She felt like she was losing her grip, her focus. All she had wanted was acceptance. That is what he took away. 3
And then... 4
5
He reached into his coat pocket and drew out a purple velvet ring box. Steeling himself, he handed it out to me. Catching my shocked expression, he chuckled and whispered, "Open it, love." 6
I looked at the box, pleasantly surprised. Looking up into his amused eyes, I opened the lid of the box to find one of the most intricately designed rings I'd ever seen. I felt my jaw drop as I looked at it. "Richard..." I whispered, unable to raise my voice higher. 7
As I drew the ring out of the box to look at it closer, I could sense his pleasure. There was no way he didn't plan this ring thoroughly. It was fourteen-carat white gold with an inscription on the inside of the band: "I promise you this." The diamond in the center was heart-shaped and was accented by two small dark sapphires that were so blue they were almost black. "It's a promise ring, love," he whispered softly into my jeweled ear. He took it from me gently with one hand, and took my hand in his other to slide it onto my left ring finger. I could feel my heart race at the slightest touch. 8
I looked up at him. "Why?" I asked him frankly. 9
He slid the lock of hair that had freed itself from the graceful knot I had spent hours on perfecting gently behind my ear and asked, "I have to have a reason to tell you how much I care for you? I love you, that's all the reason I need." 10
"But what about the money you had to spend on this?" I asked, immediately concerned that he had used his savings on this sudden display of his affections. 11
He kissed me softly, his eyes laughing. "I spent nothing I hadn't expected to spend on you. Come," he said, wrapping his hand tightly around mine, "Let's finish our evening, love." 12
I let him lead me away, but finally, I smiled. No matter how concerned I was about the money he had just spent on me, I was happy. Finally, after all the years of waiting, he was growing up and beginning to accept the responsibilities of life... 13
Three years of waiting and she got a semi-commitment. It felt good. 14
But something made her crash. Something that altered her entire existence. Her mom was suddenly no longer there. 15
I was coming home from school when I saw the ambulance. I parked and jumped out of the car, running into the house. 16
I went numb as I entered my parents' bedroom. There was blood everywhere. She had started hemorrhaging and Daddy couldn't stop it. 17
I fled the scene and ran out the back door. As I neared my old hideout from freshman year: a little courtyard in a hidden garden on our property, I fell to my knees and began crying, begging the grief that had hit me so hard to go away while wishing for the peaceful sounds of the ocean.18
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