Dispatch From Disneyland
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Valentine’s Day

“And here we have.” The waiter droned on describing another of the delicious looking desserts spread out in front of Jane and John. However, their minds were elsewhere.

They had just finished a lovely day at the park, enjoyed a splendid walk through Downtown Disney, and snuck into their favorite restaurant at the resort with no wait at all. Things were pretty good.

“This day could not have gone any better.” John blurted out as soon as the waiter had finished his spiel. “Let’s top if off with a great dessert. What will you have, honey?”

Jane looked down at the tray in front of her. There was the usual cheesecake, tiramisu, creme bruleé, trio of sorbét, but a new dessert attracted her eye. It was a round chocolate cake covered with a melted white chocolate wafer. Jane wishes she had remembered what the waiter had said. “What was this again?”

"That’s our chocolate soufflé.” The waiter answered with a cheerful tone. “Why don’t you try some. It’s our favorite dessert.”

“It looks good, I’ll have to try some. But another night. I think I’ll just have my usual cheesecake.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot to mention we’re offering this soufflé free for our regular customers.” The waiter grinned broadly. “In fact, why don’t you have this one right here.” The waiter placed the chocolate soufflé in front of Jane.

Jane looked suspiciously at John, who had been just sitting there patiently while she made up her mind.

“Take a closer look at the dessert honey. Tell me if you can resist that?” John said confidently.

Jane hesitated, “I don’t know if I should.”

“It’s hot chocolate cake, melted white chocolate, a thick rich interior, and a two carat diamond rock on top. I hope you won’t say no to that.” John got down on one knee.

Suddenly Jane realized what had thrown her, the huge diamond ring sitting on the top of it. She was amazed she hadn’t noticed it before. Then it hit her... this must be the big moment. She insides suddenly felt like a hundred butterflies were fluttering around.

John looked up at Jane, took her hand in his, and said the five most important words he knew at the moment, “Jane, will you marry me?”

•  •  •

A small part of him wished he could relive that day over and over again. Just him, her, and a few dozen of their closest friends celebrating the anniversary of their marriage. Yes, his largest project was just a few days from its world premier. Yes, the past year had been incredibly busy and he had probably been neglecting her and the kids a bit, but everyone believed in him, and he appreciated their sacrifice.

He closed his eyes for a second and remembered her dancing up on the stage in her polka dot dress. The huge grin she sported, the look of utter relaxation and contentment on her face, and how it soothed him and prepared him for the next few days that were sure to be ones of utter chaos and last minute details.

Now, he was sitting in his favorite chair up in his apartment that overlooked Town Square. Lillian was across from him immersed in her latest hobby of antique collecting. He had even found a use for many of the items she’d found during their treks to Palm Springs in various spots throughout the site, including the Golden Horseshoe where they had held their anniversary party.