The Answer

The mayor of Eureka Springs will soon announce the winner of a $20,000 all inclusive wedding package. He surveys the sea of brides -to-be clutching what they hope is the winning ticket. He's about to make someone's day.

Dana pulls her ticket out of the black moleskine notebook in which she'd been taking notes for her daughter's wedding. She wanted to win the wedding for Dottie but you have to be present to win and Dottie is not and since she is, she entersed her own name. Now she holds the ticket in her 50 year old hand and tosses up a part prayer, part dare to God “if I'm supposed to marry John let me win”.

Just last week as they snuggled on the couch, John had paused “The Voice” and said “What if we got married?” They discussed it and decided it was a definite possibility. She hadn't given a definitive answer because he hadn't really asked a definitive question. But they had time. After Dottie's wedding.

On the drive to this wedding expo she allowed herself to day dream about her wedding. She pictured a court house wedding wearing a cream color suit with pointy toed kitten heel shoes, her grandmother's birdcage veil and a small bouquet of Lily of the Valleys. Any week day would do but it has to be at 11:45 so when they walk out of the courthouse the Methodist Church's noon bells will be ringing.

The ticket was bookmarking a secret page in the back of the notebook titled John Pro/Con.

John is a machinist by trade but also an award winning photographer, who cooks like Hugh Atcheson, dances like Hugh Jackman and looks like...Duck Dynasty's long lost cousin.

Dana had prayed to find a good man. She thought about the joke that goes “You are the answer to my prayers...not exactly what I prayed for but it looks like you're the answer”. When her friend, Jennifer, saw his dating profile picture – chest length beard and hunting camo – she said, “He's looks like an Arkansas redneck”. Not exactly what she prayed for.

Jennifer was at Dana's apartment the night John called taking their online relationship to the next level.

She came with hors d'ouerves, wine and a helium ballooon. When the phone rang Dana took a deep breath of helium and answered sounding like Minnie Mouse. John laughed so hard he was snorting for breath. It was a great laugh. Phone calls led to coffee dates to lunch dates to dinner and dancing dates and Dana realized that Arkansas rednecks might be her favorite kind of person. He was looking more and more like the answer.

John made his way to the conession stand which gave Dana a few minutes to look at her list.

pro:

kind

thoughtful

funny

good with hands (she had added a smiley face)

friendly

travels

loves her kids

laughs easily

con:

short

small town

All the cons she thought of were nothing more than differences, not better or worse, just different. For example, she was private school educated with Bachelors and Masters degrees. He was Arkansas public school eduated and a trade school graduate. But his extra curricular education included a mother who was curious about the world and taught him to love encyclopedias and maps. She instilled in him a sense of adventure and a life long love of learning. That trade school degree and his inate skills and intelligence afforded him a career as a Master Machinist that he enjoyed for 30 years.

The first time they were on a day trip and Dana suggested turning down an intriguing dirt road and he excitedly said “hell, yeah”. The road dead ended at a gorgeous waterfall. She knew she had found her co-adventurer. She hadn't had that since her Daddy died. She was a daddy's girl and no less so, after his death. She knew he would have loved John. They were both story tellers. And adventurers. And lovers of nature. And both adored Dana.

Dana reaches into her purse which is basically a portable office supply closet and pulls out a black Sharpie and writes across all the pros and all the cons HE MAKES ME HAPPY. She tears the paper out but before she can get rid of it John shows up. She doesn't notice it fall out of her notebook and onto the floor as she stepped out to stretch her legs.

John notices. Picks it up. Reads it. His smile almost breaks his face. He folds it and puts it in his pocket.

As Dana walks back into the auditorium she sees John sitting with a big smile on his face. He generates happiness.

Dottie was the first to see it. She spent the night at Dana's apartment and crashed early. The next morning over coffee Dottie explained, “Mom, I like John for you. Last night after I went to bed, I lay there listening to the sound of your voices and your laughter. I realized you are happy. You deserve this after 22 years in a miserable marriage. I was hoping for someone like, say, Patrick Dempsey but you got Arkansas Ricky Gervais. And just for the record I think Ricky Gervais is second look handsome and hilarious. So I stand by my comparison. Maybe John is the one for you or maybe not but don't let your brain override your heart. You may think John is too good to be true but I think it's very possible he's both good and true.” Dottie put her hands together and bows, “Thus endeth the sermon from the book of Dottie, chapter 2, verse 10.”

John points to his watch when Dana settles beside him. “Ten minutes. Do you want to stay?”

