Every night, my dad would stand at my mom's door and before kissing her goodnight would say, "So, I talked to your dad today." He was, of course, implying that he had asked my grandfather for my mom's hand in marriage, but my mom never believed him. Finally one night, it became a serious case of the boy who cried wolf.
Jimmy: "So, I talked to your dad today."
Diane: "No, you didn't."
Jimmy: "Actually, this time I really did."
And such was the marriage proposal. No ring, no flowers, no romantic descent to one knee. Just a declarative statement that he now had permission to marry her and an assumption that she was going to go along with it.
A few days later, this less-than-creative groom shows up his future bride's dinner table. With her mouth full of mashed potatoes, gravy and fried chicken, he hands her a ring.
"I thought you'd want to show your friends tonight at church."
Inventive? No. But she still said yes. Ten kids and 26 years later, they're still madly in love.
