Chapter 15 "When A Man Loves a Woman" Early January
(Song Suggestion- "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge)
Egon
The speaking engagement at Cornell was a perfect short escape for Janine and me in early January to be together. During the middle of December, Peter, Ray, and I went to Maplewood, New Jersey, to scour the jewelry stores around the Newark airport for the right engagement ring and shop for Christmas presents in the Mall.
It was ten twenty in the evening when I spotted the ring in the second to last display case in the back of a family-owned store.
"May I see this one, please?"
The owners were cleaning the store and trying to shoo us out. I was on an unstoppable mission.
A man in his early sixties with a dark wig on his head, who wore square glasses and a mustache, huffed when his wife demanded that he show it to me in a foreign language. Impatiently, Peter and Ray had gone outside the store to smoke a cigarette while I viewed the inventory. A magnificent ring sat in the back of a display that caught my eye immediately. My heartbeat rapidly in my chest at my excitement and the possibility of it being the ring. It sounded as loud as a drummer beating a drum.
"A rare ring, an eighteen-carat rose solid gold ring one inch thick with a one-carat diamond, a style similar to the infamous jewelry store, Tiffany's, in the 1920s," the man reported, handing it to me, meticulously.
While I vigilantly scrutinized the ring, it gave me an immensely sanguine vibe. Usually, I didn't go by the "feel" of things when making decisions, yet it drew me in. I adored the exclusive coloring of the mixture of red and gold that I hadn't seen on any other rings, and both colors made Janine's beauty shine. Next, I attempted to imagine it on her ring finger, and I shut my eyes. The diamond with the unique band color would shine as brightly as her luminous smile on her slender cream-colored finger.
"Success, This is it!" I exclaimed to myself after fifteen minutes had passed, disregarding my friends nagging me about my decision. Purchasing an engagement ring was a monumental choice and one that I did not take lightly.
"Come on, Iggy," Peter tugged at my black jacket, but I ignored him by holding up my right hand. Annoyed, he sauntered off in a huff.
"Can I put a two-carat diamond on the ring," I eagerly inquired because I wanted Janine to have the largest, shiniest one possible that would flatter her hand?
"No sir, this is a ring design knocked off from Tiffany's style. However, the diamond is real, and the ring itself is in pristine condition. The cost is $1150. Although this ring costs more, it is worth the price because of its exclusiveness," the balding man behind the counter mentioned, observing Egon's vivacity.
" What size is it?"
"7.0," the older man stated, seeming pleased to be making a sale.
"Can it be made into a six and a half? And if so, when would you have it ready?"
"Yes, sir, Let me get your information, and it will be ready for you on Wednesday," the owner said, grinning, removing a notepad and a pen from his pocket. Meanwhile, I handed the ring to the youngest Ghostbuster to inspect.
"Raymond, what do you think?"
He viewed it gingerly, then held it up to the light, "It reminds me of J- dynamic and glowing. She will love it, I think. Good job, Iggy."
After I gave the information to the man, I inquired if there was a deposit or if I needed to pay in full. I didn't have my checkbook on me, but I did have an American Express in my wallet with a low balance. Ray handed the salesperson the ring back.
" Your choice, sir," the owner politely answered.
Swiftly, I removed my black wallet from the pocket of my gray pants and handed him my American Express card without hesitation. I spent little money on other things than science equipment, lectures and demonstrations, and visiting family on occasion before I dated Janine last year because I thought it was frivolous. However, I realized I wasn't living my life in full until she opened a plethora of doors and that money was just a tool to do so.
Grasping the credit card, the man leaned his head graciously downward and thanked me. Immediately, I felt relieved that I had found the most beautiful ring for my precious Angel.
Now it was eleven-thirty, and we had to drive an hour back to the firehouse with traffic.
"Are you going to Brooklyn, Spengs" Peter questioned, cracking a window before lighting a cigarette.
"Yes, please. Do you mind dropping me off there, Raymond?"
"No problem. What has J been doing tonight," Ray wondered as he maneuvered Ecto One onto the busy highway.
