Posted on 09/13/2024 11:29:26 AM PDT by nickcarraway
South Carolina tourist’s marriage proposal in Times Square turned into a nightmare when he accidentally dropped the engagement ring down a sidewalk grate. Chasmon Wilson had planned to surprise his girlfriend of eight years, Kayla Pressley, with a $1,600 princess-cut diamond ring.
The mishap occurred on a rainy Saturday evening in March. Fortunately, New Yorkers came to his rescue, helping him retrieve the ring and get his proposal plans back on track, as reported by the New York Post.
Wilson recalled recently that he fumbled with the engagement ring, which fell through a sidewalk grate and landed 20 feet below on a trash-strewn ledge.
Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris causes surge in visits to voter registration sites “It was like everything moved in slow motion,” Wilson, 33, told The Post. “I was in disbelief that this is what we came to New York for and it fell through. I felt like the worst man on the planet Earth.”
Initially, Wilson intended to propose at One Vanderbilt, which is high above Midtown and has panoramic views. However, he changed his mind due to the large crowds and decided to propose in Times Square instead.
Pressley was unaware of Wilson’s surprise proposal as she was busy with their umbrellas when the ring fell.
“When I turn around, he’s on the ground looking with the flashlight on his phone,” Pressley, 29, said.
Initially, Wilson told her he had dropped the hotel key card. However, his dramatic reaction and frantic attempts to recover the item led Pressley to realize it was the engagement ring he had intended to use for his proposal.
By chance, a Consolidated Edison truck drove by, and Wilson managed to flag it down.
“We got out, we looked where he dropped his ring to see if it was a Con Ed structure, and what we found it was the [Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s] structure,” said Elvimar Rivas, a senior analyst at Con Ed.
Wilson wasn’t optimistic. “I knew we wouldn’t get that ring back,” Wilson said. “I said, ‘It’s over with.’
The next day, Wilson, Pressley, and their children, Grayson, 7, and Skylar, 6, returned to their hometown of Roebuck, SC, which has a population of 3,837. After the weekend, Rivas contacted the MTA and devised a plan to recover the ring, unbeknownst to the couple.
“It was in my head all weekend . . . he was broken-hearted,” Rivas, 40, recalled of Wilson.
A ten-person team was dispatched to address the situation: five to assess it and five to retrieve the ring from below Seventh Avenue near West 46th Street. The operation was conducted overnight to minimize disruption to pedestrians and traffic.
“It made my whole year, just being able to help somebody recover a ring, especially in Times Square,” Rivas said. “That’s near impossible to do.”
About a week later, Wilson was notified that the ring had been recovered. By the time it reached South Carolina, Wilson had already purchased a new, slightly different ring and proposed to Pressley on April 27.
He chose a more picturesque setting, proposing atop Stone Mountain in Cleveland, SC, instead of near a sidewalk grate. Pressley, a registered nurse, said, “Yes.”
The couple, who are religious, now believe that everything that happened was meant to be.
“I just felt it was all God’s timing,” said Pressley, who plans to keep both engagement rings.
To avoid any other mishaps, Wilson is taking a backseat until their special day on May 24, 2025.
“I’m not handling the wedding plans at all,” he said.
Great story for the Grandkids.
...or an omen.................
Indeed.
Hint: you might want to proofread after you cut-and-paste to delete the little blurbs that clutter up the story.
Chasmon aka “Freddie-Fumbles”
aka “Butterfingers”
So, he can barely afford a $1500. E-Ring, and now they’re planning a wedding almost a year down the line? Why wait?
Don’t tell me ...GoFundMe is how the wedding will be paid for.
Times Square? Was the restrooms level plaza at the Meadowlands stadium not available? Think of the beautiful places in South Carolina he coulda done it.
Sounds like something I’d do. Fumble fingers.
Nice story, especially how far Mr. Rivas at ConEd went to help out.
But, the couple, who are religious, have two children, Grayson, 7, and Skylar, 6.
That was my first thought. Is God trying to give me chance to reconsider what may be a terrible mistake?
At this point, I would have taken God's advice and bailed but then I suffer from PTSD from two previous very expensive times I didn't follow his suggestions.
The next day, Wilson, Pressley, and their children, Grayson, 7, and Skylar, 6, returned to their hometown of Roebuck, SC, which has a population of 3,837.
Then it says:
The couple, who are religious, now believe that everything that happened was meant to be.
I don't get it. They have children ages 6 and 7. It doesn't say the kids came from a prior marriage. So this gal, who had two kids with this guy, is just now being asked by the father of her children if she'll marry him?
Guess I'm gonna get told by all the ex-DU Democrats here how I'm an ancient artifact who doesn't recognize the "new religious normal" when I see it.
Man, just imagine the howl if he dropped the second ring and it rolled down that mountainside.
> Hint: you might want to proofread after you cut-and-paste to delete the little blurbs that clutter up the story.
OTOH, I view Nick's propensity for not proofreading and correcting his cut-and-paste posts to be a nod toward injecting a welcome sense of absurdity and much-needed unintentional humor into my FR reading.
They live in SC and went to ny? Why in the h311 would anyone go to ny?
True, but that was my assumption; divorce is so prevalent that second marriages that bring children along are very commonplace.
That said, I agree it would have been helpful if they added the qualifier in the story.
It’s in the second sentence, “girlfriend of eight years, “.
-PJ
Times Square is incredible. So much life and vibrancy packed into one area. it makes you feel alive.
Unless your thing is picking at a scab while staring at a mountain or river for hours :)
I never park near a drain , grate etc I’m afraid I’ll drop my keys ,LOL
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.