2000 was a busy year for Roger and Joanne, and the autumn arrived without them having taken a vacation of any significance. Rather than the city sightseeing slogging vacation which Roger usually advocates, they decided to take it easy... really easy.
That meant a carefree beach somewhere in the tropics, with no structure, no schedules, no "must see" tourist stops, just easily accessible frozen rum drinks. The answer was Sandals Royal Bahamian, a couples-only, all-inclusive resort in the Bahamas.
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Roger had been intending to propose since the summer, preferably on the beach in Bay Head where he and Joanne had met. But a crazy summer schedule had torpedoed his chances. So if a proposal on a Jersey Shore beach wasn't possible, a Caribbean beach would have to do! Some frantic, last-minute Diamond District negotiations yielded a beautiful engagement ring the day before the flight, which Roger quickly insured and stashed in his backpack.
There were to be several surprises this vacation, the first being Roger's upgrading the plane tickets to First Class. This effectively counteracted Joanne's fear of flying, and the flight down was a great kickoff to a great vacation.
A painless transfer from the airport opened up the world of Sandals. The Sandals "compound" is a Caribbean fantasy, where the chaises are plentiful, the pools are heated, the food is all-you-can-eat, and the drinks are frozen and tasty. Exactly what the doctor ordered. Several days of floating in pools flanked by Roman columns, waterfalls, and turquoise and pink murals; suntanning on a private beach in front of a warm, turquoise ocean; and watching macabre fire/limbo dancing after sumptuous dinners, put them in a Caribbean frame of mind.
The highlight of the trip was on Tuesday, when they signed up for a "Dolphin Encounter" on the recommendation of a particularly enthusiastic acquaintance of Joanne's who claimed that it "changed his life." A "dolphin encounter" is an opportunity to cavort with these amazing mammals, and then purchase the photos and videos of the event for an exorbitant fee. Which they proceeded to do. But the excitement of the day put Joanne and Roger in an ebullient mood, on which Roger decided to capitalize.
That evening, while getting ready for dinner, Roger slipped the ring into his pocket, and diverted Joanne to the beach. At first, Joanne wasn't interested in the detour since she was more focused on dinner, but she acquiesced. So on the beach, Roger asked Joanne to marry him, and the sparkle of the diamond in the Caribbean moonlight quickly made Joanne forget her hunger!
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Rather than getting on the phone and paying the outrageous Bahamian phone charges to share the news with family and friends, they kept it their little secret for the rest of the vacation. And they practiced saying the words "I am engaged" and "fiancee," which are actually quite difficult to pronounce in normal conversation.