For Laughs

I (Julie) have been told by many people that I should put this story on here, and I have to admit, it is pretty funny. This is the story of my first proposal. You'll understand why I'm hoping it won't be my only proposal when I'm done. About a month ago, I got a second job ushering at the new events center in town. The majority of the events there are Bemidji State University hockey games. BSU's team is the Beavers, so their mascot is a big beaver named Bucky. The first weekend I worked, I was ushering a women's hockey game. Now, to the team's credit, they have a good record and are a pretty good team. But hardly anyone comes to the women's games, so it is not very exciting for the ushers. All the seating is general admission, meaning we don't even have to show people where to sit. During the men's games, Bucky the beaver is down in the student section leading the cheering and getting the crowd into the game, but during the women's games, he just walks around and plays with kids and gets his picture taken. So I am standing by my stairwell, daydreaming and praying and minding my own business (and, oh yes, I was watching the crowd being as that is what I'm paid to do). Bucky was making his rounds, and he came over to the kids in my section. I hardly noticed him until he came down right next to me. He shook my hand and then he pointed to himself and to me and held up his hand to his ear like he was talking on the phone. He wanted my number. I just laughed him off, and he wandered on. I should interject here that Bucky doesn't talk at all. All of this is through his pantomiming and my guessing what he is getting at until he nods that I've gotten it right, so whenever I say that Bucky said something, keep in mind that there was a process to it. To make it a little clearer, I'll color-code it from now on. Whatever he says will be green, and what I say will be red. A few minutes after he walked away, I hear him coming up the stairs behind me. I knew it was him because the large feet on that costume make it impossible to go anywhere quietly. He tried the phone thing again, and started holding up different numbers, giving me his number. I stopped him halfway through; I still wasn't going to give him my number. Then he started pointing at himself and at the "Bucky" on the back of his jersey, then pointing at me. He wanted my name. I told him, then he spelled out his name in the air, of course, spelling it right to him, but backwards to me. Nice to meet you, I said. I think he said a couple other things, then he left. Ten seconds later, I hear my name from the stairwell. I turned, and it was the guy I had seen walking with Bucky earlier. I guess there is someone that follows him around all the time. He says, "Sorry, Julie, but Bucky wants to know your last name." I laughed. I suppose that would have been a little hard to get across via pantomime. I told him, and he went back down to report to Bucky. It wasn't long, maybe ten minutes, and I hear the clomping up the stairs behind me again. This time Bucky starts by going to the other side of the stairwell and imitating exactly how I was standing, which made me laugh. Then he came over to me and started the whole hand motion thing again. I think it started with if I was going to be there for the men's game that night. Yes, over there (pointing to my section). His shoulders slump, which I understand later is because he has to stay in the student section for the game. Then it was if I wanted to get a drink with him sometime. No, I don't drink. Why? Because I'm only 20 (of course, there are other reasons, but it's hard to get into those in a very one-sided conversation). Then he tried a different route: do I want to go to eat with him sometime? No thanks. A couple times during this whole exchange, kids would come up to him, and while he was wonderful with them and fulfilled his mascot duties, I could tell he wasn't encouraging them to stick around too long. As soon as they went away, it was back to question. Do you play hockey? No. Softball? No, I am not athletic at all. Do you dance? No, graceful is not as adjective you would use to describe me. What do you do? Well, I cook. Then he starts spelling in the air again: f-a-c-e, then holds his hands like a book. No, I don't have Facebook. I don't quite know how one can look exasperated with that big goofy grin plastered across the face, but he did it. Ok, he would try from another angle. Do you go to BSU? No, I work at a lumberyard. He was surprised and made a motion like he was chopping wood. I laughed, yeah something like that. Are you going to go to BSU? No, I don't plan to. Why? Becuase I don't want to spend that much money on a piece of paper I don't want because that's what everyone says I should do. What do you want to do then? I want to be a stay-at-home wife and mom. That caught him off guard. He almost physically jumped backwards. I'm half surprised he didn't forget the whole no-speaking rule. He recovered quickly, and gave me a hug. That was weird. I think he didn't know what to do. If that wasn't awkward enough, he steps back and proceeds to get down on one knee and lift up his hand like he was holding up a ring. Looking back on it, I can't help but laugh because it was so funny, but in the moment I laughed for lack of any better response. He got up, but he had stayed down slightly longer than necessary for a joke. I dont' really remember what happened exactly at the point because I was so flustered. At one point, they were playing music and put him up on the big TV's. He did his appropriate mascot dance for a while, and thankfully, he was in front of me so I wasn't up there too. And as soon as the camera moved on, we were back to our game of charades. A couple minutes later, the manager guy Bucky had sent up to find out my last name earlier came up the stairs. He put his hand on Bucky's shoulder and turned him away from me slightly, though I could still hear everything he said. He sounded like he was trying to come across as frustrated and stern but was having trouble keeping the laughter in. "Bucky, they keep showing you up on the Jumbotron hitting on this hot girl. You have to go make at least one lap around." Bucky's shoulders slump and they walk away. He quickly recovered to his normal mascot self because the kids were clamoring for him, but his manager walked behind him a ways just to make sure he kept going. The was the last I saw of him for that game because it was almost over. Since then, he will often come up to me during a women's game and give me a hug or a handshake, but his manager (different guys since that first game) has always been following him much closer. They must have put him on a short leash. Now you can understand why I call this my first proposal, and why I certainly hope there will be a second someday. Thanks, Bucky, for giving me something to laugh about. It makes me laugh every time I think about it, and I hope it gave you a giggle or two as well!