The Setup
Thursday September 28, 2000
Johannes left the apartment, and a little after noon, I received a call from him. He said he was at the Ford dealership waiting for them to finish checking on his car. I was pretty suspicious by then, so I decided to play a little and asked him if he wanted me to meet him for lunch. He said that he would be able to meet me for lunch, but that it would be difficult since he didn't have a car. This obviously wasn't a very strong alibi, but I didn't press any further because I didn't want to ruin anything for him.
About 15 minutes after I hung up the phone with Johannes, he startled me by walking into the apartment. He didn't look very happy, so I asked for an explanation for why he was suddenly home when he was supposed to be at the dealership. "Chris, I lied to you," he said dejectedly. "I was supposed to go diamond shopping this morning, but before I could get there, the car really did break down." His clutch had burned out!!!
Above: Johannes' poor car....(September 28th, 2000).
Johannes looked deflated, but I thought it was rather hilarious. "See what happens when you lie to me?" I asked playfully as I tried to console him. Johannes still looked very distressed and explained that he had wanted to buy the diamond that day, but since he missed his appointment, the next appointment wasn't until the Tuesday of the following week.
Then it dawned on me. Since Johannes couldn't get the ring, I wouldn't get a proposal that weekend - and since I had told my parents that I was getting engaged, the news had probably already spread to my entire extended family! Girls, you don't want to know how disappointed I was. To top it all off, I knew I would have to go back and tell my family that I actually wasn't engaged. I learned my lesson - never anticipate a proposal!
The Setup continues.....