After the usual public displays of affection are outlawed, Alexei and Maria are careful to show their love only through the three approved methods. When Alexei tells Maria some exciting news, they forget themselves and hold hands. They're sure the t...
Between staring at my ring and thinking about Ma's warning, I barely sleep at all. When my alarm goes off, I have to peel my eyes open and take a shower half asleep.
I barely step into my room after my shower when Ma knocks on my door.
"Come in, Ma," I take a deep breath and prepare myself for what is to come.
"May I see the ring?" she asks as though it is a greeting.
I extend my hand towards her, palm facing the floor, so she can see the ring Alexei has given me. She takes a few steps towards me until she is holding my hand in her.
"Oh, it's beautiful."
"Thank you," I smile as I look at it, "I really like it."
When is the other shoe going to drop? There's no way she just lets this go.
I decide to meet the battle head on, "I'm going to speak to Alexei this morning regarding what we discussed last night and make sure he understands the situation. I'm not sure what we should do about his boss, though."
Ma nods, but doesn't say anything.
"Anything to add, Ma?" I ask.
She shakes her head, "I'm staying out of it now. You need to learn to handle these things on your own. I won't always be there to protect you."
I'm a little worried about what she means by that, but I follow her lead and drop it for the moment.
"So," Ma begins tidying my things as I sit down to do my hair, "How are you thinking of telling your siblings and father the good news?"
"I hadn't really thought of that," I admit, "I guess I thought they'd just see the ring and figure it out."
Ma continues tidying my bed as she laughs, "Well, that's one way to do it."
I am tying the end of my braid when Ma turns to face me.
"Maria," she points to my head, "You're doing it wrong."
And here I was thinking I had finally figured it out. "What do you mean?"
"You're engaged now, Maria," she takes five quick steps to get to me. "Would you like some help?"
I nod, partly because I like that she's willing to help me, and partly because my tired brain can't remember how my hair should be done now that I'm engaged. People are never engaged for very long, so you don't see it too often.
Given how long it takes Ma to complete my hair, I'm not sure I'll ever leave the house again until the day of our wedding. This braid, curls, pins combination on the top of my head is beautiful, but it takes a long time.
Ma leaves me alone to get dressed and figure out how I want to tell my family about my engagement. In the end, I decide on just wearing the ring to breakfast and seeing what happens. It is really hard to keep the smile off of my face as I make my way down the stairs and sit at the table.
It is Elisa who finally spots my ring twinkling in the sunlight as I reach for a piece of toast.
"Oh, Maria!" she squeals, bringing her hands up to her face, "Are you and Alexei engaged?"
In the silence that ensues, everyone at the table follows Elisa's finger until they are staring at mine. Then, as though a dam has burst, the whole room erupts in congratulations and questions of why I didn't tell them sooner.
"It only happened last night and everyone was asleep when I got home," I slide a smile at Ma who winks in return, "So I just went to bed and this morning I wanted to see who would notice first."
Dad laughs heartily as he stands up from his chair and walks around the table until he is standing behind my chair. He kisses my cheek, "Well, I'll have to call on Alexei and welcome him to the family."
"Oh, now I get why your hair is different!" Elisa bounces in her chair as she eats.
"So, when is the wedding," Jem asks between bites of her egg.
"I don't know," I admit. "It only happened last night." Why am I always trying to defend myself with her?
"Did he propose to you at the party?" I couldn't tell which of my twin sisters had asked, so I just answered the room in general.
"Yes, he did."
I don't tell them all the details, just in case it's a secret that he proposed to me before the party. I hope I'm allowed to tell Elisa, at least, because she will love the story. She's not even thirteen, but she loves romance.
I don't get to eat any of my breakfast because I am bombarded with questions from my family for the remainder of the meal.
"Do you think you'll get married in the park?"
"What kind of dress are you going to wear?"
"Can I be a bridesmaid?" That one was Elisa.
"Are you going to have to move far away?"
"Will we be able to visit you?"
The questions would have continued had Ma not put a stop to them. "All right, let your sister eat. She has much to get done today and we can't have her skipping breakfast."
I look at Ma and try to convey my gratitude through my eyes, but I can't tell if she understands.
Still, she is right. So I take a bite of my toast and stare straight across the table at Elisa as I eat. If anyone is more excited about this than I am, it's definitely Elisa.
When I finish breakfast, Ma excuses me to leave the house and everyone else to complete their chores. Ma has given my chores away to my siblings, which is a good sign that she thinks I'm doing the right thing.
"I'll be back before dinner!" I call before I open the door and step outside.
Time to go find out how much trouble we're really in. Hopefully, we can find a way to get out of it.
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