Have A Little Faith In Me
Chapter 28: So Few Words…
Kate knew that Lewis had something up his sleeve - she just wasn’t sure what.
He picked her up that next evening with everything seeming as normal as it possibly could have been - except that whenever he moved, there was a strange, tinny little clicking sound that she just couldn’t place. She’d put her hand on his thigh during the car ride and felt something odd beneath his trousers…When he’d looked down and noticed that she had her hand on his leg, he quickly took her hand and held it - as sweetly and as lovingly as always - but away from the suspicious ridge beneath the knee of his pants.
When they climbed out of the car at Mario’s, as he was transferring from the car to his wheelchair, she’d mentioned the clicking. He shrugged it off, saying that it was probably just some moving part on the chair and that he’d have it checked out later.
He seemed nervous…but nervous in that sweet, sheepish way of his. He didn’t knock his wineglass off the table. He didn’t run over anyone’s feet…and she could swear that the maitre’d had winked at him as he led them to their table.
Throughout dinner, she noticed that he was staring at her - more than usual - and with a syrupy-sweet appreciative look that defied reason. She asked him what he was thinking. He simply replied that she looked more beautiful than usual tonight.
Just after they ordered dessert, something changed. It was subtle, but she noticed that he kept stealing glances toward the kitchen. She kept looking at him, trying to figure out why he looked so trepidatious. Was anything wrong? No, nothing on earth could be wrong tonight, he said.
A waiter approached with a pitcher to refill their water glasses, and at the same time, he handed Lewis something…
Something she’d never seen him with.
…a pair of crutches.
Lewis took them and rolled back from the table, positioning himself in front of her, alongside the table - and reached down to move his feet - one at a time - onto the floor.
He smiled at her wide, gleaming, beautiful brown eyes- again in that nervous, sweet way of his and said only, “Bear with me…”
Two more clicks were heard, and Lewis, taking a crutch in each hand, slowly, carefully unfolded himself from his wheelchair. He stood before her for a moment - just as tall as he’d ever been, smiling down, never breaking his gaze as she looked up at him, amazed, unable to say a single word.
Another, chubbier waiter came up and touched Lewis on the hip - and he slid downward, slowly… carefully…
The waiter touched his other hip and moved his leg for him, then all but disappeared behind him.
Lewis reached into his pocket…
“Kate…will you marry me?”
She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t see anything but a tear-blurry vision of this wonderful man in front of her who, despite everything he had endured in the past months, had figured out a way, not only to stand up, but to then kneel in order to ask her the most important question he’d ever ask.
What could she do?
Kate didn’t even feel herself slide forward off of her chair and onto her knees, but indeed she felt every inch of wrapping her arms around his shoulders, pressing her face into his neck, moistening his collar with happy tears.
“Yes…Yes, Lewis, I will.”
Neither of them heard the applause of every single patron in the restaurant, nor the kitchen staff, or of the two waiters who high-fived each other as the couple embraced… there on the floor of the restaurant…on their knees.