My Engagement: Real or Unreal?

As if getting engaged wasn't obnoxious enough, now I am going blog about it. Play-by-play. Read on, if you dare. Regarding gag reflexes and vomiting on your computer screen, may the odds be ever in your favor.

“You have to come down to the Auditorium. Ms. Q wants to talk to us.” Melissa seems frantic and stressed out, similar to earlier that morning. I glance up at the clock. 10:40am. Ugh, why? I have 15 minutes left in my prep and I really need to get this stuff ready for next week. I follow her down to the auditorium. I wonder why we need to go there. Melissa is walking really quickly. She also won’t look at me. We reach the auditorium and the doors are closed. The few adults standing outside are looking at me. My palms sweat a little bit. Why are they…

 

We go in. The lights are off. Velvet curtains closed. I see a tripod and a video camera. My heart is racing now. Melissa ushers me to the front and sits me down. I can’t breathe. It’s happening. This is it. Why didn’t I take a shower this morning? I feel weak and fiddle with my dirty hair. Then I hear it. My alarm in the morning. One of my favorite songs. “Marry You” by Bruno Mars.

Holy crap.

The curtains open and the greatest man I know stands there. He is smiling at me. He is so handsome. My heart bursts. So do my ocular floodgates. I quickly wipe away my tears so my vision isn’t blurred. I see familiar photo booth pictures on his t-shirt. MINNIE + DAN. 04.27.2012. I would scream but that would interrupt his performance. I point and clap instead. Dan is singing his heart out to me. He looks really happy. And he sounds great. I am laughing, crying, and yelling at myself to stay focused. I do not want to miss any moment of this! He says things like NYU, Giants, Superbowl… and then the best words: I think I wanna marry you.

After the chorus, he stops and says that he needs his friends to come out and help him sing. “Come on out, guys!” Hopping in from both sides, smiling from ear to ear, are my precious first graders. They are wearing t-shirts that match Dan’s. I want a t-shirt! They sing with Dan, following his dance movements, smiling, jumping. “ ‘Cause it’s a beautiful night!” Some are looking at me, some are looking at Dan. Everyone is happy. I am too excited to cry anymore. My students look so cute! My hands are clapping and shaking. There goes my heart again. Burst. 

Dan comes off stage, takes my hand, and brings me up. My legs are completely weak but Dan’s hands are strong and steady. He gets down on one knee, cueing my students to do the same. He says, “Minyoung, I love you with all my heart.” He is tearing up. “Will you marry me?”

YES! YES! Say YES!

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you.”

“Yes!” I say again, into the microphone.

We hug, we kiss, and we smile at each other. Words cannot describe the explosions in my chest. 

I am in love. 

I am ecstatic. 

I am engaged.

My Engagement: Worth the Wait

Written By Daniel Phai  (the phaiance)

Realizing the idea, preparing the engagement, and executing the plan were all a part of a great journey with God. We’ve been dating for four years, and I knew that this was going to be the year. When it came to buying the ring, I thought about the rare example in the Bible of a man literally working to marry a woman. I read in Genesis where Jacob works an unholy amount of years for his bride(s). I wanted to experience what it would feel like to go to work not with the mindset of myself but only her. As an actor, you never know when you’re going to audition, book a job, or get paid, so I couldn’t rely on my true career aspirations. Instead, like many starving artists, I went back to my old restaurant job in Republic Union Square. In this job, you meet crazy people every day. They stiff you on tips, don’t know the difference between a lemon and a lime, and finally, blame you for everything that goes wrong not only with the food but with their entire lives. However, throughout the past 8 months of working (not quite Jacob’s 14 years), it was a complete joy to work. All I could think about was seeing her face when she saw the ring.

Last week, I saw her face. It was worth the wait. 

It was a sunny, chilly day in New York, and I woke up thinking, “This is it.” For weeks and weeks, I was working with her principal to see if I could use the school auditorium. She was more than willing to help, but due to the unpredictability of New York City Public Schools, we couldn’t lock down a date. We had a few in mind, but they kept getting pushed back. Like I said, this was a journey with God. I trusted Him. He was going to pick the date. He chose April 27, 2012. After we set the date, it was time to get the students’ parents involved. With the help of Minyoung’s fellow teacher, Melissa Fields, we got the parents to grant me permission.

The challenge: How do we teach these first grade children a song without having them spoiling the surprise to their teacher who they see everyday?

 

The answer: Tell the parents to take care of it.

The parents, using whatever excuse, taught their children the song individually. But wait. Hold on. I’m singing? Uh, I’m a pretty terrible singer. Could I do a monologue instead? Could I lip sync? Could I auto tune myself? Again, this was a journey with God. I trusted Him. He wanted me to sing one of Minyoung’s favorite songs, “Marry You” by Bruno Mars.

After rehearsing with my camera people, the parents, and the children, it’s show time. I’m waiting behind the curtain for my future wife. One of the parents asked me how I was so calm, and I knew it was because I felt God’s blessing and He was going to make sure that--- Shhhhh… I hear foot steps. Melissa is bringing her in. The music plays, the curtains open, and I’m off.

I forget about my inept singing voice, I forget about the children making their marks, I forget about how I’m going to move. All I do is look at her. She’s all I needed to make this work. I bring her up, get down on my knee. I’m choking up. I want to say this quickly, but nothing is coming out. Then, like a runner giving it all in the last leg of the race, I ask, “Will you marry me?”

God is good. The journey is just beginning.