CONGRATULATIONS (6/11) “Justin I still can’t get to sleep.” “Brian try thinking about something happy. That always helps me fall asleep.” “Tell me a happy story Sunshine, you tell them so much better than I do” “The happiest I’ve ever been was at my Prom.” “That was a happy time wasn’t it? That week was when I realized how much I loved you and that I could actually tell you that I loved you without the sky falling on our heads.” “The gang tricked you into going to your birthday party by telling you it was a housewarming.” “That was sneaky and I’ll bet that you and Deb were the co-conspirators.” “I’ll never say and she's dead, so you'll never know for sure; it could've been Emmett.” “ Hah! Emmett couldn’t keep a secret for 17 seconds let alone 17 years.” “Anyway you had moved into a new penthouse apartment with 4 bedrooms so you did need to have a housewarming. We all knew you wouldn’t agree to a birthday party so it just developed as a surprise.” “I didn’t believe that when you told me back then and I don’t believe it today. The Loft was a wonderful home but it simply wasn’t designed for a crawling baby who needed a live in nanny. The several months in the Loft, after I got custody of Gus, before the apartment was available was interesting to say the least. I certainly couldn’t bring tricks home with the Nanny in her curtained off room. I even had to fuck you in the car or a motel since we could never sneak by Deb or Vic in order to use your bedroom there.” “Back to the story, you didn’t want the housewarming but agreed to it to thank everyone for helping to move you from the Loft to the apartment. It was easy enough to sneak in cake, ice cream, punch, and party hats. You had a good time once you got over your snit and you know it. Why was that the last time you had such a fit about parties?” “I realized that I wasn’t going to keep Gus from having a happy childhood by never having a party for anything like my parents did to me and Claire. I probably went too far in the other direction though; I think we had a party for every possible occasion on the calendar. Even 6 year old Gus thought a party with cake and ice cream on Arbor Day was going too far.” “Anyway after you ate your sliver of cake and 2 teaspoons of ice cream I asked you if you wanted to go to my Prom. I thought for sure you would laugh in my face or make some lame argument about not wanting to be in the same room as a bunch of fucking 18-year-olds. I almost fell over when you said yes. I never asked but why did you say yes?” “I just knew that I wanted to make you happy whenever I could and if going to your Prom would make you happy then go to the Prom we would go. Plus I didn’t go to my Prom for obvious reasons, so I thought why not. My only fear was that you would make me dance in front of a room full of fucking 18-year-olds.” “Daphne couldn’t talk for 5 minutes when I told her that we would be double dating with her and Scott. Luckily, as it turned out, Scott didn’t want to double since he wanted to be able to take Daphne to some Lover’s Lane. So Emmett helped me get ready and you picked me up at Deb’s. My mother, Deb, Vic, and Emmett spent the night playing cards waiting for me to come home and spill the beans about the big dance, they also took care of Gus so that the Nanny could have the weekend off. I’ve always thought that Liberty Diner could have catered a better meal than what we got at that banquet. Then at the Prom we had a great time talking and joking around, I almost thought that you were just another student except that you were so much better looking than anyone else in the room and that you absolutely refused to dance.” “Sunshine you know how I dance, so you knew full well why I wouldn’t dance in front of all of your classmates.” “It certainly surprised me how many of them were actually nice to us that night. I was so surprised when the DJ announced a special requested song at the end of the night and you got up and asked me to dance ‘The Last Dance‘. I had forgotten that I had taken ballroom dance at the country club when I was little and I guess they are right when they say that dancing is like riding a bike it comes back to you with the right music. So we danced all over the floor, amazing everyone with the beauty of our dancing, and then you gave me one of the most romantic kisses you have ever given me. Then down on one knee you went, I thought you had fallen for a moment. I almost fainted when I heard you ask me to be your partner and put this ring on my finger. All I could think of was to tell you to get up from there and I gave you a kiss that I’ve never forgotten. I was just stalling for time though. Then someone in the crowd hollered out ’What is your answer, Taylor?’. I said yes and then we kissed again. I was getting light headed from lack of oxygen from all of that passionate kissing but I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy before or since. Why did you ask me, you had been so against me even thinking that we were a couple.”? “During that week after my birthday party it simply occurred to me that I had told Melanie that I would sign over my parental rights to Gus because he needed to be raised by a couple that loved him and that loved each other. I decided that I loved you; I knew that you loved me, and I knew that we both loved Gus. So I decided why be stupid and pretend that none of that was true and just go ahead a make us a family. I certainly couldn’t think of a more romantic place to ask you than at your Senior Prom with everyone watching. Tells you how limited my imagination was doesn’t it?” “After everyone who wanted to congratulate us had finished shaking my hand we walked out to the Jeep. We were dancing and singing and having a great time. Just as I was getting in the car I heard a clang of some kind; when I looked I saw Chris Hobbs beside a car a few spaces over. I couldn’t help myself and held up my hand and showed him the ring and I asked him if he had heard that you asked me to be your partner. All he said was ‘Congratulations, make sure he treats you right.’ Do you think you can fall asleep now Brian?” “I hope so that certainly was the long version. Though you did leave out the most interesting part of the story.” “What did I leave out?” TBC