Almost in Tallahassee

Friday was a very productive day. I wrote the end of the Marianna chapter, knitting together a new fresh beginning to the previously written coma scenes, then getting an ending in there.

I decided to wait and write the proposal scene until the next chapter. Since they were stopping in Rosedale, halfway between Marianna and Tallahassee, the chapter name is Rosedale.

The chapter starts with Mirka driving the LLV rather than Everett. He's still weak from sleeping for six days. Neither pays attention to the setting sun, and they have to drive over partially covered streets in darkness. Everett walks in front of the truck, leading it to a parking lot, and keeping it from running into fallen trees or falling into a small man-made lake.

I originally didn't know what large building I had picked for them to hide the truck behind. But the miracle of Google Streetview has let me know it's Big Bend Jai-Alai.

It's not really your standard issue proposal, but it works in the post-apocalyptic Florida panhandle:

NOTE: ROUGH ROUGH DRAFT

She lay back down. They gazed into each others eyes. Everett yawned.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yawn in your face."

"Everett Bridges, would you like to get married?"

He blinked at her. "Sure." As she began to smile, he began to think. "How?"

She seemed to him to be bouncing around while lying down. Her smile was wider than he had ever seen.

She kissed him."We know all the words." She kissed him again. "We can do it ourself."

She kept kissing him. On his forehead or cheeks. She grabbed his head and they kissed on the lips. Then her enthusiasm slowed as she saw how confused he looked.

"OK, well, shouldn't we stand up first?"

"Oh, no. I've been thinking about this. When we get to Tallahassee, there'll be formal shops. And I'm sure the front of the state capital looks nice." She grabbed him by the collar. "You're going to look so handsome in a tux."

Everett smiled. He didn't understand her at all, but it was making her very happy. He loved seeing her happy. He loved just seeing her. He just loved her.