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Marriage begins on winning noteBy Billy Dragoo, Waller County News Citizen HEMPSTEAD- The old adage says there are not many second chances in life, but a local man took advantage of his second chance to follow through on one of the biggest decisions in his life. It all began three weeks ago when Hempstead residents and Prairie View A&M University students Benjamin Goldston, 26, and Lyawonda Bass, 23, stepped inside Robbins Bros., world's biggest engagement ring store in Houston, after hearing 9.79 The Box, a Houston radio station urging couples to plead their case "Real World" confessional-style as to why they deserved a second chance at having a perfect proposal and winning a Robbins Bros. engagement ring valued at $4,500. The moment the videographer turned the camera on, their story began to spill. Upon first listening to the confessional, it sounded like a woman's worst proposal nightmare, as Goldston had originally proposed to Bass with the ring he purchased for his former fiancée! Goldston, who is working on his master's degree in electrical engineering, and Bass, a mechanical engineering undergraduate, met on campus during Hurricane Rita in September 2005, he said. "After the storm, we called each other and began dating," Goldston said. When he decided to propose marriage to Bass, he faced a dilemma. "I had previously been engaged to someone else and when that didn't work out, she gave me the engagement ring back. I kept it and after I met Lyawonda, I couldn't pay for a ring for her, so I used the old ring." Goldston and Bass were married Saturday, May 26, at Mt. Corinth Baptist Church in Hempstead and had their reception at the community center. He said the wedding was already planned before the ring contest. "We won the ring right on time," he said. "It's crazy! It happened that the contest was one week before our wedding." Goldston said a co-worker told him about the contest and he felt he had a good chance to win. After having their confession deemed as one of the best, according to The Box's online voters, Goldston and Bass competed with four other couples in the Perfect Proposal trivia game "How well do you know him or her?" Similar to The Newlywed Game, contestants were asked questions, including "What's the most sentimental gift your mate has ever given you?" to test how well the couple's knew each other. In the end, Goldston and Bass had the largest number of compatible responses and were crowned as the winners of the 1-carat, princess-cut diamond engagement ring. After receiving the ring, Goldston dropped to one knee to redo the proposal that was not so perfect first time around, making the contest truly come full-circle. After a short trip to San Antonio, the couple will continue to live in Hempstead and will graduate together in May 2008.
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