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Monday, December 21, 2009

The Ring.

For weeks, he’d been teasing me about my Christmas gift.

 “You’re going to love it,” he’d say.

“It’s something you’ve been wanting for ages,” he’d hint.

“Hands down, it’s the most expensive gift I’ve ever bought,” he’d crow.

Which, to me, could mean only one thing. He had bought me a ring. An engagement ring.

When Christmas Eve finally arrived, he told me he was taking me out to dinner. And that I should wear something fancy.

So, thinking I was about to get engaged, I pulled out all the stops. My hair was curled (and sprayed) to perfection. My lip liner was applied with care. And my dress? Well, it was much too short and way too tight for my comfort, but I knew it was his favorite.

At the appointed hour he arrived in his steel chariot (a red Chevy Sprint) to whisk me off to dinner. Our destination? Olive Garden (hey, we were broke college students. It was fancy to us).

I don’t remember much about the meal. I imagine I had the mushroom ravioli, because that’s what I always got, but I was too nervous to eat much. Every time he took a breath or shifted in his seat, I was sure The Moment had come.

But it wasn’t until the dinner plates were cleared that he made his move. Reaching into the inside pocket of his jacket, he pulled out a brightly wrapped box. A ring-sized box.

“Here. Open it.”

Fingers shaking, I ripped the paper off, revealing the burgundy velvet box inside. Taking a deep breath, I opened it, expecting to see the sparkle of a diamond winking back at me.

Not a plastic ghost.

But that’s what I saw. A Halloween ring featuring a smiling, Casper-style ghost. The kind you get for 25 cents out of a vending machine.

I blinked, thinking I was seeing things, but no. When I opened my eyes again, it was still there.

He chose that moment to start laughing uproariously. “You should see your face,” he said. “Oh man, what I wouldn’t give to have a camera right now.”

That’s when I started to cry. Quietly, so as not to alarm the other diners.

“What? Why are you crying? It was a joke! You’re supposed to be laughing!”

My only answer was a stifled sob.

“Come on, that wasn’t your real gift,” he said, fumbling around in his coat pocket. “I’ve got it here somewhere…here. Here it is.”

Sniffling quietly, I ripped the package open to reveal my second velvet box of the evening. This time, there were diamonds inside. Two of them.

He’d bought me diamond earrings. Beautiful diamond earrings. Earrings I later wore proudly.

But at that moment, all I could think about was the diamond solitaire that wasn’t. And at the sight of them? I cried even harder.

You know what the amazing thing is? When he finally got around to proposing a few months later, I actually said yes.

This post was written for the third challenge at Write of Passage. The assignment? Write about the most memorable Christmas gift you ever received. This, as you might imagine, wins. Hands down. Now go see what the other participants have to say for themselves!

14 comments:

  1. i would have been so bummed too!!
    happy holidays!!
    xo

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  2. Men are so mean sometimes...........

    I'm still waiting for a REAL proposal ...

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  3. I kind of want to kick him in the shins. Except, he's your husband and all.

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  4. Men are pretty mean when it comes to gifts. I've been hinting around for the last four months or so that I'd like diamond earrings. He's told me that I wouldn't have gotten my 'big' gift if he hadn't found it on sale.

    Wonder if they're my earrings?

    Merry Christmas!

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  5. You have an award at my blog!!! Here is the direct link to collect it!
    http://moonnstarmommy.blogspot.com/2009/12/feel-lemonade-along-with-this-and-that.html

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  6. I would have killed him. Still, it made a great story!

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  7. Oh GIRL, my Hubs did the EXACT same thing. Bought me a jewelry box and when I opened it, said verrrry seriously "There's another gift in there" and I opened a ring-sized box to find. . . a pair of diamond earrings!! Seriously - did they read the same crappy How-To book??

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  8. As the husband, I have to say there is a lot of creative license going on here for entertainment value.

    I think the real version of the story is even funnier, but I won't steal your thunder.

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  9. Awww, the hub is insulted. Well, I knew that was going to happen.

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  10. You're not going to hate me if I say that I was laughing.out.loud when I read that are you? Well, I was. But, I totally would have cried. Like you, I was expecting the ring as well.

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  11. oh dude! That's a good story. But STILL. :)

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  12. He totally deserved to get called out for that one:) Great post!!!

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  13. OMG no way I could have kept it together!

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