Yesterday afternoon while working on a project outside at the Xinyi Shoppping District in Taipei, Taiwan, I saw a magician perform for a young couple.
I had seen the magician in the same plaza earlier when he appeared to be waiting for someone or something. I considered why the magician chose this particular couple and why two people were capturing it all on video. The videographers were at times clearly interested in making sure the female stayed in the scene even when the magician was focused on her partner.
After several magic tricks, the magician covered the young woman's eyes with an eye mask for the next trick. I figured it was time for me to move on. But then I saw a person rolling out a red carpet, and I began to wonder if there was something more taking place than I had at first assumed. Immediately after that I saw somebody holding flowers. Oh . . .
Flower petals were spread on the carpet. If this was just a trick, it was really going over the top.
While these preparations quietly occurred, the magician kept the woman occupied.
With the young man holding a bouquet of roses while briefly biting his lower lip and others holding "Would you marry me" signs behind him, it was clear a bit more than a magic act was about to occur.
Soon all was ready for the reveal, and the young woman was told to take off the mask. At first, she had an ordinary smile.
And then it grew.
But she appeared unsure and began to search for something. Soon, she had what she needed — a pair of glasses.
I don't know what was going through the young woman's mind, but she was reserved in her expressions. She may have been wondering if this could somehow be part of a magic act. But then her boyfriend began a long speech.
If she had any doubts, they melted away.
As I watched, I realized online videos of public marriage proposals gone awry have left their mark on me. No worries here though. What followed went well.
Soon the newly engaged couple walked off to sit on a nearby bench together, and the efficient cleanup began.
They even picked up the flower petals, so Taiwan.
Later, the couple took advantage of having a photographer around and posed for some photos. The young woman looked far more relaxed. For me, this was the moment where I erased any question whether the young woman's "yes" might have only been a polite face-saving public reaction.
Best wishes to the newly engaged couple. Even for me, the luck involved in witnessing their special moment seemed like a bit of magic. Perhaps I should have expected it. About half an hour earlier I had noticed a statue overlooking the same plaza.
The small statue of a mythical god is titled "Cupido".
