En·gaged/inˈɡājd,enˈɡājd/:having formally agreed to marry.
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PRISCILLA HERNANDEZ AND JOHN PRESTON WERE ENGAGED.Proposals are supposed to be intimate, with love-filled speeches: heart throbbing, pulse racing, gut-twisting, and overwhelming emotions. Instead, John took her to the local diner "Minnies" the day before her first day of senior year and popped the question, while Priscilla sipped on her strawberry milkshake. Wanna know the second most important part of a proposal? The rings of course! Picking a ring should be a thoughtful process. Will she like this? Does this fit her? Does she like expensive jewelry? Will she want my grandmother's ring? That's the questions a guy should ask himself. Priscilla wasn't picky nor was she materialistic, but the ring he bought from a machine for $0.25 wasn't exactly what she expected.
She was in love with John, she was ready to throw away her plans for him, and she was ready to start her life with him. It wasn't her love for John she was questioning. It was the engagement. Why did it feel like Priscilla was abandoning who she was and what she wanted for the bare minimum? This was supposed to be a time of happiness and love, yet Priscilla nor John could find happiness under Maria's scrutinized gaze. After a full week of being engaged, it was time to tell Maria. John's parents knew the day he proposed, but he decided he wasn't exactly excited to receive a tongue-slashing from Maria. John grew sweaty under Maria's intense stare. It's like she knew what they were going to tell her. Maria's looks were the exact opposite of Priscilla's warm ones. Instead of big soft green eyes, Maria's was a cold light blue. Like she had ice for a soul, you feel frostbite every time she looks at you. There was no warmth in the eyes of Maria, especially for the likes of John Preston. Her hair was midnight black and so straight it could probably slit his throat. She had none of the cute freckles Priscilla had, and her face was sharp. There is nothing childlike about Maria's features they were mature, calculated, and stone-cold. There was only one person who could knock those glacier-like walls down and that was her precious Priscilla.
After a long awkward and tense silence, Priscilla finally decided to speak up. "Mom we need to tell you something." That statement made Maria's cold gaze move from John and onto her daughter. Which made John sigh in relief.
Maria lifted a condescending eyebrow. "Oh do tell." Her response was short but taunting.
Priscilla shifted nervously in her chair hoping John would take the lead. "Um-I-um-we."
"John." Maria interrupted her daughter's stuttering.
"Yes?" John answered nervously.
"It seems my daughter is trying to tell me something, but I'm sure you know more than her. So tell me now." Maria ordered coldly making John let out a shaky breath.
"We're engaged and we're eloping in two months," John blurted out. The silence was thick and tense before Maria burst into a fit of giggles. She begins to laugh so hard that tears stream down her face.
Unamused at her mom's immaturity Priscilla glared at Maria. "Is something funny?" This is exactly why they were dreading this moment. Maria didn't take them or their relationship seriously. Her mother's behavior hurt her. Why couldn't she just be normal? Why couldn't she be a supportive mom?
Sensing her daughter's hurt Maria's smile slowly left her face. "I sense my laughing has deeply troubled you. I'm sorry." Her mother's apology gave her hope that maybe just maybe she would support their relationship. Until Maria opened her mouth again.
"It's just-you can't be serious. You're seventeen years old. What do you know about marriage?" Maria's eyes were full of doubt and pity which angered Priscilla more.
"More than what you and Dad know." Came out of Priscilla's mouth before she could think.
A smirk crept its way onto Maria's face. "Contrary to what you think your father and I loved each other very much. I learned I deserved better." Those words punched Priscilla right in the gut. Did she deserve better? Was she happy? Was she ready to get married? Did she want to throw away her dreams for John? No, she couldn't think like that. If she did that means her mother was right and she couldn't be right.
With John's hand in hers, Priscilla rose from her chair abruptly. "We don't have to sit here and take this. Contrary to what YOU think we are in love and we're happy. This is what I want whether you like it or not."
A look of realization and sadness overcame Maria's beautiful features. "Oh, my poor Priscilla. Are you really going to sacrifice everything just to prove me wrong? Mark my words my beautiful flower you are going to live a SOMBER life and it's going to be too late when you come to understand what I was trying to protect you from."
A scowl took over both Priscilla's and John's faces. "You're going to die alone trying to prove yourself right, but it'll be too late to get me back because I'll be gone and happy with my husband." That was the last thing Priscilla said to her mother in months.
If only she would have listened to the woman who knew her better than she knew herself...
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