The Proposal

Chapter 7: The Great Escape

            

10-28-2018

Dear Journal,

            I've come to a decision, not one about marriage but about my day today. I'm not going to stay in school. I have to get away, even if it's only for twenty-four hours. There is so much on my mind and I have a feeling that if I talked with my Mom she might be able to clear some of it up. Not necessarily whom I marry, but maybe how to pick someone. Is it instinct? Is it some type of sign? Would it be best if I PROPOSED to Elijah myself? If I choose Fred, should I just walk up and say yes? I know I could talk to my girl friends from school, but I don't think that's a great idea. Three of them already have a fiancé and they no longer need to worry about making a decision. Lauren, I would talk to her, but since it involves the guy I hooked her up with, that might not be too smart. I'll go back to school tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Emily Thompson

10-29-2018

Dear Journal,

            Okay, yesterday was not that simple. My mom simply responded to my questions and unexpected homecoming with this, "Emily, what are you so worried about. You practically have a fiancé already! Besides it's your little sis who you should be worried about. She likely will never find a husband; I mean have you ever looked at what she wears?? It's SO disgusting!" That shocked me beyond belief. That was not my Mom talking at all. Kelsey had overheard the whole conversation from the end of the hallway. I stuck up for her, and yelled right back, but my Mom began to threaten me with a knife. So I grabbed Kelsey and my brother Jeremy and we went for a walk. I couldn't leave them there, they already had bruises all over them, and Jeremy even had fingerprints around his neck. Something must be going on between my parents that I've been missing the past couple of days. My parents never would consider behaving like this; they're the most Christian people you will ever meet. So as we walked I comforted my siblings, then Kelsey started giving me some advice as to what to do. I guess it ended up paying off that my sister reads all the time, she got all of that advice from books! I hate reading, but there must be something magical in what my sister reads, she's ALWAYS transfixed. They ended up staying the night at the high school with me and of course Fred and Elijah welcomed them like family. Kelsey is the most amazing ten year old ever! Today she came up with the idea to have Elijah and Fred baby-sit her and Jeremy for several hours. She told me it would keep them busy, I could have time alone, and she could get to know them. My awesome six-year-old brother went right along with it; I think he liked having guys' attention. I ended up spending the majority of my day walking around the school, checking up on my siblings, being shooed away, and talking with engaged friends. At some point I realized I hadn't seen Lauren all day and found her in the band room, crying. I sat down and started talking with her and began to realize that we were both on the same page. She had worked up the gut to talk to her crush, Matthew, and discovered how well they get along. She fell for him instantly, then remembered Fred and began to feel bad. Now she had to decide her crush, or another nice friend. I explained how Fred had proposed to me, how I had a crush on Elijah, and how this was not working out. Pretty soon the two of us were crying. We both liked Fred; he WAS cool... then again not so much. We felt like we should hook him up with somebody, but wouldn't that be rude? Then we both began comparing our crushes to Fred the conversation went something like this: "Fred tries to keep everyone happy." "Matthew tells jokes that get me cracking up." "Elijah cares about everyone and keeps me laughing." "Fred talks a lot" "Fred isn't a good listener." "Matthew listens to me a lot." "Elijah hears everyone out before making a decision." The conversation kept rolling and at some point the two of us stopped crying and leaned against the tiny band lockers. I dozed off.

Sincerely,

Emily Thompson