Between Comfort and Compromise [CW: Short]

[Chase]

The rain hammered the adobe-styled dwelling continuously that Christmas Eve. It never was common for it to rain here in the first place, and when it did, it was usually just cause for dropping whatever the hell you were doing and running out into the middle of the street with your arms outstretched as if one was to embrace God in thanks. If I were spending the holiday alone, like I normally did, that's probably what I would have done too.

"Nona, dear, ...are you going to open it?"

David was being awfully patient. Again.

I decide the best course of response would be to smile and nod, then begin gently removing the shiny wrapping paper from what ended up being a small felt box, usually known for containing jewelry. Moments like this were supposed to be shocking. This was the point where I was supposed to infer that the man next to me was laying his life at my feet, and how he chose to spend the rest of it was in my hands. This was supposed to be the part where I began to cry.

...This was supposed to be the part where he started his sales pitch. I guess he wanted me to see what was in the box first. I open it, and much to my lack of surprise, it -was- a ring.

...however, my eye doesn't catch my knight in shining armor on one knee. My ear doesn't register a proposal. Instead, I see David on both knees, and I hear sobbing. Something wasn't right, alright, but it wasn't me who was feeling it.

"David....w-what's wrong? I think it's...it's beautiful....I like it, really..."

"Nona, I intended to propose to you the traditional way tonight..but....but..."

"Regrets are fine, really..." I lied, flawlessly shelving my disappointment of there being a reservation ...or was I even upset at all? Whatever, my pain wasn't important at the moment..

"No Nona, There's nothing I want more in this world than to spend the rest of my life with you...It's just...I didn't buy the ring....It was given to me by my mother...who...died this morning...."

David's mother lived a very a rugged life. Drank, smoked, cursed, beat the living tar out of the man when he was a kid. She definitely fit the bill of the "evil in-law" that I wasn't sure I wanted with how many insults she hurled at me. All the same, it was David's mother's ring... A woman that hated my guts allowed him to use her very own engagement ring to propose...to me...

First thing was first I had to allow him to ramble while I decided if I was really sorry for his loss. It would have been petty to have not been.

"David....I'm...I'm so sorry...I don't know....I don't know what to say..."

"I know my presentation was pathetic, but you always could say yes."

Touche...