On a cool Floridian February afternoon, a man walks into a personalized gift store by the name of Things Remembered. He is inquiring about a bracelet he has and wants engraved. He waits behind a middle aged woman to talk to the sales clerk who is explaining the custom design policy to the woman. The sales girl acknowledges him by asking if he has a question or an order to pickup. He shows her the bracelet and she tells him that she could engrave it for him and did he know what he wanted on it? He replies that no, he doesn't quite know yet, and she hands him a book of messages and designs while explaining the pricing to him. He pages through the book, while waiting for the older woman in front of him to cease her incessant questions about the designs."I really like this one but instead of a bear could we change that to a frog?"
"Unfortunately we cannot alter any of the designs in the book. If you'd like, we can order a custom made design just for you"
"No no…I don't want to wait that long. What about this one? Can we change the font in this logo?"
"I'm sorry, but again, no we can't alter any of the designs."
The man listens to this conversation between the woman and the sales girl before realizing he is late for his return to work, and must leave. He hands the book back to the sales girl and says he'll come back later on, when he has more time. She thanks him, but her words are drowned out by the older woman who is now asking about engraving on a blanket she has at home…the sales girl wishes she could have gotten to speak with the man more before he left.
About a week or so later, the girl from Things Remembered returns to her home after work and checks her email. She finds a message from a man she does not know that simply reads, "Hi". She ignores it, but does not delete it. A week goes by, then another, and every day the girl sees the email in her inbox and one night, just decides to answer it. She responds with a "hi" of her own and apologizes for the delay. A correspondence begins between the two people. Conversations begin over instant messenger, and after a short time, the man gives her his phone number. She hesitates, but calls anyway. Halfway through their first conversation, he asks if she works at Things Remembered, and she says she does. He asks if she remembers a man with a bracelet or an older woman asking about changing designs, and she remembers.
They have dinner together a few days later. The dinner lasts well into the early morning hours moving from a table at TGI Friday's, to the parking lot of Wal-Mart where he changes her headlights for her. She hugs him at the end of the date. The next day, they talk on the phone, and the day after that, they go see a movie together and afterward hang around in the parking lot talking for hours.She meets his family over Easter, he meets hers over Memorial weekend, they fall in love, twice; first with each other, then with Viva Piñata.
Yes, Viva Piñata. What could be more romantic than a game where you cultivate a garden beautiful and lush enough to attract many species of piñata animals, all with the sole intention of mating them to create a happy piñata ecosystem teeming with wildlife, candy, plants, and fruit bearing trees?
Soon, his Xbox was taken over by her addiction to the game, and he solved the problem by purchasing her own for her as an early birthday gift. They happily played in their gardens for hours, sitting next to each other, each with their separate gaming systems set up, sending piñatas back and forth.
He builds a mine and sends his miners to work; she systematically begins "romancing" all of her animals and steadily climbs toward level 108. His miners are finding emeralds, sapphires, and gold while she builds houses and discovers variants of each animal. He unearths a diamond, deep within the recesses of his mine, and she closes in on the final level. He tucks the diamond away, sure that it would somehow play an important role later on…
So we come to this, the part of the story that has captured international attention. One day, they are both playing happily in their gardens. She is hatching eggs, he is fidgeting in his seat. She receives a crate from him and opens it. His diamond pops out, and the message attached reads "Will you marry me?" She giggles and calls him silly. He slides something into his hand before getting up, walking over to her, and kneeling before her smiles up and says "Really. Will you marry me?" and holds up a beautiful turn of the century diamond ring, an heirloom that has been in his family for its third generation.
She hugs him, says "Yes!" as enthusiastically as she possibly could, and holding her hand, he slips the ring on while she swallows her flutterscotches to give him a kiss…
By Jenn and David Rosowski, AKA Procrasturbate.
Originially on MySpace VPWed.
Also see, original forum post. Images from Gamespot.
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