thousand, but their threshold seemed to have risen in the meantime.
“I really like this one,” Julie said, referring to a round-cut sixty-pointer that would run in the neighborhood of sixteen hundred transferred to a plainer setting. “There's something about it.”
“That's a quality stone,” Kevin said quickly. “You have a really good eye.”
Julie spun her swivel chair to face Dave, the ring cupped like an offering in the palm of her hand, her expression a complicated blend of excitement and apology.
“What do you think?”
Dave took the ring and held it up to the light. The diamond was small but radiant, shooting off pinprick flares of brilliance.
“I know it's expensive,” she said. “Maybe we shouldn't rush into anything.”
He could've told her to hold off, to shop around and compare prices, but that would've just been prolonging the ordeal. She had found a ring she would be proud to show off to her friends, a ring that would reflect well on him as part of the union it symbolized. Compared to that, a few hundred dollars didn't seem worth quibbling over, even if it meant he'd have to kiss good-bye any hope ofbuying the vintage Telecaster he'd been eyeing over at Riccio's Music.
“Get it,” he told her.
“Really?” She seemed almost disappointed by the ease of his surrender. “You mean it?”
She started to smile, but something happened to her face before she got there. She made a sudden gulping noise, and the next thing he knew she was sobbing against his face, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Pinned against his chair, Dave realized he was choked up as well. If making her happy were so easy, why had he gone out of his way to disappoint her for so long? Why had they wasted all those years?
“Oh, sweetie,” she said. “It's so beautiful.”
“Jules.” His fist closed around the ring as he rubbed his knuckles up and down the back of her neck.
“Congratulations.” Kevin reached across the display case to give him a friendly squeeze on the shoulder. “You made an excellent choice.”
“So tell me,” Kevin said, making salesman's small talk as he wrote up their order, “how long have you two been going out?”
Dave groaned to himself. This wasn't a subject he felt comfortable discussing with strangers.
“A long time,” he said.
“How long is long?”
He shot a quick warning glance at Julie, but it was too late.
“Fifteen years,” she said.
Kevin looked up from the paperwork, smirking like a guy who appreciated a little good-natured kidding around.
“Come on,” he said.
“It's true,” Julie insisted. “We've been going out since our sophomore year of high school.”
Kevin turned to Dave for confirmation, looking at him for the first time as though he were an actual human being, rather than a Visa card with legs.
“On and off,” Dave told him. “Fifteen years on and off.”
“That's amazing,” said Kevin.
Julie put her arm around Dave's waist and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.
“We didn't want to rush into anything,” she explained.
Dave took Julie's hand as they stepped off the escalator, something he almost never did in public, especially since they'd had a fight about it a few years earlier. (“Would it kill you to hold my hand once in a while?” she'd asked. “Yes,” he'd replied, after devoting some serious consideration to the matter. “I think it would.”) She seemed so grateful for the gesture that she passed up the opportunity to comment upon his courage in the face of near-certain death.
“I'm really happy about the ring,” she told him. “I know you think it's silly, but it means a lot to me.”
“I'm happy too,” he said, and was pretty sure that he meant it. “You deserve something nice after putting up with me for fifteen years.”
“On and off,” she said, cheerfully supplying his favorite disclaimer. “Fifteen years on and off.”
He never meant for the phrase to sound as grudging and nitpicky as it apparently
“I really like this one,” Julie said, referring to a round-cut sixty-pointer that would run in the neighborhood of sixteen hundred transferred to a plainer setting. “There's something about it.”
“That's a quality stone,” Kevin said quickly. “You have a really good eye.”
Julie spun her swivel chair to face Dave, the ring cupped like an offering in the palm of her hand, her expression a complicated blend of excitement and apology.
“What do you think?”
Dave took the ring and held it up to the light. The diamond was small but radiant, shooting off pinprick flares of brilliance.
“I know it's expensive,” she said. “Maybe we shouldn't rush into anything.”
He could've told her to hold off, to shop around and compare prices, but that would've just been prolonging the ordeal. She had found a ring she would be proud to show off to her friends, a ring that would reflect well on him as part of the union it symbolized. Compared to that, a few hundred dollars didn't seem worth quibbling over, even if it meant he'd have to kiss good-bye any hope ofbuying the vintage Telecaster he'd been eyeing over at Riccio's Music.
“Get it,” he told her.
“Really?” She seemed almost disappointed by the ease of his surrender. “You mean it?”
She started to smile, but something happened to her face before she got there. She made a sudden gulping noise, and the next thing he knew she was sobbing against his face, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Pinned against his chair, Dave realized he was choked up as well. If making her happy were so easy, why had he gone out of his way to disappoint her for so long? Why had they wasted all those years?
“Oh, sweetie,” she said. “It's so beautiful.”
“Jules.” His fist closed around the ring as he rubbed his knuckles up and down the back of her neck.
“Congratulations.” Kevin reached across the display case to give him a friendly squeeze on the shoulder. “You made an excellent choice.”
“So tell me,” Kevin said, making salesman's small talk as he wrote up their order, “how long have you two been going out?”
Dave groaned to himself. This wasn't a subject he felt comfortable discussing with strangers.
“A long time,” he said.
“How long is long?”
He shot a quick warning glance at Julie, but it was too late.
“Fifteen years,” she said.
Kevin looked up from the paperwork, smirking like a guy who appreciated a little good-natured kidding around.
“Come on,” he said.
“It's true,” Julie insisted. “We've been going out since our sophomore year of high school.”
Kevin turned to Dave for confirmation, looking at him for the first time as though he were an actual human being, rather than a Visa card with legs.
“On and off,” Dave told him. “Fifteen years on and off.”
“That's amazing,” said Kevin.
Julie put her arm around Dave's waist and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.
“We didn't want to rush into anything,” she explained.
Dave took Julie's hand as they stepped off the escalator, something he almost never did in public, especially since they'd had a fight about it a few years earlier. (“Would it kill you to hold my hand once in a while?” she'd asked. “Yes,” he'd replied, after devoting some serious consideration to the matter. “I think it would.”) She seemed so grateful for the gesture that she passed up the opportunity to comment upon his courage in the face of near-certain death.
“I'm really happy about the ring,” she told him. “I know you think it's silly, but it means a lot to me.”
“I'm happy too,” he said, and was pretty sure that he meant it. “You deserve something nice after putting up with me for fifteen years.”
“On and off,” she said, cheerfully supplying his favorite disclaimer. “Fifteen years on and off.”
He never meant for the phrase to sound as grudging and nitpicky as it apparently
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