“LSure”, she says. “We probably won't win but it will be fun either way.” Dana slips her arm through his and John's smile broadens. He feels like he's already won. She does too and she is going to accept his non-proposal with a definite yes on the way home.

The mayor taps the mic to get everyone's attention. “It's time to announce the winner of the Romancing the Springs wedding package. Thank you for coming and thank all our vendors who have shown how much Eureka Springs has to offer as a wedding venue. Included in this $20,000 package is a 2 night stay for you and your wedding party at the 1886 Crecent Hotel – the most haunted hotel in America. Guys if you can't do it any other way you can scare your bride into your arms. It also includes our luxury spa package for the lucky couple. Award winning photographer, Pheobe Griffin, will capture your day artistically. The Crystal Dining Room will host your reception dinner. JB Jams will provide the music for that first dance and all the dances until midnight when the party moves to the roof where Bebe's Blasts will provide a firewords display to put the exclamation point on your perfect day.” The mayor's wife walks out in a pale pink silk shantung suit and hands the mayor an envelope. He opens and leans into the mic. “And the winner is... Dana Stovall!”

The auditorium falls silent and people began scanning the room for the winner.

“Dana Stovall”.

Dana and John have locked eyes, wide with disbelief, mouths agape. They start to smile, then giggle, then laugh out loud. Dana lifts her hand. “It's me!”

“Come on up here you two”

A polite applause starts and quickly dies down. It was pretty clear they were expecting younger, prettier winners. The thought made Dana laugh even harder as they walked to the front.

The mayor shakes hands with John, then Dana congratulating them with growing animation. “John you are a lucky man.”

Dana says, “And I'm lucky too” at the same time John says, “Yeah I'm marrying over my head in every way.”

The crowd chuckled.

John continues, “When I first laid eyes on her I though Oh my Lord, she's Nicole Kidman and here I am Danny Devito.”

That got another laugh.

The mayor asks, “How long have you been engaged?”

John sighs, “Funny story, I thought I was asking her but I didn't word it just right because we ended up talking about the institute of marriage and...”

The mayor interrupted him “Well, did you give her a ring?”

John says, “I did not. I had it. But it was such a piss poor proposal she couldn't even tell what it was so I decided to give it another go later on.”

The mayor asks, “Well how about now? In front of a thousand of your closest friends? Do you have the ring on you?”

John says, “I do. I've carried it every day since I bought it.”

The crowd “awwwwww's” in unison. Dana's eyes widen in surprise.

Mayor asks, “And when was that??”

John says, “The day after our first date, 8 months ago. I guess you'd say I bought it on spec.”

The crowd laughs.

The mayor asks crowd “What do you think? Should he do it?”

The crowd starts chanting “Ask her. Ask her. Ask her.”

When John pulls the ring from the cargo pocket of his pants and drops on one knee the crowd roars their approval.

John looks up at Dana and says, “I don't want to confuse the issue so I'm going ask you straight out -You know I love you so will you marry me?”

Dana drops down on her knees so as to be eye to eye and says, “Yes!” They kiss while the crowd applauds. Then they hug.

John whispers “Dana?”

She answers, “Yes?”

John says, “I can't get up without help”.

Dana throws her head back and laughs “Me either”.

They are laughing so hard they don't even try for a few seconds - long enough for the Mayor and his wife to lend their hands. If there was lingering disappointment in the crowd over not winning, Dana and John can't tell. All they feel is a wave of good cheer washing over them as they stand and acknowledge the applause with a wave and a bow.

Nine months later John stands at alter of the Thornhill Chapel across from his beautiful bride in her cream colored suit and birdcage veil. It's time for him to say his personalized vows. He takes a crumpled piece of paper out of his suit pocket. Dana recognizes it immediately. He starts, “Back in February you started a pro/con list about me. I have some things to say about that. First of all, that's a smart idea. And it makes me feel even better that you thought about it and still picked me. Second of all, you only listed 2 “cons” about me. I could fill that book with my cons but you couldn't. It made me think I needed to marry you in a hurry before you get over your love blindness. I saved this paper because I wanted to fix whatever those cons were. But the 2 things you put were things I can't change. I'm short and I'm from a small town. I think you are falling in love with my small town just like you fell for me. Maybe that's because you know that town made me who I am. As far as me being short well, you make me feel 10 feet tall and proud as a peacock to have you by my side. But the best thing about this list is you were tossing it out and going with your heart and your heart was happy with me. I have proof because you wrote it “He makes me happy.” So my vow to you is just one thing – I promise to try to keep on making you happy until the last breath the Good Lord gives me.”

Definitely the answer.