How it happened
At midnight, we were waltzing the first waltz of the new year, when jere7my suddenly stopped and drew me away from the crowd. "Can I talk to you about something?" he asked, in that tone that often means he's about to propose something that he knows I won't like. As he steered me down the stairs and into a secluded hallway, I wondered what he could want that would be so dreadful or so unwise as to require so much privacy. And then he was on one knee, with a small box in his hand, saying words I had started to believe I might never hear him say...

The ring doesn't look much like an engagement ring, which is how I managed to wear it for the rest of the night with no one the wiser. It's early Christian, not quite Roman, but Byzantine (6th century), a small gold cross with 5 little circles indicating the evil eye and/or the wounds of Christ. Perfect for me, and only me, in other words, which makes it also a perfect reflection of jere7my's character: his thoughtfulness, and his respectful appreciation of me exactly as I am.

I said yes, of course.