In September, Bryan and I took nothing but two full carry on suitcases and heads full of dreams and flew across the Atlantic to explore several cities in Europe. The last stop on our tour was Paris, France. The city of lights was very good to us. People were polite, the views were breathtaking and the city gave us memories that would last a lifetime.
After we visited Notre Dame cathedral, we took a stroll down the Seine river to the Pont de Arts. This bridge has a chain link fence that is covered in thousands, maybe millions of locks. People believe that if you go to the bridge with a loved one, attach a lock to the bridge and toss the key into the river, you'll love each other forever.
I heard about the bridge from many forms of media and believed it to be romantic and hopeful, two things that I'm not usually very experienced in. When we arrived at the bridge, we found ourselves without a lock. A quick trip the a neighboring gift shop would solve that problem.
As we were picking out locks, Bryan asked why I wanted to visit the bridge in the first place. I explained to him that I found it wonderfully fascinating that the bridge symbolizes hope and a leap of faith. The sentiment of someone wishing for a long happy future with someone and tossing any doubt into the river with the key, tickled me and gave me a sense of optimism. Apparently this tugged on Bryan's heartstrings.
He later told me later that he originally planned to propose on the top of the Arc de Triumph. As it turns out, my little speech inspired him to take his own leap a little sooner than planned. As we walked back to the bridge the afternoon sunlight began to sparkle over the Seine and to our surprise, an accordion player appeared on the bridge. Bryan asked me to pick a spot for our lock. I knelt down to find the perfect spot and Bryan knelt down with me. A few seconds later, Bryan pulled out the newly purchased lock with Carly & Bryan 2013 scribbled on the front. On the lock, was a ring... our ring.
I began to cry as he asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. I whispered yes, we kissed and held each other on that bridge for what seemed like forever. It was as if we were the only two people in the world. Just Bryan and I in our little corner of the lock bridge.
We spent the rest of the day giddily walking through Paris. We experienced the sunset overlooking the city, watching the crowds at the Eiffel Tower and sipping wine and champagne at little cafes and restaurants, all on cloud nine.
Now here we are, a few months later, planning the biggest day of our lives. By this time next year, I'll be a Mrs. How comforting and exciting.
-Akemi-chan
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