Long story short, Vadim proposed, and Seun said yes (under duress), but if you want the dirty details, then read on.
One cold day in late March, as the Winnipeg winter was starting to give way, but not quite ready to relinquish control over its dominion, the happy couple met. Vadim picked up Seun at her place, which was unusual for her, because she wasn't wont to broadcast her address to strangers. Vadim's car was at the shop at the time, and he was driving an old beat-up noisy loner car that would have repelled any girl. Surprisingly, Seun wasn't deterred by Vadim's "cool" ride (and if she was, she kept her composure).
A few days before the first date, Vadim had almost convinced Seun that he was a Nigerian in disguise — what with his mastery of Yoruba (thanks to Google Translate), his awareness of the cultural factions in Nigeria and, of course, his fried plantain showmanship. Vadim thought his knowledge of the Nigerian culture would earn him bonus points, and he was not wrong — Seun was intrigued to meet a guy that was so culturally, linguistically and gastronomically discombobulated.
It was an ordinary first date filled with inordinate fun and extraordinary conversations. They talked about things that people normally talk about on dates: friends, relationships, movies, music, politics, careers... and how Seun knew what it took to raise a child having had done it with her nephew... Wait, politics? Really? What a perfect way to bore a girl! No, that didn't happen. And talking about raising children on the first date? I'm sure another guy might have been scared off by all that baby talk, but Vadim was not fazed... yet (that fear set in later).
At the end of the date, the couple exchanged one of the most awkward hugs anyone had ever had, and parted... both thinking that their feelings were not reciprocated. Luckily, that couldn't have been further from the truth... A few days later, there was a second date, and then a third, and many more after that...
Some months later, Vadim knew he had to propose, and he had to act fast. Why? Because he was in a love competition, and he was losing. Seun had already beat him to establishing the relationship parameters — she told him that he had to officially ask her to be his girlfriend if he wanted to date her, so there would be no ambiguity. She had also beat him to the proclamation of love. If he had waited any longer, she might have proposed to him first, too. O, the horror!
Vadim had heard Beyoncé say more than once that "if you like it, then you should've put a ring on it," and that girl knows what she's talking about. So... Having hastily bought the ring and almost conquered his wedding insecurities, he decided that a road trip would be a perfect opportunity for a proposal.
With the help of breathtaking mountainous scenery and his good friends to keep the impending proposal wrapped in a shroud of secrecy (thank you, Josh & Ashley), Vadim's proposal was met with acquiescence. It may not have happened exactly like it does in the movies wherein the girl usually cries out with joy something along the lines of "Yes!", or "At Last!", or "About time!", but there were tears and prolonged hugging — it was all very emotional.
Vadim had wanted to go down on one knee to propose, as the societal norms dictate he should have, but the unbendable knee-length ski shoes prevented both the unintentional announcement of the proposal to an unsuspecting audience and a severe ankle injury.
Now, over a year later, Vadim & Seun are planning their wedding, which is, admittedly, the most stressful time of their lives (well, of Vadim's life). If the two of them can survive through the wedding, they will surely survive through anything (unless we include hosting Mennonite family dinners).
The rest may be history, as the saying goes, but for this couple the journey is only beginning...