I was in the garden tending my roses one spring day when Dan got down on his kness and

asked me to marry him．I told him to ask me again in three months．After al1．we had had our ups and downs，and Iwasn’t sure either of us was ready for that type of commitment． Three months came and went．He didn’t ask again，and we cautiously went on as before，practicing with renewed commitment the fine art of relationship．

That winter we began planning a spring trip to Paris．I didn’t quite know why，but my heart and soul were crying for Paris，and I’d always had a strong desire to experience that city with Dan． Now that desire was being fulfilled．Paris was incredible! Having been fluent in French 20 years earlier, I quickly became Dan’s translator．My French was a disaster，but since Dan hardly spoke a word of it，he thought it was perfect．He never tired of hearing me trying to apologize to waiters for slaughtering their exquisite language，or attempting to order something I’d be able to recognize when it arrived at the table．Romance was in the air everywhere we went，and Dan was constantly asking me how to say things in French like “kiss”and “give me your hand”and “I love you” ．We boated on the Seine． Walked along tree—fined boulevards for hours，drank cofee at side wale cafes，and fell deeply in love .One evening，after we had just been seated in a small，quaint restaurant，Dan leaned toward me and asked， “How do you say ‘will you marry me?’ in French?” I told him 1 wasn’t sure，but I thought it would be，Veux—tu me marier? Veux—tu me marier? he repeated． “Honey．that’s great!” I said．“Your pronunciation is really getting good!” “No．”he said emphatically．“Veux—tu me marier?” And he pushed a small velver box

across the table．I opened the box and saw two beautiful rings-an engagement and a wedding ring-and it dawned on me what was happening．As tears rolled down my face，all the waiters came rushing over to stand around the table，fussing over us and exclaiming how wonderful it was．They were still taking photographs of us when I looked at Dan and finally said，“Oui，cheri!”