✅ My Cousin's Keeper [NaNoWriMo 2021]

131. My Proposal

My starter turned out to be a pair of tiny square crêpes, with a surprisingly spicy sauce. Ffrances had oysters, and I wondered if she had known what she was ordering. I was barely aware of the rest of the food. I couldn't think about anything but what Ffrances was going to say; how wonderful our wedding would be, or fears of every possible thing that could go wrong. I imagined I could feel the ring burning through my pocket, demanding immediate attention while we giggled over inconsequentialities and parodied how we imagined some ancient duchesses might have made small talk.

I was so overwhelmed by the atmosphere, the food, and how stunning my Fiancée looked, that I didn't manage to raise the subject of her present until our appetisers had arrived. And then I was sure that one or both of us would have greasy fingers, and I didn't want Ffrances's first look through her new comic book to be interrupted by the waiters arriving with the next course. I had thought that as we were having five courses, tiny plates at high-end prices, there would have been time to give her the present some time in between. But once we were actually there, I knew that wasn't going to be convenient. And I didn't mine, because I was enjoying myself immensely. My nervousness about the big present only served to highlight how perfect we were for each other.

Dinner was perfect. I was still trying to work out when would be the right time to give her the special gift when the waiter came for our dessert orders. I pointed out the one that I wanted on the menu; the names seemed to be in Italian this time, but I gathered it was some kind of elaborate sundae. The waiter nodded, and turned to Ffrances with a small bow.

"None for me, thank you," she said. "I don't have that much of a sweet tooth."

"I've never seen a baby who doesn't love ice cream," I commented as the waiter disappeared.

"Oh, I'll devour it until I make myself sick if I'm in littlespace," she said. "At least, I think it would be easy to get carried away. Maybe we should try it some time. But I'm thinking more about the cheese selection. One thing I keep hearing about this place is that they do a really good cheeseboard to wrap up your meal. Cheese, crackers, and strong coffee."

"I'm looking forward to it," I said. "But I wouldn't like to miss out on anything, at a place like this."

"Yes," she said. "It's hard. But I noticed how big the sundaes are, I've seen the waiters carrying them to someone. And I think that would ruin my appetite if I had one now. Better to let my stomach settle a little before the final course."

And then it seemed like a perfect moment. A sundae wasn't like hot food, that would suffer from any delay between kitchen and table. And given how attentive they were, I was sure that the waiter would be back with mine exactly as I finished giving Ffrances her gift. They would wait a short while, rather than interrupt. I reached for the bag beside me, heart pounding.

"I wanted to give you this," I said, and in an instant I completely forgot the big speech I had planned. I'd worked out exactly the right things to say, but when it came to it I could only think about how much I wanted her to smile. I did my best to continue: "I hope it's the right thing. I could have got... I could have chosen to give a purely decorative gift, that's just a symbol. But I wanted to show you that I care about you, and give you something you'll actually enjoy. So..."

"Thank you," she said, taking it from me. She carefully untied the ribbon, and folded back the paper. Inside there was a rectangular box, designed to protect the present from damage in transit. But her finger danced around the Malarkey & Sons logo on the corner, and she had to have known what would be inside. "Oh, thank you! I can't believe... I think you must have tried really hard to get this. And impressed some of my friends, as well. I think this is the best gift you could have given me."