Brigitte & Darryl – The Amazing Race with an A+ for effort!

This story may be long but it shows the lengths that my fiancé was willing to go to impress me. It is 100% truthful even though it sounds unbelievable.

November 1st, 2007 was our one year anniversary from the first time we met. My idea of celebrating our anniversary was a romantic dinner at a restaurant. I was going to make the reservation, but Darryl said in a nonchalant voice, “Leave it to me.” I was more than happy to let him take the initiative.

I didn’t hear from him at all during the day. I arrived home at 4:00 and started preparing for the evening, but I had no clue where we were going or what to wear. I’ll admit that I was a little ticked off. Two and a half hours later Darryl called and asked me how I was. He asked me to look for an envelope on the bedside table in the bedroom hidden behind the photo of my beloved grandma.

In the envelope was a card saying: “Bonne Anniversaire ma Chérie! I am going to send you on an adventure tonight. I look forward to seeing you soon. Ton homme, Darryl.”

There were some rules to follow:
1. Follow the clues
2. Look for red balloons
3. Wear comfortable shoes
4. Have fun!

Inside the envelope I also found a sudoku puzzle. How strange.

The first step of my journey was to take the subway downtown to the first floor of The Bay at Bloor & Yonge. I was instructed to bring the completed sudoku puzzle and to remember rule #2: Look for red balloons.

I was surprised, excited, and REALLY hungry. I thought we were off to a fancy restaurant, so I had saved my appetite for a fabulous dinner. Strolling off on an adventure was the last thing on my mind. Believe me!

Sitting in the subway, I feverishly completed my sudoku puzzle. As I arrived downtown I realized I had messed up a couple of numbers. If you’ve ever done one of these crazy things, you know that it’s almost impossible to fix it once you’ve broken it. Time was ticking away and I didn’t want Darryl to wait forever. I remembered rule # 4 and chose to roll with it. I immediately proceeded to search for the red balloons.

Something funny happened next. Picture your boyfriend hiding at the back of the hosiery department looking through some binoculars! I didn’t know what to say. When I casually asked him if he’d seen any red balloons, he was speechless and I knew immediately that this was not part of his plan. I could tell he was upset at himself. He simply pointed down the aisle where he was peering and I quietly headed off to collect my first balloon.

At the watch counter I found an envelope with my name on it tied to a red balloon and a red gift-wrapped box. I decided to wait to open the gift, because I wanted to share the moment with him.

In this envelope, it said “Salut mon amore! Insert the sudoku puzzle into the new envelope. Your next step is written on the back of the envelope”.

Darryl had cut 3 little squares into the back of the envelope which unveiled a street address when the completed puzzle was inserted. I thought, “This is an original idea.” Sadly, I knew that some of my numbers were wrong. I had to call him on my cell phone to ask for the correct number. This led me around the corner to the place where we first met one year ago: Starbuck’s. A red balloon was there waiting for me with a hot cup of tea. I needed that. It was a cold night and a thoughtful gesture on his part.

The next step was to “LoveCraft” where I found an envelope of money to go shopping. I won’t tell you what I bought though. My mother may be reading this.

I moved on to the next stop which was Caren’s Wine and Cheese Bar in Yorkville, a special place Darryl took me for my birthday. When I walked up to the bar, I tugged at the balloon tied to the stool and everyone turned to me with anticipation. Two young women met Darryl hours before and now they wanted to hear my side of the story.

The card was stuffed with more money. I was encouraged to enjoy a meal and some wine, but I was instructed to leave there between 8 pm and 9 pm. I had no time to eat, but I badly needed a drink. “A glass of wine, please!” I realized I was having a great time racing through the city chasing after Darryl. I was caught up in the adventure and I enjoyed telling my story to the people at the bar.

When I asked for the bill, the bartender gave me another card and more money for a taxi to whisk me off to the site of our first official date and then to a suspicious address on Queen Street.

Along my journey I started collecting jigsaw puzzle pieces which were included in the envelopes. At the bottom of the puzzle picture were the words: “Fill my heart with song / let me sing for ever more / you are all I long …”. I recognized the words as the lyrics to our favourite song, Fly Me to the Moon.

I arrived at a bar on Queen Street and found another balloon, another card, and another puzzle piece. The card asked “Do you remember this band from the Beaches Jazz Festival? Have a seat and order a drink. They want to play a song for you. When you’re done, take the streetcar downtown to find the steps of “Figaro’s Marriage”.
I was stunned. He had tracked down the band we had danced to during the summer to play me a song.

Darryl suddenly appeared from the back of the bar carrying a drink for me. We kissed and the band started to play: “Fly me to the moon …” He asked me to dance. It was a happy moment! Another young couple joined us on the dance floor.

As I sat down, he wished me good luck and disappeared again. I was swept up in the excitement and ran into the street to reach my next destination. I had only one puzzle piece left to find so I hoped “Figaro’s Marriage” would be my last stop.

The photo on the puzzle depicted a couple getting married at the Old City Hall.

It was almost midnight as I walked up the stairs of the brownstone building decorated with red balloons. I was cold, exhausted, and loving every minute of it!

An envelope is waiting for me. Inside it, the final piece of the puzzle, a flash light and a magnifying glass. I put the pieces together and with the aid of the flash light and magnifying glass I read the small print “Mon trésor adoré Brigitte, veux-tu m’épouser?” (My adored treasure Brigitte, will you marry me?)

I looked around in the darkness and couldn’t see him anywhere. I watched as a tall man in a long cashmere coat stepped across the street carrying a single red balloon. I knew it was him! As I started down the steps, he ran to me and I simply said “Oui.”