August 8, 2020
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The next day was Sunday and Marquette had church in Albuquerque at the Singles Ward and Cameron unfortunately had to work that day. But the Mowers had previously been invited over to Uncle Roger’s house for dinner, so they knew they’d see each other then. Marquette went to church and all seemed normal until she was walking out to drive home. Her cousin’s ward met right after hers, so she usually walked by the chapel and waved on her way out. That Sunday Marquette had a hard time finding her cousin, but finally saw her half way hidden around a corner of the overflow divider. She waved and Katie frantically started waving for Marquette to come over to her. Figuring Katie just wanted to ask her how the talk with Cameron went, she walked in and around the corner to find Cameron sitting there next to Katie in his neon yellow t-shirt and work jeans. Not sure what the heck he was doing there, but happy to see him none-the-less, Marquette went and sat by him through the rest of church. Come to find out he had been let off work early and he had been so excited to see Marquette that he ran a few red lights trying to get there before church let out. After church was over Marquette and Cameron walked out of the chapel hand in hand and ran right into Uncle Roger, who just laughed. Dinner that night went well and we spent the evening snuggled on the couch. Day 2 of dating. July 2.
July 3rd Marquette had to work, so she and Cameron decided to have dinner with Cameron’s parents that evening as he had to go back to Silver City on the work crew the following day. Cameron picked Marquette up from work and drove out to his parent’s house. That summer it was incredibly rainy and stormy. The country was green and more beautiful than any ever remember seeing it. Luck would have it that on that night there was a good storm that knocked the electricity out. As the Mowers live a ways out, they were prepared for this and lit all their gas lanterns and had them in the house. Everyone ate dinner and then Cameron wanted to take Marquette out to the pond by their house to show her the toads. Being terrified of lightening, Marquette didn’t really want to go, but she didn’t want the Mowers to think she was a pansy. Besides, she knew it’d make Cameron happy so Marquette put on her excited face, agreed to go out, and bundled up against the rain and mud. Kathleen helped find a coat for Marquette and the two drove down the road a little ways only to promptly get the car stuck in the ditch. Luckily an ant can pick up a Geo Metro and they got it out of the ditch, but not without getting muddy from the knees down. Laughing, they left the car there and tromped over to the pond where the toads were. There were TONS of them! They stood there watching the toads for a while, visiting and watching the lightning (Marquette trying not to cringe each time thunder or lighting came around). Marquette was sure that we were going to get struck by lightning and be found dead a few hours later. Cameron on the other hand thought that was the most romantic adventure he could think of.
Cameron and Marquette eventually went back to the house (much to Marquette’s relief) and visited with his parents a little more before they headed off to bed (but not before giving the appropriate parental admonition of “don’t stay up too late you two”). Cameron and Marquette sat on the couch all snuggled up, visiting about all sorts of different things that really had no big significance. This was one thing they really loved about each other…they could just talk about anything and have a perfectly enjoyable conversation together. After a while there was a lull in the conversation and they just sat there snuggled up. Marquette was lost in her own thoughts when Cameron asked her, “Marquette, why didn’t any of your boyfriends ever kiss you?” And suddenly she began to panic. “What do I say? Does he want to kiss me or is he just making small talk? Do I want him to kiss me? 2 days ago he didn’t even like me!” Finally she said, “I never let one of them kiss me and the other two just never tried.” “Oh.” was all the response Cameron gave and they fell back into silence. Marquette’s thoughts were going a million miles a second, trying to decide what to say or how to go from there when Cameron said, “Marquette?” She turned her head to look at him to see what he wanted to say and he leaned over really fast and kissed her. Marquette gave an embarrassed little smile and chuckle. “I hope that was ok?” Cameron asked. “Well, if it wasn’t it’s too late now.” He just grinned and said, “Does that mean I can kiss you again?” And so he kissed Marquette for the 2nd time. They resumed talking, stealing a kiss every now and then. Right out of nowhere, like the kiss, he said, “Marquette, I love you. You’re amazing.” Marquette had known for two months that she already loved Cameron and it sent joy through her soul to hear him say that he loved her. “I can’t believe how long it has taken me to realize this. I don’t know why you’ve even given me a chance after I told you that I didn’t like you. I’m so grateful though that you were dumb enough to want to date me and that you gave us a chance.” Marquette then got to tell him that she’d known for the past two months that she loved him, and that it had been worth that wait…and he kissed her again.
After a little bit he started asking questions…and not just any questions…The Questions. In another previous discussion with his Dad, Kerry had told him that when you’re trying to get to know a girl and see if she’s the one you want to marry, you have to ask “The Questions”. So, Cameron just figured that was the next step, to start exploring the answers to The Questions. It seemed logical. “What sort of things are you looking for in your future husband? Do you think you and your spouse will want kids someday? How many kids?” “Would you want to live anywhere specific?” etc. Her head was spinning. Was he seriously starting to ask The Questions on their 3rd day of dating?! As Marquette told him what she wanted in a husband, he responded by saying, “I think I can do that.”
Eventually they got to talking about BYU-Idaho and what Marquette had going on up there. The classes she was signed up for. The apartment she had arranged. Friends. He got quiet for a moment, then he tentatively asked her, “If I asked you to not go to BYU-Idaho and to stay here with me, what would you do?”. She already knew the answer to this question. She’d known the answer to this question for at least 2 months, when her friends had asked about that exact hypothetical situation. Hesitating for a moment, afraid of what her answer meant, she finally spoke up and told him, “I’d stay here with you.” He smiled and hugged Marquette tighter and said, “Well, I guess that will involve a ring then, won’t it?”
Marquette was quite literally speechless. “I think he just asked me to marry him. Did he? He did! What?!”…all she could get out was, “And you’ll have to talk to my dad first.” Super romantic these two.
The rest of the night they talked in “ifs”. “If we were to get married…would you want kids right away? If we were to get married how would school work? If we were to get married…etc”. Marquette was ecstatic, joyful, nervous and completely terrified. They continued to talk in “ifs” all the way back to Uncle Roger’s house where Cameron kissed her goodnight and made plans for a morning picnic before Marquette had to go to work and he had to leave for the road crew. That night Marquette went to bed with butterflies in her knotted up stomach. Only a few days prior Cameron had told her that he wasn’t attracted to her and that he wasn’t interested in her…and here he was telling her that he loved her and bringing marriage up. “Does he really love me or was this just hormones talking? How could he have changed so fast? Are we moving too fast? What do I do?” Marquette was a complete mess. Understandably she didn’t sleep much at all that night (yet Cameron slept sound and well as usual). She stayed up praying and worrying and thinking and praying some more. Finally sleep did come, but she still felt all tangled up inside.
And thus ended Day 3…July 3.
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