Kissing My Dad's Friend

The food smells even better up close. “What, did you fly your chef friend out here as a surprise or something?” I chuckle.

He grins, eyes twinkling. “Not quite. But I did convince one of the best chefs on the island, whose wife we treated for severe internal bleeding earlier this month, to make us this meal.”

My mouth waters. Puerto Rico is not just beautiful, it also has some of the best food you’ll find anywhere. But it looks like this isn’t even the traditional Puerto Rican food we’ve been dining on at our local spots for the past few months since we arrived. When Russ lifts the lid off the tray with a flourish, my eyes go wide.

“You didn’t.” I burst into laughter. On the plate between us sits a full American style meal: perfectly cooked burgers topped with avocados and some sauce that smells spicy. A plate of ribs in Southern BBQ sauce. Even Cajun spiced French fries. “Oh my god.” I reach for a fry and pop it into my mouth before he can even react. I let out a groan of appreciation at the explosion of flavors.

“I asked you what food from back home you were missing,” Russ says softly. “This is everything you mentioned.”

My eyes widen. There’s even a plate of dumplings, just like the ones I love so much at Vanessa’s back in New York, near campus, where I used to eat all the time in nursing school. My eyes water as I realize how closely he paid attention to that conversation. “You remembered,” I whisper.

“Of course.” He reaches over to take my hand and squeezes lightly. “I remember all the important things, when it comes to you,” he says. “I always have.”

He’s right. In the year since we started dating, he’s remembered so much about me that I never even knew he would. My favorite outfits, the style I wear my hair on nights out, my favorite foods, bands, books, movies. I’ve never had a partner so attentive before, and it makes me all the more grateful to be with him now.

I don’t know what I’d do without him.

As if reading my mind, Russ catches my eyes and smiles. “I’m so glad we made it here, Maggie. Together.”

“So am I.” As gently as I can, I extricate my hand from his, unable to resist the mouthwatering scents anymore. “But we should probably eat… Before it gets cold. You know.”

He laughs, and winks at me. “Dig in,” he says, not even bothering to tease me for my appetite.

I’m sure he can’t blame me. After all, like I said, Puerto Rican food is delicious… but sometimes you miss home cooking. Or at least, home restaurant food. I dig in, and groan with appreciation at every new bite and flavor I taste. All the while, Russ explains how he talked the chef into making this for us, and a local worker who’s rebuilding one of the houses up the road lent him the gazebo to bring down to the beach as a makeshift roof. He borrowed the chairs and table from another volunteer, too.

So many favors and so much effort, all to make me smile. “I hope I’m worth all this,” I joke, when he reaches the end of his long explanation.

But the words only make Russ tense, his eyes go wide. “Maggie. You’re worth every bit of effort I spent today and a million more. I don’t ever want to stop making you smile.” He glances out over the water. In the distance, the sun is just starting to set. The sunsets here are always pretty too, much like the people and the food and the culture. But tonight’s sunset looks like it’s really going to be something extra special.

From the brilliant rays it casts out over the ocean, I can tell it will be an unforgettable night.

And that’s before Russ slides off his chair.

“I have something to confess, though, Maggie,” he says, in a voice that makes me hesitate where I sit, and then slowly, staring at him, lower my burger back to my plate. I reach for a napkin to wipe off my hands, as Russ holds my gaze.

Then he sinks down in front of me. I’m so shocked that I don’t even process it until later—but he’s only kneeling on one knee.

“I didn’t just bring you out here tonight for a fun time. Well, okay, I also brought you for that, but.” He winks. “I brought you here because I wanted to ask you a very important question.” He reaches out, and I still don’t get it, because I am completely oblivious.

But when he gently picks up my left hand from my lap and draws it out to hold it in his left, I start to realize. “Russ…” I clap my right hand over my mouth, my eyes starting to water.