The sky went dark. The air grew quiet.
As their girlfriends stared in awe at the corona of a rare total solar eclipse hovering over Mid-Missouri on Monday, two boyfriends miles apart waited on one knee, knowing the time was right.
Two Jefferson City area couples got engaged in the minutes following the eclipse Monday afternoon. Both brides-to-be said they'll remember the experience forever.
"I think he wanted it to be unique, so nobody would ever forget it," said Samantha Booher, of Jefferson City.
Booher, a behavioral specialist at Thorpe Gordon Elementary School, said Max Bevell, her boyfriend of three years, pushed her to take the day off. Her boss worked with Bevell, she said, to convince her to take the day off by citing concerns about traffic and heavy congestion in Jefferson City.
"He planned it with my principal," Booher said. "I took off because Max kept pressing it."
The couple, both 25 years old, watched the spectacle at Ben Branch Lake Conservation Area, 31 miles east of Jefferson City and 10 miles north of Linn. As she watched the eclipse, Booher said, Bevell got down on one knee and waited until after totality had passed and the sun shined again to propose.
Booher said Bevell lives in St. Louis and works as an electrical engineer for Ameren. No date for their wedding has been set, but she guessed they'll get married sometime in 2019.
About 30 miles west of the Ben Branch Lake Conservation Area, at Jaycee Park Lake, Steve Scrivner also seized the moment.
As the corona faded and turned night back into day, Scrivner crouched behind Katie Goetz, his girlfriend of six years.
"That is so sweet," Goetz said as she looked up at the sun.
"I'm seeing something a lot more beautiful," Scrivner said, looking at her.
"What?" Goetz retorted without looking.
As she turned around, she told him, "You were going to ask."
Goetz, who works for the state of Missouri, admitted the couple has been wanting to get married for a while, but put it off because of concerns about money and other things. Scrivner is a manager at Kwik Kar in Osage Beach, and they live in Eldon.
Goetz said Scrivner wanted to watch the solar eclipse at the Carnahan Memorial Garden near the Missouri State Capitol because they love going to the garden together. When he suggested that, she made a face, thinking something may be up. So he took her to the Jaycee Park Lake, where they also often go.
They plan to get married Aug. 11, 2018, in the Carnahan Memorial Garden.
In the end, it was a dream proposal, she said.
"It was once-in-a-lifetime," Goetz said. "It was a special spot."