1968

Chapter Nineteen: July 10th, 1968

Mihn's point of view:

All I had to do now that my proposal plan was set in my mind was to clear it up with Jack. I refused to marry her if he didn't approve of it. No, I would never leave her, but if he didn't want me marrying her, then I wouldn't. We'd just be together for the rest of our lives as a couple. I was fine with it either way, a ring didn't say much about the unmistakable bond I shared with Lorelei.

"Jack, would you mind if I spoke to you for a moment? I can come back later if you're busy," I said as I knocked on the door of the house study. He was sitting at the desk, writing something down on a few papers. They looked like they were a little informal. I didn't see it as anything alarming because of this.

"No, I'm not busy. Come in. I was just writing to my daughters back in the States. I can finish up later. What's on your mind?" He asked, nicely but firm as always. Jack always spoke to me and other men like this, one especially who tried to get close to Lorelei. Those two shared a relationship not many fathers have with their children. They were very similar which made them close in most ways.

"Well, speaking of that, I wanted to ask you something involving Lorelei," I said to him as I sat down in one of the chairs across from the desk. The look on his face turned from careless to very interested in a matter of seconds when I informed him it would be his youngest daughter we would be talking about.

"Alright, we can talk about that's. Why though? Is something happening?" He asked. He seemed alarmed and curious at the same time. I didn't know if that was good or bad with Jack. He was a little on the unpredictable side when it came to his children, that was plain to see. Jacob, not so much, he knew how to carry himself for the most part and seemed pretty occupied with Mai. She was one of the kindest women I had ever met, so I'm sure Jack was fine with letting that relationship flow the way it had to.

"It's nothing bad, I promise. It's just---this is hard to say but---I was thinking about asking her to marry me. But I won't ask her if you don't want me to," I replied. Jack paused when I finally said what was on my mind. I didn't know how to react because he was just so...still.

"You want to marry Lorelei?" He asked. I wished he could have said something else, something bigger and maybe of a little more importance. Jack was just summarizing all that I had told him in his head, he was barely even talking to me.

"Yes, sir, if you'd allow me. I have a little money, but not much. The ring will most likely not be extravagant, but I'll do my best to find the prettiest one I can," I replied. I didn't have a whole lot to my name. My mother was poor and the money given to me from being in the army went to her as well. I had an alright pay grade being at the rank I was in, but again, I always gave most of it to my mother. I had taken out a little with each paycheque and stored it in a place for when I would need it. It didn't add up to much but it was enough to buy her a small engagement ring.

"Before I answer you, let me ask you a question. What do you plan to do after you'd propose? Where would you go or what would you do? You're not in the army anymore, you're a drifter, which is also an outlaw. So what are you going to do now that you have no job and pretty much no home?" He asked. I felt a little belittled when he talked to me like this. I felt like he was trying to patronize me just so I could be put on the spot and want to back out of this proposal. Well, he would have another thing coming to him, because I loved her too much to give up.

"Look, Jack, I know I don't have many prospects. I know I'm not wealthy or successful in whatever field, but I think the only important thing right now is that I love your daughter more than anything in the world. I would do whatever she wanted me to. If she said to me that she wanted to be rich and live in luxury for her whole life, then I would do that for her. If I couldn't get rich morally, then I would rob bank after bank until she had the money she wanted. I want to take her back to the states, whenever that happens, and we will have a life together. So please, sir, let me marry her so I can live happily," I explained. I don't think I had ever talked to him so much since I first met him. Little did I know that I had a lot to say to him. Jack sighed and for a moment I thought that was all he was going to say. However, he managed to talk.