Homecoming Ch. 02

Mary hugged me as the gas roared in the furnace. We made our way up the stairs. It had been a long trip, but well worth it. Aspen was amazing, beautiful. Dad's heavy footsteps thudded into the wood above our heads as he came down the stairs with Nicole in tow.

"Looks like your friend wasn't used to much company, sport. There's only two bedrooms upstairs. Who's on the couch in the lounge room?" Mary laughed.

"Place of honour, right in front of the fire? Gee, let go of my arm, we'll manage." I shrugged.

"Fine by me. You snore anyway." Dad echoed my shrug with one of his own.

"Sign of a hard-working man." Mum snorted from the kitchen, and Nicole moved past us to head outside.

"Hey!" Mary shouted. "Wait up!" She grabbed her own board and stopped at the doorway to give me a kiss. "See you later, hon." I grinned and Dad gave me a thump on the arm.

"Come on, mate. I'll help you set up."

That night, everything was perfect. Dinner was amazing, and Dad and I cleaned up as the girls all sat by the fire, sipping port. Nicole reached for the glass, and Mary took it off her. Her sister pouted, and then giggled and came into the kitchen to grab a hot chocolate.

I put the wet tea-towel beside the oven to dry and turned around, just in time to cop a stinging pinch as the tea-towel whipped into my behind. I yelped in pain and surprise, and Nicole laughed. I rose an eyebrow at her and then smiled calmly. She tensed, but I didn't do anything.

"Remember, you started that." I reached into the back of the cupboard and pulled out the marshmallows. "Guess whose going without? Hmm?" Nicole whined in her best pleading tone, and Mary and Mum laughed.

"That's not fair!" I laughed and nodded.

"You're right. I could have just put you in bed." Nicole scoffed and moved past me. I leant over and grabbed the tea towel, and flicked it, catching her just on the small of her back. There was a resounding crack as she screamed, and held up her hands.

"Oh come on, sweetheart, like I was really going to deny you marshmallows." Nicole rubbed her back and looked to her sister for help, but Mary was too busy laughing.

After a few hours by the fire, Dad stretched and looked at Mum. "About time to retire, sweetheart?" Mum nodded and covered a yawn. She looked over at Nicole, who was almost passed out in the couch.

She looked at me pleadingly, and I smiled, not being dumb enough to say no to Mum. I picked Nicole up, who started sleepily then began to snore softly. I smiled at Mary as I carried her sister up the stairs.

I opened Nic's door and pushed through it, and laid her down on the bed. When I shut the door behind her, Mum was waiting in the hallway with Dad. He handed me a black bag with a small box in it. Dad and Mum smiled at one another as I took the box out of the bag. I took a deep breath, and Mum squeezed my shoulder reassuringly.

Mary called softly from downstairs, and Mum and Dad smiled at me and closed their door. I stepped down the warm wooden stairs, and smiled. Mary's auburn hair looked warm in the dying firelight, and I kissed her softly. "It's getting chilly, I ought to put some more wood on the fire."

Mary nodded, and closed her eyes, snuggling into the blanket on the couch. "Could you light some candles or something? It's just a little dark." I nodded. "Sure."

I steeled myself as I handed Mary the dark blue box. It was tied together with a ribbon in a big bow and she looked sideways at me as I moved around the room, lighting candles and making myself busy while she opened it up. Problem was that Mary was just sitting there, waiting.

Mary watched me as I put some more wood on the fire, then sat back comfortably, feigning full confidence. She slowly drew the ribbon out, and it fell down to the ground. The box opened slowly in her hands, and she stared at the simple diamond ring in the centre of the dark velvet. Her hands were shaking, and I could see tears in her eyes.

"Mother Teresa once said that no-one can do great things, only small things with great love. This is only a small thing, Mary, but it is done with the greatest love possible. Will you marry me?" Her teary eyes rose to mine and her mouth worked soundlessly.

"I bought it the day before I came down to see you, but things happened so fast, that I never got the chance to ask you. It's not very big because I bought it with most of the money I had at the time. I'm not rushing into asking you to spend the rest of your life with me now because I can afford to do it, or because suddenly I'm rich."

"I'm asking you because I'm just that same little kid who loved you since I knew what that meant. That's why I didn't get another ring." Mary reached forwards and laid two fingers on my stammering lips.

"Yes." I pulled the ring out of the box and leant in and kissed her. She put her arms around me as I tried to snag her wrist and put the ring on, but she was kissing me, and everything was happening at once.

"Yes I'll marry you."

The End.