The Magnolia Story(10)

I have to say, I’m very thankful that Jo’s parents were all right with us being together. They could have said, “This guy is not gonna work, and you need to move in a different direction.” And honestly, Jo was so obedient that, just for the sake of responsibility or obligation or whatever you want to call it, she might have broken it off. But her parents, even early on, were supportive and encouraging. And my parents were of course supportive of her. They still say to this day she is the best thing that ever happened to me.

Despite all the differences between my dad and Chip, Dad knew that he had a good heart, and he saw something in Chip that he knew was right for me.

People say opposites attract, and I think the fact that Chip and I were together for anything beyond a first date proves that point pretty well. But the fact that we stayed together goes to something a little deeper. The fact that we were opposites on the surface didn’t negate the fact that we were both raised by loving parents, in loving families, and that we both love our families dearly. Our roots were important to both of us, and that one common bond, to me, plays a big role in what has kept us together.

Not that we’re perfect or anything. Don’t get the wrong idea. There were times when we would fight like cats and dogs. And Jo’s tough. But there was just something about her. We’d work through it. Whatever stupid mistake I made—and there was plenty of stuff that set her off—we’d find a way to get through it, and we’d wind up being even closer to each other in the end. Every time.

Jo was more perfect for me than I ever could have imagined. After we’d been dating about a year, I honestly couldn’t imagine my life without her. So I decided to do the traditional thing and went and asked Jo’s dad for her hand in marriage. Honestly, that was one of the best days of my life. I couldn’t have been more nervous, and he was just so supportive. Both of our families were supportive. And as soon as I was over that hurdle, I started planning a way to surprise her and ask her to marry me in a way that she’d never forget.

Chip told me he’d been invited to a private concert, and he asked me if I wanted to go. He was vague about what kind of music it was or what this concert was all about, but I didn’t care. I pretty much wanted to go anywhere Chip wanted to take me.

“Okay, great!” he said. “Well, you’ve got to get really dressed up, and it’s in Archer City.”

I knew that both of Chip’s parents had gone to high school in that sweet little town, which was the setting for Larry McMurtry’s famous novel, The Last Picture Show, and the movie of the same name starring Cybill Shepherd and Jeff Bridges. The old theater that inspired the book and film was still there, and I knew they had concerts in that venue from time to time, so nothing seemed unusual about Chip’s request, even though we would have to drive four hours to get there. I honestly didn’t suspect a thing. I was just excited.

We wound up rolling into Archer City at about seven o’clock that night. But instead of pulling up near the theater, Chip pulled into this little shopping center and drove us around to a door in the back.

“Chip, where are you taking me?” I asked.

“Just come on,” he said. He was all smiles.

I was thinking, Well, this must be a super private concert. He took me into this unmarked hallway, and at first he seemed kind of lost, as if he was trying to figure out where he was going. Then all of a sudden Chip fell down to one knee and sort of wobbled to one side. I thought he was having a heart attack or something.

“Chip? Are you okay?” I said.

I was wearing a peacoat—it was cold out—and when I knelt down, my knee pinned the bottom of my coat to the ground so I couldn’t sit back up straight. I had to put my hand against the wall so I could lean and get the jacket out from under me.

Then he looked at me. I realized he was down on one knee on purpose. He got real calm, and he took my hand, and he said, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” I was in total shock—even more so than I was on my dad’s driveway basketball court when Chip first said, “I love you.”

“Oh my goodness!” was the only thing I could get out. I was so taken aback, and so happy, but so confused.

“Chip,” I said, kind of giggling and giddy at the whole thing. “Babe, why are we doing this in a hallway?”

Chip got a funny smile on his face, a smile I’d never seen before, and he said, “Well, knock on the door.” We were standing beside an unmarked door in that unmarked hallway, and I could not figure out for the life of me what he was up to. I shook my head and went ahead and knocked—and the door opened.

Behind it stood a man who looked like Geppetto from Pinocchio, wearing a leather apron and a magnifying visor on his head.

“Welcome to my jewelry shop,” the man said. “You’re here to design your ring.”

I just about melted. The shopping center was closed, so we had the whole store to ourselves. The jeweler was a man named Billy Holder, who had gone to high school with Chip’s dad, and they’d worked this whole thing out in advance. The fact that the selection of the ring tied back to Chip’s roots and family history made it all the more special for me.

I couldn’t get over the fact that Chip had arranged all of this just for me. When did he have the time? How did he keep it all a secret? I wondered. I basically got the chance to sit and sift through Billy’s entire inventory of diamonds and settings and pick my engagement ring right there on the spot.