The Engagement Story (according to him)

We begin, an August date in Southwest Plaza Mall. No good story really begins in the consumer-fest vicinity of a mall, let alone a dying one, but this one does begin there. A casual observer would have noticed a young couple strolling along, the woman with a plastic bag in the crook of her arm and the other wrapped against the hulking arm of her man. The observer, if still observing, would have then seen the unsuspected detour of the woman leading the man into a jewelry store. If the observer was truly perceptive they would have heard the woman shriek in delight at finding a ring that would be 'perfect' if only 'we were ready for that'. The creepier, previously known as the observer, would then have seen the man taking mental note of the exact ring, the interest rate plan, the specials, and the name of the store before the two love birds descended an escalator out of the shallow ruins of the mall. 

A few days later, the same hulking man came back, red in the face debating his current position. Armed with the woman's sister and brother the man reentered the same jewelry store, set up a payment plan, put down the federal reserve notes necessary and exited the store complete with the ring in a maroon box. 

The box inhabited several locations for the course of a modern pregnancy. A bookcase, a sock drawer, and the flannel shelf began their friendship with the box named Gordon's. As a few days would go by and the "Fruit of the Loom" got extra comfortable with the box it would find its newfound friendship torn away for a few moments as the man would stare at his prize, realize what it meant, and would then shut the lid, return the box to its new location, and close the drawer. Rinse, Lather and Repeat until July 3rd.

The sweaty musky suitcase must have been terrible for such a clean glittering ring. It had so much time to wait until its unveiling. It traveled from the foothills of Colorado, across the desert plains of Nevada, and into the smoggy windswept air of Los Angeles. The man never came to retrieve it. It was always tucked tightly into a pair of black workman socks. Every night the ring would listen to the laughter, the cute pillow talk, and the exhausted sighs of the two lovers wondering with each moment when it would become a part of their lives and not just an innocent bystander. 

July 7th 2010. She was showering, he was sweating. The ring felt the tension in the air. The man yanked the box out so fiercely that the lid almost flew open exposing the white gold band prematurely. A sweaty suitcase one moment, a lint-filled pocket the next. The woman came out of the bathroom, accused the man of wearing a terrible shirt, and made him change. 

The day felt long. The ring felt heavy in that pocket as if its already modest diamond had multiplied in size. Each moment seemed perfect for the ring's debut. Any minute now... any minute now... any...

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" the woman said, the ring could see the glint of the hanging lamp above her head. She looked frightened, amused, and happy all at once. It was strange look, and the ring knew instantly how the man could have loved someone like that. The man, in deep gulps asked " Will you marry me?" and received momentary silence as his answer. The ring was now fully exposed, the diamond reflecting the woman's astonished eyes. "Yes... yes... get up and kiss me". A tender embrace, warm laughter, and the ring was finally presented where it made friends with a wonderful digit.

Here ends the first volume of the tale of the Ring.