Pages

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

A Magical Proposal in Taipei

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.

magician doing a magic trick for a young man while his girlfriend watches and person video records


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 . . .

young woman wearing a blindfold next to a magician while a red carpet is rolled out and a woman carries a bouquet of flowers.


Flower petals were spread on the carpet. If this was just a trick, it was really going over the top.

woman spreads petals on a red carpet


While these preparations quietly occurred, the magician kept the woman occupied.

magician speaks to a young woman wearing an eye mask


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.

young man standing at the end of a red carpet with people behind him holding up the signs "Would", "You", "Marry", "Me"


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.

young woman taking off an eye mask


And then it grew.

woman smiling


But she appeared unsure and began to search for something. Soon, she had what she needed — a pair of glasses.

woman putting on eyeglasses.


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.

young man holding roses and professing his love


If she had any doubts, they melted away.

young woman covering her mouth with her hands


still covering the lower part of her face


man professing his love to a woman in Taipei


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.

man proposing to a woman in Taipei


putting on the engagement ring


newly engaged couple kissing


Soon the newly engaged couple walked off to sit on a nearby bench together, and the efficient cleanup began.

man folding up the red carpet


They even picked up the flower petals, so Taiwan.

woman picking up flower petals


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.

newly engaged couple embracing each other as they pose for photos


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".

statue of Cupid with a bow and arrow hiding behind a column

No comments:

Post a Comment