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“Take it easy tonight and come back refreshed tomorrow. We’re going to have some interesting fun in the morning. Wear comfortable clothes and be prepared to sit on the floor. Bring floor cushions if you want.”
Maggie waved to her crew, signaling that they could start taking down the round tables. In the morning, the activities would be different than today’s. There would be skits and drama that perhaps some of the mothers who had theater background would appreciate.
She went back to her table at the back and packed up her stuff. She put her tablet and phone into the knitted crossbody bag, and carried the binder in her hand.
The community center door opened to a hallway with ceiling fans. Even so, there was a big contrast between the air conditioned room inside and the furnace out there that was July in Atlanta.
Of course, Atlanta was not as hot as Lakeside, Florida, in the summer, but it could get pretty hot, even for a native resident like Maggie. No wonder people sometimes called this city Hotlanta.
Maggie stepped outside into the high humidity. She started to sweat but it wasn’t too bad because she wore a cotton blouse and skirt.
She had forgotten her sunglasses. She’d left them in her office at Midtown Chapel. So she placed a hand on her temple to act as a temporary visor as she walked across the grassy Village square to get to the parking lot.
A shadow moved in front of her.
“Oh good. Cloud cover.”
Nope. Not cloud cover. Too low for it.
She squinted in the afternoon light. And looked again.
It was Levi. “Hey sweetheart.”
“Whatcha doing here? Did you get off work early?” Maggie was genuinely surprised to see Levi. Usually they’d meet at the house and do some more cleaning or painting.
“Don’t worry. I drove safely.” A small blue velvet box appeared in his hand.
As if on cue, the sun moved behind a puffy cloud.
And Levi went down on his knees.
Maggie’s heart skipped a beat.
Breathe. Breathe.
Maggie had waited seven months for this, but she still found herself in disbelief. She stared at Levi, wondering what he was up to.
A crowd gathered around them, waiting.
“Maggie, on Christmas Day seven months ago, I proposed to you,” Levi said. “You said to ask you again six months later. Sorry I’m late, but I was preparing a gift for you that couldn’t be ready until this week.”
Did he mean the gift in his hands right now?
He opened the velvet box and lifted it up for Maggie to see. The princess cut diamond sparkled in the sun.
“I love you, Maggie,” Levi said. “I love your steadiness and your desire to be in God’s will for your life. I love your kind heart, your sweet disposition, all of you. I love everything about you, my best friend on earth.”
Maggie tried not to lose it. “I love you too, Levi. You were there when I was sick. Took care of me, took me to the doctor, made me chicken soup. You always make sure I lack nothing, that I’m comfortable. With you, I feel safe and secure. God has given you to me.”
Sweat trickled down Levi’s forehead. He soldiered on. “Remember what I said after the Christmas Eve service?”
“Yes. Let’s serve God together.”
“Now I say let’s serve God together as husband and wife, and in the future, with our children as well.”
Maggie nodded. “We will raise them with the love of Christ and prayerfully our family will continue to serve God for generations to come.”
Levi broke into a broad smile. “Magdalene Grace Jacobs, will you make me the happiest man alive by becoming my one and only wife? You’re the only one for me.”
