Crismes Forever

Chapter 14: Picking Out The Ring

The day after I decided to propose I'd already been planning everything out. I was going to propose to James right before our training session. I called my best friend, Marcelo, to help me figure out what the exact correct time was to pop the question and help with the logistics. In the morning,  I'd already gone to the florist to pick out the most beautiful bouquet on the market. I called his parents as well to ask for their blessing. I wish I could have talked to them in person, but they lived in Colombia 90 percent of the time, and I needed to talk to them in a timely manner. All that was left in my preparation was to pick out the perfect ring for my perfect Jamesito.

I drove to the best jewellers in Madrid, they were world-renowned for the quality of their jewellery, from women's to men's items, from necklaces to cufflinks, they were undoubtedly the best on the market. I pulled up and parked my car about 20 metres from the store and proceeded to head in, locking my Audi behind me. I then opened the door and my sheer presence made people's jaws drop when I entered. All of the assistants seemed to be fighting over who was going to help me pick out the perfect piece. Finally, the three agreed to who was going to help me.

"Hi, I'm Marta, I'll be helping you today Mr Ronaldo. It's an honour to meet you!" the younger woman said in a singsong tone "What type of jewellery are you looking for today?" "Well, I'm about to propose to a special someone and I need a ring." I said "But please don't tell anybody about it. Customer confidentiality you know?" I responded. She smiled and said, "Oh, I have you covered. Well, let's go find that lucky mystery lady a perfect ring!". My heart sank and I tried to craft the perfect response. "Well, actually, it's a lucky man. I... I'm umm... gay. Hopefully, that isn't a problem for you." She looked shocked but tried to keep herself composed, "Oh... I see. Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed anything. Let me bring you over to the men's case then. I really do apologise. What style do you think he would like best?". "Well, he normally wears things that aren't really too flashy, he likes the colour dark grey for his jewellery. I was thinking something simple but sweet. What best suits those needs?" She looked down at her ring guide for a few short moments and proceeded to list out the pros and cons of each ring. She asked me for his ring size, his favourite type of finish, how thick he liked his jewellery, etc. How the hell was I supposed to know this kinda stuff?

"This one seems to be his speed. It is a darker platinum ring with a similar finish to the matte finishes on a car. We have the ring in the sizes that would work for him, and it comes in a thicker size, just how you said he wanted it." she pitched. She'd already shown me 8 different rings at that point, and none spoke out to me like this one. It had extremely thin bands on the top and bottom that were a bit lighter than the rest, it shone like the twinkle in James' eyes too. It was absolutely perfect for him. "I think this is the one! He's gonna absolutely love it! You sure you have one in his size?" I replied as she giggled. "The one in the case is his size haha. If you want that one or one that's pre-packaged I can get that you." I told her that I wanted the ring but pre-packaged, after about two minutes in the back of the store she returned. 

"Here you go Mr Ronaldo, that will be 20,500 Euros. Would you like to pay out of pocket or over 6 or 12 months?" she asked. "Out of pocket will do just fine." I said, swiping my credit card. She processed the payment and gave me the bag with the ring inside. As I was about to go to leave she gestured at me to listen closely. "He's very lucky to have a guy like you, good luck with the proposal!" she whispered. I knew that it was quite the opposite and that I was lucky to have him, but I just responded with a simple "Thanks." and headed back home. In less than 24 hours, I was going to know if James and I were going to spend the rest of our lives together. That was both satisfying and scary, but it was the next step to our relationship.