My Best Christmas Present Ever

I've had some memorable Christmas presents. But the best one of all was given to me many years ago by my girlfriend.

We had been dating for over a year. We were both 19 years old, full-time students, and too young and too poor to consider marriage except for the distant future. I had at least five more years of college and graduate school before I would have anything close to a career. In the meantime I worked part-time in a warehouse and she did house-cleaning. We both lived in the dorms.

So I never planned to ask her to marry me. If I had planned it, I would have tried for romantic. I would have parachuted down in front of her on a Maui beach at sunset, wearing a tuxedo and holding her ring in a white glove. Or drawn her portrait in sky-writing, with the plane pulling a huge banner that said, "Marry me?"

Instead, I asked her over the phone. About as romantic as a telemarketer, I suppose.

It was Christmas break of my sophomore year in college. The first two weeks of vacation I was in Lake Havasu with my mom and step-dad, and then I was planning to fly back to Colorado to spend the week of Christmas with my girlfriend and her family.

Of course we talked multiple times while I was in Arizona. And that's when it happened. During one of our long long-distance phone calls, I just blurted out, Will you marry me? I shocked both of us. I don’t know why I said it, or why right then. But once the words escaped, I was kind of proud of myself. I figured the hard part was over. I expected she would shed a few tears, overwhelmed at her good fortune, and then whisper, “Of course I will!”

Not even close.

First of all, she didn't think I was serious. When I finally convinced her that I really meant it, she became evasive. Sort of like when you aren't interested in becoming part of your friend's Amway empire, but you don’t want to hurt their feelings.

Anyway, the next 20 times I brought it up, she just changed the subject. By the time I flew back to Colorado to spend the week in her home, I was so discouraged I had quit asking. It was a long week.

Finally Christmas Day arrived and we all gathered round the Christmas tree. I sat with her two brothers as her dad handed out the presents. I don’t remember a single thing anyone gave or got.

Gradually the mound of gifts under the tree was reduced to piles of torn wrapping paper and ribbon, with various sweaters and books strewn about. Her dad took one last look under the tree and found a little package about the size of a can of tuna. Glancing at the tag, he handed it to me. “Guess you've got the last one, Jim,” he said.

Honestly, I wasn't terribly enthusiastic at this point. So far the Christmas vacation had been a distinct bummer. Ever since my lame, poorly thought out proposal, it had all been downhill.

I took the package and peeled off the ribbon and paper to reveal a small box. When I opened it I found a terracotta heart, obviously handmade, in the center of which Dionne had inscribed three letters. Yes.