Proposals at 1:39 PM

I've been proposed to three times, four if you count the drunk friend on Congress Ave. For the record, I'm 22 years old. I guess when you can't get legally married, a proposal seems like the thing to do... The first time however was probably the most traumatic for me. Great way to describe a proposal huh? Traumatic.

I was trying to go to sleep, totally exhausted. Was almost gone when my boyfriend at the time asked if I was awake. Always seemed like a stupid question to me. "Are you awake?" "No, I talk in my sleep." He kind of hesitates; "Can I ask you a question?" Without even thinking, I responded in my typical sarcastic way, "As long as you don't ask me to marry you, yeah what is it?" There's a pause. (Oh Fuck) Then he tells me not to look in the nightstand drawer, where he hid the ring. I calmly get up, walk to the bathroom, lock the door, and proceed to have what I only can describe as a slight panic attack on the tile floor. WTF! Who proposes after six months? The relationship quickly went downhill after that. It's kind of hard to keep up a relationship when you know the other person is constantly tinkering with a ring in their pocket.

I think about that night every time I hear about one of my old classmates getting hitched a few month after they change their relationship status to "in a relationship". Can we all just slow down a little, take some time, deal with these things with some levelheadedness? I have a few friends who did it the right way. Dated, got to know each other, didn't treat marriage as a trap to ensure someone never leaves you. Marriage is all fine and dandy, but really shouldn't be the "I'm bored, let's get married" alternative to dating.