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I open it and read the comments under my post congratulating Kevin and me. Then I scroll up and look at the selfie of the two of us, my left in the foreground, which he holds up and into the camera like a trophy.So, this is what it feels like to be engaged.
The sound of the flush comes from the bathroom. Shortly after, Kevin joins me in the living room, flings his slippers off his feet, and drops onto the sofa with a groan.
“Since you’re still standing…” He unbuttons his pants and pulls his shirt out of his waistband. “Will you get me another beer? As a nightcap?”
“Don’t you think you’ve had enough already?” On the drive home—of course, he didn’t let me get behind the wheel—it was only with a lot of luck that his many swerves didn’t catch the attention of any police patrols.
“Hey!” he grumbles. “We’re engaged, not married. And even then, I’m not going to be henpecked by you! Is that clear?”
A biting remark is on the tip of my tongue—which I prefer to swallow. I nod.
“So: alley-oop!” he commands. “The beer!”
When I hand him the open bottle, he shows himself as conciliatory.
“Come over here,” he says, patting the cushion next to him with his hand.
I don’t trust the peace. “Let me slip out of these shoes first.”
He takes a big sip and looks at me. “You made quite a not-so-bad impression on my parents,” he praises me. “Dad congratulated me on my good haul.”
“Thank you.” I screw up my face and massage my aching toes.
“You’re welcome.” He stands up, swaying slightly as he comes over to me. “I rehearsed that proposal scene pretty well, didn’t I?” His hand strokes my hair, grabbing me under the chin and forcing me to look up at him. “That’s the kind of thing you’re into. Isn’t it?”
“Uh-huh.” I make a sound of agreement and try not to breathe in his alcohol-fueled haze.
“We’re perfect for each other, me and you,” Kevin explains to me. “Trust me: it’s going to be really great with the two of us, once I use your inheritance to start my own insurance agency. I already have my eye on suitable office space. Wilhelminian-style floor, freshly renovated. Augusta’s Complex in Mannheim. As a company car, of course, only one with a star on it. And, of course, you’re quitting the Chamber of Commerce and Industries to organize my front office.”
Excuse me?“No.” I shake my head.
“Are you that attached to your female colleagues?” He gives a bleating laugh. “All right, I don’t want to be a brute. You can keep working there until the wedding. You’ll just have to commute. I’ve secured an option on a top-notch condo with a view of Luise’s Park.”
“No!” I repeat in a firm voice.
“No?” He snorts, making an all-encompassing motion with his right. “Are you going to stay in this hovel?” His gaze turns inward, then he grins. “All right. If that’s what you want… But you’ll pay the rent out of your income.”
“And you’ll reside in Mannheim in the meantime?” I conclude, pushing him away from me.
“I can hardly force you…” Kevin seems to find hilarious what he’s said. He chuckles as if he’s watching comedy.
“No,” I say a third time and tighten my shoulders.
“What do you mean byno?” Kevin inflates his chest and juts his chin.
“Nomeans: No, you can’t use my inheritance for your business ideas.” Though the heart in my chest practices trampolining, I withstand his angry glare.
“Oh, no?” His moist pronunciation hits me. “And why not?”
“You know perfectly well it’s meant for the purchase of a home.” What really happened to the money, I prefer to keep to myself.
“Yeah, so?” blurts Kevin. “And a condo isn’t?”
Oh, interesting that he suddenly forgets his extensive investment plans!“That’s not what I have in mind.”
“No.” His tone etches. “You have in mind an embarrassing Ponderosa ranch in the village. With two kids’ bedrooms and a lawn you want me to mow three times a week.”
Where does he get that idea?I tilt my head.
