Read Online The Promise: A Tragic Accident, a Paralyzed Bride, and the Power of Love, Loyalty, and Friendship by Rachelle Friedman - Free Book Online
Authors: Rachelle Friedman
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love under the stars, and it was amazing. At the end of the night, I was basically shocked that Chris hadn’t pulled out a ring. It was a setup made for a marriage proposal. Like a Hollywood movie setup. Yet he didn’t ask me.
Then on the Fourth of July we took his parents’ boat out on the lake to watch the local fireworks. As we cuddled at the front of the boat, he grabbed me and kissed me softly. I couldn’t even focus, because my thoughts were so preoccupied with this possible proposal. The fireworks ended, and we began to head back to the house. Another opportunity lost. I realized I needed to stop being such a girl and just let it happen. So I put my proposal obsession aside and went about my summer. I think he wanted to catch me off guard, and he really did.
We were at a fancy restaurant one night called Freemason Abbey, and after we finished our drinks, he got out of his seat. At first I barely noticed what was happening. He stood up abruptly without saying anything, and I was thinking, Where is he going? Then he got down on one knee.
“Will you be my wife?” he asked.
I exclaimed, “Yes!” I was startled. I think I said it ten times over and over again.
He pulled out a ring and said, “This is my grandmother’s ring. I will buy you your own when we can afford it.”
It was a princess-cut diamond in a yellow gold setting, and it was beautiful. He’d spoken to his mom and told her that he couldn’t afford a ring but that he wanted to propose. She had some family jewels, so they sorted through them and chose this one. He stood up and announced to the restaurant, “This is Rachelle, and she just agreed to be my wife!” Everyone clapped. Then we kissed.
Then Chris started to lead me upstairs right away. The restaurant had enormously high ceilings, flanked with wood paneling and a huge rustic chandelier hanging low. It had this zigzag staircase that led up to the balcony seating. I was so confused as to why we were on the move like this, leaving our table, but I was so giddy, filled with joy, surprised, and excited, that I didn’t ask any questions. I looked up and I realized both of our entire families were there! I hadn’t even seen them, but they had watched the entire proposal, and we were all able to have dinner and celebrate together. Some were waiting on the stairs, and we all hugged. It was such a perfect night. He took my breath away.
Sadly, many people asked if Chris and I would still be together after the accident, but even in the hospital that doubt never crossed our minds. We were deeply in love, and the accident didn’t change that. In fact, I felt sorry for the people who asked because it suggested to me that they didn’t know true love. It was essentially the most asked question. It was crazy. Honestly, if given the opportunity to walk again, but having to do so without him, I wouldn’t do it. Our love proved to be far more powerful than this accident.
I believed in love and soul mates, and I knew through Chris that dreams came true. But I didn’t believe everything happened for a reason. I didn’t believe that if I simply worked hard, I’d walk again. I hated when people said things like that. It implied that everyone in a chair wasn’t trying hard enough. That they just didn’t want it bad enough. People also said that I was so positive that surely I would walk again. Positivity doesn’t make you stand up. It’s like telling an amputee that if he’s positive and tries hard enough, his leg will grow back. My spinal cord was an actual thing that broke, soft like a banana, easy to snap. I didn’t have a disease I was fighting through. I had damaged my spinal cord. If you unplug a lamp, no matter how hard you try, or how positive you are, it will not turn on. I believed in science, and since I was still young, maybe when I was fifty someone would develop something that would allow me to walk again one day—even if it was only for twenty or thirty years of my life.
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Then on the Fourth of July we took his parents’ boat out on the lake to watch the local fireworks. As we cuddled at the front of the boat, he grabbed me and kissed me softly. I couldn’t even focus, because my thoughts were so preoccupied with this possible proposal. The fireworks ended, and we began to head back to the house. Another opportunity lost. I realized I needed to stop being such a girl and just let it happen. So I put my proposal obsession aside and went about my summer. I think he wanted to catch me off guard, and he really did.
We were at a fancy restaurant one night called Freemason Abbey, and after we finished our drinks, he got out of his seat. At first I barely noticed what was happening. He stood up abruptly without saying anything, and I was thinking, Where is he going? Then he got down on one knee.
“Will you be my wife?” he asked.
I exclaimed, “Yes!” I was startled. I think I said it ten times over and over again.
He pulled out a ring and said, “This is my grandmother’s ring. I will buy you your own when we can afford it.”
It was a princess-cut diamond in a yellow gold setting, and it was beautiful. He’d spoken to his mom and told her that he couldn’t afford a ring but that he wanted to propose. She had some family jewels, so they sorted through them and chose this one. He stood up and announced to the restaurant, “This is Rachelle, and she just agreed to be my wife!” Everyone clapped. Then we kissed.
Then Chris started to lead me upstairs right away. The restaurant had enormously high ceilings, flanked with wood paneling and a huge rustic chandelier hanging low. It had this zigzag staircase that led up to the balcony seating. I was so confused as to why we were on the move like this, leaving our table, but I was so giddy, filled with joy, surprised, and excited, that I didn’t ask any questions. I looked up and I realized both of our entire families were there! I hadn’t even seen them, but they had watched the entire proposal, and we were all able to have dinner and celebrate together. Some were waiting on the stairs, and we all hugged. It was such a perfect night. He took my breath away.
Sadly, many people asked if Chris and I would still be together after the accident, but even in the hospital that doubt never crossed our minds. We were deeply in love, and the accident didn’t change that. In fact, I felt sorry for the people who asked because it suggested to me that they didn’t know true love. It was essentially the most asked question. It was crazy. Honestly, if given the opportunity to walk again, but having to do so without him, I wouldn’t do it. Our love proved to be far more powerful than this accident.
I believed in love and soul mates, and I knew through Chris that dreams came true. But I didn’t believe everything happened for a reason. I didn’t believe that if I simply worked hard, I’d walk again. I hated when people said things like that. It implied that everyone in a chair wasn’t trying hard enough. That they just didn’t want it bad enough. People also said that I was so positive that surely I would walk again. Positivity doesn’t make you stand up. It’s like telling an amputee that if he’s positive and tries hard enough, his leg will grow back. My spinal cord was an actual thing that broke, soft like a banana, easy to snap. I didn’t have a disease I was fighting through. I had damaged my spinal cord. If you unplug a lamp, no matter how hard you try, or how positive you are, it will not turn on. I believed in science, and since I was still young, maybe when I was fifty someone would develop something that would allow me to walk again one day—even if it was only for twenty or thirty years of my life.
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