Thank God for Irish Women Ch. 07

"Let's get back to the primary question. Emily, will you marry me under the terms and conditions you and I have described?" We both smiled.

"I think I understand the terms and conditions. And based on your promise to reveal nothing I've told you, I will marry you, Matthew."

We leaned into each other and tenderly kissed. Although I had tears in my eyes, I was the happiest I had ever been in my life. I reached into my pocket and brought out the Kay box. She stared at it for a moment as her chin quivered. When she opened it, she gasped and stared silently at it, then at me. I removed it from the box and placed it on her shaking finger as her tears flowed.

"This is the most stunning diamond I've ever seen. Oh my goodness." She giggled.

"My girlfriends will be so jealous. They may think it's a fake, which is fine. Thank you, sweetheart. I can't believe this is happening to me."

We sat on the grass in each others' arms and talked for more than an hour. What began with a disaster had turned into a fairy tale. Who would ever believe this could have happened?

We talked about the wedding. We talked about which of her friends would be bridesmaids, and I began to think out loud about groomsmen. We agreed the wedding should be in Iowa and that I'd pay to have all her friends come there. She wondered out loud if Mom and Dad would let us have the wedding reception at the house and maybe a swim party after the rehearsal.

I asked the one question that was bothering me. "Emily, remember that morning when you had decided to end your life, why were you thinking that way? You had all that money to live for?"

"Matt, that money meant nothing to me. Absolutely nothing. I know that sounds crazy and I don't expect you to believe it. The only thing that mattered was my love for Patrick and his love for me. He was my entire world, and I didn't want to live without him. I didn't care about money I may or may not have some day. Money can never buy love; it always buys hatred and jealousy. I can say for a fact that I'd marry you right now if we were both penniless.

"In a way, this promise of money makes our lives more complicated and I don't like that. I'd like to give my trust fund away and never touch it. But here we are. I can't even get access to it to give it away. The only good thing about it is that it secures a future for our children if we die young; but I think we can work, buy insurance and do that without those funds. Plus, I don't want my children to be rich and feel privileged."

"And you're sure you want to go back to school? You'll never have to work a day in your life with my trust fund."

"Are you out of your mind? Thanks to my mom, I'm not made that way, Matt. I must be busy and working. I saw how hard my mom worked for eleven years when she could have gone back to Ireland and apologized and begged for forgiveness. My grandparents would have taken her back, but she refused for some reason.

"Over the last year, I've wondered about that and how she arrived at the decision to keep working. I've concluded that she did it for me. She wanted me to have the freedom and joy of doing things myself with money that she and I earned. I think she knew that wealth would make her and me slaves to it and, in a way, to her parents. Her love for me meant more than any amount of money. Our poverty was a very strict teacher. You've never been poor so maybe you don't understand."

"I heard a very accomplished businessman tell my dad one time that the greatest blessing he had received from God was to be born poor. I think he's right. Although my family had money, Mark and I were never allowed the benefits of it until we were grown. My parents expected us to live frugally and work hard, and we did.

"If you are like your mom, she was a very special person."

"Thank you. She was the perfect mom."

As twilight approached, we walked hand in hand back to the ATV and returned to the house. As I drove, I noticed that she often glanced at her ring but was very quiet.

The pool lights were on, and we could see Mom reading a book in her favorite chair.

"How was the lake?" Mom asked as we sat next to her.

Emily replied, "It was beautiful. In fact, it was a life-changing experience."

"That sounds dramatic," Mom replied with a smile.

Emily held up her left hand, and Mom saw the diamond glittering in the light. She squealed, threw down the book and jumped out of her chair. She grabbed Emily, pulling her out of the chair. They were both talking simultaneously and embracing each other again and again.

I stood and hugged Mom.

"You two will make a perfect couple. I'm so proud of you! Let's go in. James must see this ring. That rock is huge!"

"I told Matt my girlfriends will be very jealous."

"I'm jealous. I know they will be. As we walked through the kitchen door, she hollered, "JAMES! WHERE ARE YOU? COME QUICKLY!"

We heard him come running. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Look at Emily's hand."

Dad focused on her finger as she raised it. He broke into a huge smile. "I see you pulled the trigger, Matt. Congratulations to both of you!" He gave Emily a warm hug. "I'm very happy for you two. Emily, you'll be the perfect partner for him. Welcome to our family."

"Thanks, Dad. We have a few formalities to complete, but I'm thrilled to be part of this family."

Mom asked, "Do you have any idea on a date yet or is it just silly for me to ask so soon?"

Emily replied, "Nothing definite, but it will be late next summer we think. There's a lot to do. We want to have the wedding here in West Des Moines with all your family and friends."

"I told Emily that we'll fly in as many of her friends as want to come. She's already thinking about bridesmaids."

Mom's eyes lit up as she asked, "Can I help you plan it?"

"Absolutely. I've never planned a wedding, and I need your help."

"With two boys, I never had the chance. This one will be special. This is exciting. I am thrilled. James and I could never ask for a better match. You two were made for each other."

Dad asked, "Do Mark and Cheryl know yet?"

"Mark took me to buy the ring yesterday, but he doesn't know I proposed, and Emily accepted."

Emily asked, "Oh, is this one of the tractor parts you said you were going to get?" She grinned.

"Emily, he could have bought the whole tractor for the price of that stone," Dad replied with a grin.

"Oh Matt, you shouldn't have spent that much. Now I'll just worry about it all the time."

"Don't. It's insured. But, we do need to get it sized on Monday. They said they could do it quickly."

"It's a little big, but not much."

Mom advised, "Please don't wear it around water or the sink. It'll slip off and be gone before you know it."

"Good idea. I'll put it away now."

Emily walked to the guesthouse. When she was out of earshot, Mom asked, "Just how big is that stone?"

"A little over three carats."

"Whooeee! Very impressive. The brilliance is amazing. I'm pleased that you went overboard, sweetheart. You're normally more conservative with your money."

"I thought she deserved it."

"That's probably the most valuable thing she's ever had," Mom said.

I grinned and replied, "Not true. Her mother was the real treasure in her life."

"Oh?"

"Yes, but I can't talk about it. Dad, you remember your advice about getting a prenup?"

"Yeah."

"Emily brought that up and insisted on it."

Mom's mouth flew open. After a couple of seconds, she asked, "Why would she do that? Did you tell her about your trust fund?"

"Yes, she knows all the details. Just trust me, she has her reasons."

Mom and Dad shared quizzical looks but let the subject drop.

The End of Chapter 7