Happier Days
“It’s just not fair...maybe I’m being selfish but it’s just not fair.” Hearing those words come from the strongest man I’ve ever known was probably the hardest moment during this new fight I had started. Hearing the pain, confusion, and concern in my father’s voice almost broke me. I fought back the tears, tried my best to dispel the fear I had in my own voice and told my father that “I know it’s scary, but everything will be okay.” Before I get too far ahead of myself here, I’m going to back track to before this all started, before I proposed to my fiancé.
Moments after I popped the question and the initial shock and excitement wore off.
It was July 31st, 2021, my then girlfriend, Shannon McDermott and I were packing our bags for a trip down to the cape with her family. Now if you’re from Massachusetts or if you’ve ever had the luxury of crossing over to the magical world of Cape Cod, you know just how much of a pain in the ass it is to get there. Since it was a Saturday in the middle of the summer, we knew we had quite the drive in store for us. We loaded up my truck and then proceeded to sit in traffic for the next two hours. Eventually we get the to our destination and settle in for a bit before we go out to dinner with her parents and take in some of the sights. Unbeknownst to everyone there, back in my bag I had packed the engagement ring that I bought back in February. After all those months just sitting in the bottom of my sock drawer, I finally decided to take it with me in case a moment I deemed worthy enough to propose presented itself.
The next morning, August 1st, Shannon and I decided to take a walk down to the beach we planned on going to later that day to stake out the parking situation. Before we left, I excused myself so that I could “go to the bathroom real quick.” Something that Shannon has heard oh so many times in the almost 3 years we’ve been dating. I run upstairs and take a detour to our room and grab the rather large rectangular box from my bag. I open it up and gently take out the tiny size 3.5 or 14.4 millimeter circumference ring from the box and place it in my pocket. Then I go to the bathroom to fake using it to keep my cover. I head downstairs to meet up with Shannon and we head out on our walk. About ten minutes later we reach this little beachy cove. Quickly scanning the beach, I noticed that there was a little path heading further off down the beach. “This is it” I thought to myself, I suggest we continue walking and check out where the path leads too. Along this path we took notice of all the washed up seaweeds and took tally of all the horseshoe crab carcasses we saw. Now I know what you’re thinking, “This guys a freaking romantic!” Trust me, I know. I totally set the mood for what was coming.
We finally reach the end of the path where we were greeted by a lonely little shack with a dinghy and a couple of Adirondack beach chairs. We take a few moments to take in the view and enjoy each other’s company. By then I had stuck my hand in my pocket and slipped the ring as far as it could go on my pinky so that I wouldn’t drop it like you see in those videos online. I thought that I would be so nervous by now that I would give myself away. It was quite the opposite though, I found myself extremely calm. Calm and confident, as if I knew deep down that this was meant to be. Shannon turns to me to give me a hug and a kiss, and after she takes a step back, I drop down to one knee with the ring held out and asked her the most important question of our lives. “Shannon will you marry me?”
“Oh my god are you serious? Yes, of course I will! Yes! This isn’t a joke right? Yes I will marry you!” Watching Shannon go through so many emotions and stages of excitement filled my heart with happiness. After many kisses and some selfies on the beach we headed back to let her parents know and to make some phone calls to my parents to share the good news. On the walk back she made me hold her right hand so that she can stare at the new ring on her finger. When we got back to her parents, she tried showing them the ring as the announcement, but her dad thought she was showing him her nails and he asks “What did you get your nails done? Is there a nail lady at the beach?” After we explain that there was no nail lady at the beach, we tell them the good news and continue sharing the news with my parents, and our friends. We continue celebrating our engagement with some champagne, yard games and some food.
Later that day I head back home due to not having enough vacation days to spend a week on the cape and needing to save them for all of the weddings we have later in the year. On top of that, at the end of Shannon’s vacation on the cape, my two weeks for the Army Reserves started. So in total, immediately following our engagement we are scheduled to not see each other in person for a 3 weeks. Looking back I guess it could’ve been planned a little better, but I was never much of a planner anyways. After my week of having our house to myself, playing as much video games and eating as much steak as I want (Shannon really likes chicken) I pack my bags for my AT or Annual Training.
In the Army, I am a 12W (12Whiskey) or a Carpentry and Masonry Specialist. So I’m basically a construction worker for the Army. Without going into too much detail, our mission was to put together a pre-fabricated metal building for another Reserve unit. In the first few days we were moving around wall panels that were around 500lbs a piece to put this building together. Towards the end of the first week, I bent over and immediately knew something was wrong. Now my fellow men will know that our cojones don’t really get in the way of our day to day activities. They’re just kind of there and they just hang out all day. But when I bent over, for those who have seen There’s Something About Mary, one of my beans adjusted to over my frank. I didn’t really know what to do, so I adjusted myself and kept working. At the end of the day I gave myself a quick inspection in the shower and my right testicle felt large. I thought to myself maybe I just strained too hard earlier in the week and pulled something. I’m a relatively healthy guy, sure I gained some weight during Covid but who didn’t? I’m sure I’ll be fine. I just so happened to have a physical lined up for the week after my two weeks are over. I mean what’s the worst that can happen, right…?