Questioned by Police
Officer Williams came up to his girlfriend as police searched her car and said, “They called me out here to question you.”
Still tense with apprehension, she said, “Yeah, well I’m sure they called you out here to question me.” He looked into her eyes and said, “I just have one I guess.”
Unexpected Visitor
For Amanda, that particular damp and dreary Tuesday in her Hampton City School wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.
Students fidgeted through lessons, bells rang, and quite halls turned into the expected chaos and chatter. However, during a break before her fourth class, someone showed up. Someone that, under normal circumstances, shouldn’t have been there.
Different Man in Uniform
One of her coworkers came in and said, “There’s an officer waiting for you in the hallway.”
Her first thought was of her boyfriend who was also a police officer. But he had taken vacation days, and they hadn’t planned a meetup. Sure enough, out in the hall, there was someone else in uniform.
Strange Questions
It was Officer Soriano, also of the Hampton’s Sheriff’s department. In a calm voice, he asked, “How you doing? Do you have your car keys and stuff with you?”
That’s where the confusion started. She patted her shorts and said, “They should be in my bag.” What was happening? Had her car been stolen?
What’s In My Car?
“We were doing a random sweep of the parking lots and unfortunately the dog hit on your vehicle.”
Yes, a drug K9 unit had pinpointed her car for inspection, right in the middle of a grade school parking lot with young eyes probably watching. With wide eyes she asked, “You’re joking with me right?”
On Video
To make matters worse, the entire situation was being filmed, and it was right in their faces.
Soriano explained they needed to check her car just to confirm there wasn’t a problem. Despite the relatively calm exchange and being sure that were no drugs in there, what could the dog have possibly found?
Rainy Inspection
The two of them, with the cameramen still following them, walked out of the school and into a cold drizzle Virginia’s cloud front had decided to dump down on them.
Even the weather was going to be bad news. The officer started his inspection, but there was no K9 unit to be found anywhere.
Boyfriend Support?
Arms crossed, cold, and damp, the worried teacher waited for answers. But none came.
That’s when a second police cruiser drove up. Out of it appeared her boyfriend, Brandon. He was there either there because it had been her car tagged and came for support, or something was really wrong. She held her breath.
Jail Time?
At that point, the questions must have been piling as high as the stress. Can drug dogs make mistakes?
Had someone put something there by accident or worse … on purpose? Was she going to jail? There was no reason for any of this to be happening. And why did he have a little smile?
An Important Question
Out of his pocket, he pulls out a black velvet box and gets down on one knee.
It was a new kind of disbelief, something filled with utter joy. Barely one second had passed after he popped the question and she said, “Yes” and they shared an embrace. She didn’t even feel the rain anymore.
Local Support
It turns out, Brandon had taken the time off from work on purpose, so he could arrange a special and memorable proposal.
His coworkers had also volunteered to help with the surprise. The Hampton Police Department went as far as posting the video on their site. How many people were happy about this?
Public Reaction
As you would expect, it was a wonderful outpour of happiness and congratulations.
One Karen Novak Roberts messaged, “Congrats Brandon, I remember you telling me about your very 1st date, so happy for you. Wishing you so many happy years together.” There were only two that seemed to focus on things aside from the proposal.
Worried About Safety
One message was a bit mixed. “Congrats to both of you; BUT were you on duty and supposed to be protecting the citizens of Hampton (and teaching our children) when this occurred????”
The Hampton PD responded with assurances that everything was okay and covered. Also, with any celebration, there is always one less-than-happy person.
A Hint of Drama
There was a vague reference to someone unhappy with the engagement.
"Congratulations to Brandon and Amanda. Have a happy life and don't worry about "Miss Negative Nellie". She's either jealous or has her panties in a wod. Some people try to find something wrong with everything.” But the story doesn’t end there. There’s a wonderful update.
A New Addition
The 2015 proposal was only the beginning of their journey. The couple’s Facebook page has revealed two new things.
They finally tied the knot and looked stunning during. Also, in April 2018, they welcomed their daughter Cecilia into the world! And what a little cutie she is! Continued best wishes to their family.