"She went with Winston, Maura, Lucy, and Chris to a movie," I reported, "Originally, I was going too because it was a triple date."
"Aren't you glad you didn't go," Ray gave me a sly smile through the rearview mirror?
"Hell yes! I finally discovered the right ring for her," I truthfully exclaimed with exhilaration in my voice. Also, I felt relieved.
"Where are you going to conceal it when you get it," Peter questioned.
"Hmmm. Good question, Peter," I pondered as I peered out the window and frowned.
"Could Wendy assist you in hiding the ring"
"I'd rather not involve her. She struggles with keeping secrets," I revealed, "but not maliciously. Wendy barely contained her animation when she helped me with Janine's birthday surprise."
I felt a platonic fondness of my girlfriend's good-natured and well-meaning roommate, and I grinned at the memory of her excitement when I inquired for her help in October.
The three of us discussed other hiding places for the ring, like Lucy's apartment, Janine's parents', or even a bank safe. However, we did not reach a solution.
"Who is it," a sleepy-sounding Janine questioned after I knocked on her apartment door. Now, my Casio watch read twelve thirty-five in the morning and at least one hour later than I had anticipated my arrival. I felt ecstatic about finding the correct ring for Janine but realized it would even be more challenging to hide it from her.
"Egon," I cheerfully responded, "is it too late?"
When the bolt unlocked the door from the inside, and the door opened, I viewed my lovely Janine in her satiny green pajamas with her eyes partially hooded from sleep and her bangs sticking up in different places. She was adorable, and I moved forward to kiss her before she was able to say anything. Her pink lips were the object of my desire, and I delighted in kissing her.
" I love you, my Angel. I apologize for being so late, " I commented afterward, holding her in my arms in the doorway.
"I'll wait forever for you, Egon Spengler. I am enamored of you, darling," Janine confessed with a brilliantly radiant smile on her lovely face, and she grasped my arm to guide me into her warm apartment. Her soft touch made the hairs on my arm stand up.
"I believe you already did," I jokingly replied after I closed the door behind me, and she embraced me tightly.
Janine and I were in Ithaca, New York, on a frigid Thursday evening a few weeks later. The train from Manhattan took four hours in length and allowed me to practice my speech with Janine, who gave me advice and tips, causing the time to go by swiftly. I planned to propose after a romantic evening on Saturday.
Both of my speaking engagements were outright successful. The B&B was a hit with Janine, who loved the decor and the coziness of the room. On Saturday afternoon after my lecture, we participated in our couples spa package to diminish any stress and changed clothes. Next, I whisked Janine away to eat a late dinner before going to the theatre. It was such a hit that I wondered if I should push off the proposal until tomorrow when we returned to the room.
Janine
"So, can you tell me what's in the box," I curiously asked after we returned to our room and made love. A pretty red box with a large white bow around on the pillow that I overlooked earlier. Nevertheless when we made it back to our room, we began tearing each other's clothes off when we reached the room and fucked each other senseless.
Egon turned red in the face and smirked slyly,
"A surprise, but don't open it yet."
Without another word, he went into the bathroom and put his thick white bathrobe on while I dug through my suitcase to search for my silky wrap to wear. I waited on the plush bed, lying on my stomach, eyeing the gift.
Egon joined me on the bed in his bathrobe, handed me the medium-sized box, and then kissed me. I enthusiastically opened it, viewing several pieces of drawing paper in it, laminated and bound into a book. Curiously, I questioned,
"Did you make a book about your collection of spores, mold, and fungus to give to me?"
"Maybe," he replied with a slight grin, "go ahead and look."
Delicately, I flipped the paper over to view the front cover. It was terrific: Egon sketched a profile picture of both of us with a giant heart in the middle. He wrote the title "Egon and Janine: A Journey of Love" in his block handwriting. My heart skipped a beat as I examined the cover in awe.
"I love it already," I exclaimed happily.
"You haven't even seen it yet," He mentioned in disbelief, laughing at my eagerness. I noticed that Egon appeared a little nervous.
"You seem anxious, my darling, relax," I coaxed, putting the homemade gift down and massaging his broad shoulders for a few minutes until he loosened up.
