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I looked up at her with concern. “Are you okay?”
Her eyes filled with tears. “…do you mean it?”
I didn’t answer right away.
One second we’d been joking around… and then things had gotten very serious, very quickly.
When I didn’t immediately answer, she whispered, “I was joking around before, Massimo, and it’s okay if you don’t want it for real… but… don’t do this if you don’t mean it.”
As I knelt there, I gave it some real thought.
About the previous three weeks…
And all the trials we’d gone through together…
And how every night when I went to sleep, I was happy holding her in my arms…
And how when I woke up, I was happy because I got to see her face.
Like she’d said earlier, the previous three weeks – no matter how tough the circumstances – had been the happiest three weeks of my life.
I made my decision.
“I know this isn’t the ring you deserve, and I’ll get you a better one… but Lucia Fioretti… will you marry me?” I asked quietly.
A sob wracked her body. She put one hand to her mouth…
And then she laughed through her tears and rapidly nodded her head ‘yes.’
Then, smiling with joy, she held out her left hand.
I slipped the toy on her ring finger, stood up… and kissed her.
Suddenly there was a noise behind us.
The only other person in the shop – the old man behind the register – was clapping. He had a big smile on his face.
“Meraviglioso! Congratulazioni!”
Wonderful! Congratulations!
Lucia and I both laughed as we walked over to the register.
“Ma devi comunque pagare la spesa,” he said seriously.
But you still have to pay for your groceries.
69
Lucia
During our hike back through the woods, I held my umbrella in my right hand – and admired the ring on my left.
I held out my hand in front of me at different angles: down low, up high, hand flat, palm facing outwards. The red plastic gem didn’t catch any sunlight since there was no sunlight to catch, but I didn’t care.
I was absolutely giddy.
When I was little, before my parents died, I used to sneak into my mother’s bedroom and play with her jewelry. She kept it in a polished wooden box with black velvet inside – and it thrilled me every time I opened the lid and saw the glittering bracelets and earrings.
