in their chair when Mickey walks in the room.
"I don't know yet."
"Haven't you talked about it?"
"Sort of."
She leaned back in her chair and swirled her glass so the ice
cubes stirred the sugar up from the bottom. "What do you mean sort
of?"
I was too emotionally exhausted to try and withhold information
from her anymore. Besides, sometimes she actually gave decent advice which is
something I was in no position to turn away at the moment, especially
considering I had no idea where I stood.
"Jack?"
"I asked her to marry me."
Her eyes went wide and she cocked her head. "You what?"
"I proposed."
Her fingers splayed across her shock white hair. "Oh my god I
knew you were hiding something! You never were a mastermind when it came to
withholding information."
"Yeah, well-"
"Congratulations, honey! That's wonderful news!" She
slid her sweating glass out of the way and grabbed my hands again. "When
can I meet her?"
"She didn't say yes."
"What?"
"Yet," I added, feeling a little bit better. But
somehow, despite the fact that I was a grown ass man who'd been living away
from home since I was eighteen, I felt about as small and embarrassed as a
fourteen year old with a lisp who can't get a date to homecoming.
"Hold on a second," she said. "I'm confused. Are
you saying you asked her to marry you and she didn't say yes?"
"That's what I'm saying."
Her face fell. "Did you get on your knee?"
"Yeah."
"Was it the ring? Was it not-"
"There,” I said. “It wasn't there. It was kind of
spontaneous."
"I'll say," she said. "After just a few weeks?"
I wished I could take it all back.
"So what did she say?"
"She said she needed time."
"I see."
"Which, logically, I understand," I said. "But at
the same time I feel like the wind's been knocked out of me."
"Hmm."
"I wasn't planning on asking her when I came to visit. It
just sort of happened."
"Yeah, well, love can make you do some pretty crazy
things."
"But you know better than anyone that I've never been in a
hurry to get married. For a long time I wasn’t convinced the whole thing was
for me." I tilted my glass, drinking the rest of my lemonade apart from
the ice cubes. "But there's just something about her, Mom. She makes me
want to hurry up and be with her. I honestly feel like every moment I'm not with
her is falling short of its potential."
"Wow."
I raised my eyebrows, waiting for the deluge of motherly advice.
"I've never heard you talk about a woman like this."
"Cause I've never met a woman like this."
"So what are you doing now?" she asked. "Playing
the waiting game?"
"Basically."
She nodded slowly. "Not an easy place to be."
"That's an understatement."
I wrung my hand around my wrist where my watch was supposed to be.
"When I asked her, though, it was just my way of telling her I was willing
to rearrange my life to be with her, my way of saying I wanted to give us a
chance, ya know?"
"Uh-huh."
"All I needed was for her to say she felt the same way."
"But she didn't?"
I shook my head. "She said everything but."
"And you haven't heard from her since?"
"No."
"When did you ask-"
"Yesterday."
"Oh Jack. I'm sorry. You must be going crazy."
"So much for coming here for some much needed
distraction."
"I'll distract you in a minute," she said.
"Deal."
"You said you only met her a few weeks ago?"
"Right."
"I don't think you should take it personally," she said.
"The fact that she asked for more time."
"No?"
She shook her head. "Not at all. Needing time isn't a
no."
"I should hope not," I said, sounding more confident
than I felt.
"The important thing is that she knows how you feel."
"I suppose."
"I'm sure she'll come around," she said. "And one
day you'll laugh about how she tortured you."
"I
want to believe that," I said, finding solace in the fact that at
"I don't know yet."
"Haven't you talked about it?"
"Sort of."
She leaned back in her chair and swirled her glass so the ice
cubes stirred the sugar up from the bottom. "What do you mean sort
of?"
I was too emotionally exhausted to try and withhold information
from her anymore. Besides, sometimes she actually gave decent advice which is
something I was in no position to turn away at the moment, especially
considering I had no idea where I stood.
"Jack?"
"I asked her to marry me."
Her eyes went wide and she cocked her head. "You what?"
"I proposed."
Her fingers splayed across her shock white hair. "Oh my god I
knew you were hiding something! You never were a mastermind when it came to
withholding information."
"Yeah, well-"
"Congratulations, honey! That's wonderful news!" She
slid her sweating glass out of the way and grabbed my hands again. "When
can I meet her?"
"She didn't say yes."
"What?"
"Yet," I added, feeling a little bit better. But
somehow, despite the fact that I was a grown ass man who'd been living away
from home since I was eighteen, I felt about as small and embarrassed as a
fourteen year old with a lisp who can't get a date to homecoming.
"Hold on a second," she said. "I'm confused. Are
you saying you asked her to marry you and she didn't say yes?"
"That's what I'm saying."
Her face fell. "Did you get on your knee?"
"Yeah."
"Was it the ring? Was it not-"
"There,” I said. “It wasn't there. It was kind of
spontaneous."
"I'll say," she said. "After just a few weeks?"
I wished I could take it all back.
"So what did she say?"
"She said she needed time."
"I see."
"Which, logically, I understand," I said. "But at
the same time I feel like the wind's been knocked out of me."
"Hmm."
"I wasn't planning on asking her when I came to visit. It
just sort of happened."
"Yeah, well, love can make you do some pretty crazy
things."
"But you know better than anyone that I've never been in a
hurry to get married. For a long time I wasn’t convinced the whole thing was
for me." I tilted my glass, drinking the rest of my lemonade apart from
the ice cubes. "But there's just something about her, Mom. She makes me
want to hurry up and be with her. I honestly feel like every moment I'm not with
her is falling short of its potential."
"Wow."
I raised my eyebrows, waiting for the deluge of motherly advice.
"I've never heard you talk about a woman like this."
"Cause I've never met a woman like this."
"So what are you doing now?" she asked. "Playing
the waiting game?"
"Basically."
She nodded slowly. "Not an easy place to be."
"That's an understatement."
I wrung my hand around my wrist where my watch was supposed to be.
"When I asked her, though, it was just my way of telling her I was willing
to rearrange my life to be with her, my way of saying I wanted to give us a
chance, ya know?"
"Uh-huh."
"All I needed was for her to say she felt the same way."
"But she didn't?"
I shook my head. "She said everything but."
"And you haven't heard from her since?"
"No."
"When did you ask-"
"Yesterday."
"Oh Jack. I'm sorry. You must be going crazy."
"So much for coming here for some much needed
distraction."
"I'll distract you in a minute," she said.
"Deal."
"You said you only met her a few weeks ago?"
"Right."
"I don't think you should take it personally," she said.
"The fact that she asked for more time."
"No?"
She shook her head. "Not at all. Needing time isn't a
no."
"I should hope not," I said, sounding more confident
than I felt.
"The important thing is that she knows how you feel."
"I suppose."
"I'm sure she'll come around," she said. "And one
day you'll laugh about how she tortured you."
"I
want to believe that," I said, finding solace in the fact that at
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