"I am OK, gorgeous. I want you to finish opening your gift," Egon apprehensively insisted. Giving him a confused glance, I gradually turned the page and saw the heavily detailed comic strip.
First, there was a picture of Ray reading my resume and mentioning that I knew BASIC to Egon and Peter. In the second, my current boyfriend looked skeptical and wrote some questions down. Thirdly, there was a picture of me writing some answers on a paper with him standing over me smugly. Egon drew himself, turning around to walk away with question marks over his head in the conversation bubble in the fourth box. The fifth box had a picture of me grinning that I had the answers right with my arms crossed, satisfied.
Lovingly, I kissed Egon's cheek and declared," This is fantastic already. How wonderful an artist you are! "
"You broke my brain that day," he shyly admitted, "from the beginning."
As I read each page, my adulation strengthened for the homemade gift. His comic covered several milestones in the path to our relationship, such as our first kiss, the gala, kissing underneath the stars, our reunion last December, the first time we made love, and others. One of my favorites so far was one of us meditating on the roof after I thanked him for arranging for me to go to a private lecture with Steve Jobs, but truthfully, I adored them all.
The last chapter was "my life without you" and contained several boxes that summarized and illustrated the aching and challenges he faced while he struggled to move on. Others include- Egon talking to a therapist, grappling with me dating again, not being able to sleep and eat, and even one box of his heartbreak while he watched me cry after an unnamed man (Victor) hit me.
My tears flowed freely down my face at this point as I took in the excruciating detail he spent on this gift. Then the third to last page-
"To my Angel and Goddess Janine,
My love for you is boundless. You are my sun, my moon, and my stars."
Love always,
Egon
"Don't turn the page yet, my Angel, please," he pleaded, his long face displaying worry.
Egon had been leaning over my shoulder, watching my reaction as I read his precious gift, but he moved to where he sat in front of me. Wiping my tears away, I took a deep breath first to gather my thoughts before speaking.
"OK, How, how...long... have you been doing this," I stuttered, holding up the comic strip book. Then I put my book against my heart and crossed it with my arms, protectively.
"I believe I told you that I have always drawn to relax, usually at night when I'm too tired to do anything else yet when sleep eludes me," Egon confessed, looking into my blue eyes intently, with a slight smile on his enticing lips.
Tears in my eyes welled up, but he continued, "Eventually, I started to draw things that happened between us. I didn't know it would be a work of love until I realized that I was in love or maybe until I wanted to admit it."
"Wow! You are immensely talented, the detail that you put into this comic, " I stammered, "wow. Thank you."
"There's a little more, " he stated, taking the comic and opening it to a blank page," but you have to promise me to keep it on this page right now."
"Ok, my darling Egon. You don't need to do anything more. This weekend has been out of this world awesome," I announced, then kissed my lover's sweet lips.
"Now shut your eyes until I say to open them, please."
"From the first day we met, you have captivated and challenged me. I walked away in a daze when you proved me wrong about your knowledge about BASIC. By the time Ray formally introduced us, your beauty, charm, and wit blinded me even if I didn't look up from my work. I know you had to pull me out of myself very slowly, and it was extraordinarily frustrating. You kept at it. After we solved our first case at the hotel, I realized that you fainted at HQ and that my feelings were serious for you. It was intensely frightening," I elucidated, climbing off of the bed and kneeling on the floor. Next, I took a deep breath then checked to ensure that Janine still had her eyes shut, and they were.
"Oh, Egon, that's sweet," she murmured.
"Here it goes," I thought, my right hand shaking a little, taking the small black box out of my robe pocket.
"When we kissed for the first time at the bar, I knew that you owned my heart no matter how much I would deny it. You guided me through so much in the last year and a half, and I don't want to live another day without you. When I said that you were my sun, moon, and stars, I wasn't joking. You are brightness in the dark, illuminating everything. You are more beautiful than the blanket of stars we danced underneath. I love you more than life itself," I explained, my voice trembling with emotion.
