MANCHESTER — You want to propose marriage, but where, when and how? For Steve Tarca of New York City, the answer was at Northshire Books in Manchester Center, during peak foliage, with a ring tucked away in a book. Kelly Cochran, his girlfriend, is an avid reader, and the couple routinely stops at the store en route to his family home north of St. Albans.
Tarca enlisted the help of Northshire events coordinator Dafydd Wood, who quickly solved one problem: In what section of the store would the surprise big event take place? (Romance? Too easy. Horror? Too much. Mystery? Adventure? Not bad, but Wood decided on the events section. The spot was right near the ornate iron staircase, which leads to the children’s section (foreshadowing?).
Bookpeople at the store needed little prompting to suggest literary references for the occasion. Maya Gingery nominated Emily Bronte: “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” And Ernest Hemingway: “We would be together and have our books and at night be warm in bed together with the windows open and the stars bright.”
For some, Shakespeare leaped to mind. Wood suggested, “[F]or I will be horribly in love with her” from “Much Ado About Nothing.” What about this passage from the same play? “I do love nothing in the world so well as you — is not that strange?”
Although tempting, let’s resist the rabbit hole of literary references.
For the surprise to work, Tarca needed to plan carefully. He enlisted an artist friend, who created a cover for a book in the MinaLima style of Harry Potter novels. Tarca found a suitably thick book, hollowed it out and festooned it with photos of happy moments that Cochran and he had shared. Publishers might not have been thrilled with his title (“Kelly and Steven”), but Tarca knew his readership of one. He knew she’d love the idea of proposing in a bookstore. She’d read 82 books this year so far (current favorite authors are Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo.)
Inside the book was the ring, which has a legacy befitting any good tale. Over 100 years ago, Tarca’s great-great aunt Bessie wore it at her wedding. Growing up, Tarca’s mother looked to Bessie as a doting grandmother, and now her love and her ring would live on.
Accompanied by her parents, the four would drive north. (Nothing says romance like a happy couple and two parents.) The stop at the bookstore would be midafternoon. In addition to the big surprise, Tarca’s parents would be waiting, timed to appear at the right moment and round out the happy spectacle. Continuing the family focus, the day corresponded with Cochran’s brother’s 30th birthday. (“I hope he’s OK with this,” Cochran would say later.)
Cochran and Tarca’s romance, like a well-plotted novel, blends destiny and serendipity. Both worked at Disney World several years ago, but didn’t meet then. Both attended the same wedding two years later, but didn’t meet then. However, in 2019, Cochran took a trip from Florida to New York, and mutual friends arranged for her to be part of a tour led by Tarca. (He worked at the Empire State Building.) He asked to be included in other events on Cochran’s visit, and the two hit it off. In 2020, they moved in together in New York City, right as the COVID lockdown took effect. Having withstood such an unromantic turn, Tarca was confident the relationship was strong. He was ready to propose.
Now, driving northward, Tarca and her parents knew what lay ahead, and he was increasingly nervous. They arrived at the bookstore later than planned, and Cochran’s parents lured her upstairs. Tarca rushed back to the car, and retrieved the book (hidden away in his luggage). Wood, the events coordinator, then guided him to the display. Tarca placed the book mid-shelf, in the main area in literary fiction (close to romance). Cochran had meandered down from kids and over to bestsellers, so Tarca sauntered over and directed her attention to the events’ table. Once there, she saw the stylish book. In gilt lettering on a warm green background, she read an intriguing title. She held the book.
“Do you know how much I love you?” he asked.
Standing in front of the display (and a gaggle of Northshire booksellers and curious buyers), Tarca knew what was required of a fantasy hero.
He dropped to one knee.
“Kelly Cochran, will you marry me?”
Her hands went to her mouth.
Later, Cochran would say she knew he listened to her. “He knew I loved bookstores,” she said.
Her answer, then, was not a surprise. “Yes,” she said.
They kissed and hugged. Applause filled the air, and their parents surged forward to hug them.
