someone who looked like they needed a pick-me-up.
As a child, I had no regrets for what I said or how I acted. Thinking back on it as an adult, I am not sure if I would have done anything differently.
While I would now love to be in a loving relationship with someone, I am not unhappy as a single woman. In a way, I mentally have not changed much over the years.
What's Next?
If you are Jason, I apologize for hurting your feelings when I said no. However, you must admit that we were too young to get married way back then.
Comment below to share your childhood proposal experience.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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