With tears in my eyes, I knelt before her on bended knee and asked in my deep voice, "Please open your eyes, my love. I want to cherish, and take care of you for the rest of your life, Janine Louise Melnitz. Would you do the honor of marrying me?"
Speechless, my girlfriend's pretty blue eyes widened and filled with tears while her mouth dropped open. Janine was hardly ever shocked into silence, but for this second, she was. In agony, I awaited her answer, hoping she would accept my offer.
Janine
When I opened my eyes, I began crying when I saw the giant diamond engagement ring in a tiny black velvet box. Egon's eyes were misty, and his face portrayed deep consternation.
"This is the moment you have been waiting for," I exclaimed privately, and I could barely contain my elation. My whole body started to tingle, but I couldn't form words to answer Egon.
"Please, Janine?" he inquired in a weak voice that I hardly recognized. His hand shook as he held the ring box towards me as I began forming my words again.
"Yes! " I cried loudly, leaping off the bed to kiss him ardently. We kissed passionately until we both needed air to breathe. Next, Egon placed the ring gently on my finger as I watched in awe. He still had some tears in his eyes, but he affectionately grinned at me as he stood from a kneeling position.
"Thank God," Egon sentimentally replied.
"I love you tremendously,darling. I can't wait to be your wife. This ring is P.H.E.N.O.M.E.N.A.L," I informed him after viewing it for a long time, unable to disclose how much it enamored me at first. It fit perfectly on my slender finger, and I admired it as Egon told me it was designed after a ring from the Tiffany's jewelry store in the 1920s.
"It's one of a kind, just like you, my Goddess Janine," Egon proudly replied, "Do you like it?"
"This is the perfect ring. Are you kidding? I love it. The rose gold is so gorgeous, and I adore it so much," I declared, then hugged him without restraint. I felt some wetness coming from Egon's face.
"Sugar, are you ok," I asked, pulling my body back from my brand-new fiancee.
"Yes, Janine...I'm a slow...processor when it comes... to my...feelings... I still..can hardly believe I asked you... to marry me, I have been antsy for days," Egon softly replied, holding on to my waist tightly, " and you said yes! I'm overcome with gleefulness, and look, my Angel, I'm trembling."
Rapidly, Egon removed his hands from my body and held them up so I could see them with a chagrined half grin on his handsome face.
"Aww, darling, it will be ok," I replied, kissing them and then his lips. I threw my arms back around his waist, embracing him snuggly.
"I still can't believe that you said yes," he honestly confessed, peering into my eyes and cupping my face with his hands.
"Oh, Egon. Of course, I would say yes! However, I can see that you have been apprehensive this week but I thought it was because of the lectures, silly me," I playfully teased, touching his face with my hands. My heart was full of love for my fiancee.
Suddenly, Egon swiftly dipped me down to the right and laid a scrumptious kiss on my lips and I felt myself melt from it.
" How in the world did I get so lucky?" Egon pondered afterward while we snuggled in each other's arms, feeling magnificent after our lovemaking.
"Funny, I ask myself the same question all the time. Now even more so, I'm going to be Mrs. Egon 'Freakin' Spengler!" I squealed in delight, and Egon chuckled. I leaned over his attractive hard body and we spent some time blissfully lip-locked.
"Is it too early to ask when you want to get married?"
"Not at all," Egon eagerly replied as our nude bodys remained intertwined in the cozy bed sheets, "I wondered the same thing."
"I have always wanted to be married in the Fall, preferably at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. They had a few different areas for ceremonies. Are you open to that idea," I curiously asked, drawing hearts on Egon's chest with my fingertips.
"I always enjoy our visits to the BBG," Egon enthusiastically answered after he kissed the top of my head, " that sounds like a fantastic place if that is what you want. I want you to have everything you want for our wedding."
"You spoil me," I protested slightly, but I was pleased, and he knew it.
"I hope to do it for the rest of our lives. Get used to it," Egon promised, with a joyful smile, "I'm going to make mistakes along the way, but I will adore and cherish you for the rest of my life."
Egon
Janine and I stayed in bed for the following day, making love and planning our wedding as well as calling our families to inform them of the joyous, life-changing news.
