A proposal ends in a vocabulary lesson.
I’d forgotten the ring, but I didn’t want to lose the perfect moment, with the way the moonlight danced on the water. I summoned all my courage, looked deeply into her eyes and asked the question I’d been practicing: “My love, I cannot imagine a greater happiness than if you and I were to live out our time on Earth as man and wife. Will you have me?”
She answered my question with a question. “Man and wife, respectively?”
“Certainly,” I said.
“Then, Yes!” she said, and kissed me.
I’ve since learned that “respectively” doesn’t mean the same as “respectfully.”