When my fiancee was at work in late November, I inquired her parents for her hand in marriage with their permission and told them I hadn't proposed yet only because I hadn't found the correct ring to suit my Angel. They were euphoric at the news and instantly permitted me. We were all emotional, and it was difficult to hide my excitement from Janine later. However, I managed it.
We left Ithaca mid-Monday afternoon and arrived at the Firehouse in the early evening. The lights were off when we entered the building, and it seemed a little odd that no one was around.
"It's only seven-thirty," Janine replied, puzzled, as she flipped on the light switch, then we strolled toward her desk and the office area.
"Hello?" she loudly called in her sweet Brooklyn accent.
Jumping from behind Janine's desk and the office area, Ray, Kimberlee, Lucy, Chris, Pete, Dana, Winston, and Maura shouted "Congratulations Janegon" while wildly clapping and cheering. Behind them hung a home-made sign that conveyed the same sentiment.
My fiance's deep emotions caused her to weep in happiness after we gaped at each other in shock. Surrounded by our friends, I felt blessed by their well wishes and surprise party. Everyone congratulated us as we moved through the small group. Dana, Lucy and Maura ogled Janine's brilliant ring and gushed over it. Then Ray and Peter handed everyone a flute of champagne.
"Ok, I'm keeping it short because Pete's will be lengthy, most likely. To two of my favorite people, Egon and Janine, may you have a loving and prosperous marriage, " he announced, his chubby face turning up to a large grin.
"To Egon and Janine!" Everyone cheered in unison, and we drank the bubbly liquid after clinking our glasses together.
"He's going to tell the BASIC story, my love," Janine adoringly whispered to me.
"Well, that is how it started," I sardonically teased her, kissing her cheek, and she playfully pinched my own.
"First things first, I want everyone to know that I called this romance from day one. When I read Janine's resume, I knew she was overqualified because not only did she have some experience with accounting, she had computer training. All we needed was someone to answer the phones because Ray and Egon were too busy creating things so we could catch ghosts, and well, you all know how much I work? "
Everyone snickered, and then Peter continued good-naturedly silencing them by raising his right palm up, "I had teased Egon since day one about Janine because she proved him wrong about knowing BASIC. For as long as I have known him, he has only been wrong once or twice. Although Egon would deny it at the time, he was impressed by that fact. Then after her first week of working for us, I would say, 'Spengler, did you meet our new secretary, the one who knows BASIC?' Just to piss him off, and it worked."
Additional laughter ensued, and Pete persisted in telling the story after a short pause, "Shortly after we captured our first ghost, I escorted Janine to the subway after her shift. I figured it was time to tell her that Egon was interested in her. You all know the infamous look Janine gives people when she feels like you are out of line? Well, I got one of those, the extraordinarily dubious one. I informed her that she would have to be patient with Egon, extremely patient. Janine turned away and walked down the stairs, thinking I couldn't see the beaming smile on her face. But I saw it, Janine, I saw it. She has the patience of an angel not only to put up with me for so many months, but for Egon, who was clueless about his feelings. As someone who has known Dr. Spengler for ten years, there isn't any way I would have expected to see him propose to anyone. Ever. Or be in love, for that matter? Thank God Janine came along for him and us as Ghostbusters when she did. I'd like to make a toast to the ongoing and future happiness of two of my best friends Egon and Janine, the future Mr. and Mrs. Egon 'Freaking' Spengler!"
"Hear, hear," someone called.
"It's about time," Maura happily declared.
We all drank to the toast.
"Aww, Peter, you almost made me cry," Janine told him afterward, hugging him," That was sweet."
"Thank you, Venkman," I honestly stated.
"I'm so happy for you both. Couldn't happen to two better people," Peter informed me afterward, offering his hand to me, but I pulled him in for a manly embrace.
"I believe you told me that if I had listened earlier, Janine and I would be married right now already," I wryly admitted, wrinkling my nose.
"Maybe, but you had to grow up some first," he quipped, winking at me with a smile on his face.
"Indeed," I agreed.
The End