The Small Black Velvety Box

I opened my eyes on Christmas morning excited about the fact that I thought I was going to be presented with an engagement ring. I came to that assumption because I had found one under the loose floorboard under the bed in the spare room two weeks before as I was cleaning.

 

The mismatched piece of wood had a hole in it that was one centimeter in diameter. I put my finger into the hole, the floorboard coming up easily and looked into the cavernous space that faced me. In it was a small black velvet box which I took out to inspect further.

 

I turned the hoover off and sat where the bed usually resided and was astonished at the white gold band with a sizeable sparkling white diamond mounted in the middle and even more glittering diamonds set into the band itself. I had butterflies in my stomach and naturally tried the ring on, which fit perfectly, with tears in my eyes. I had always wanted to marry David, something the ring proved he wanted too.

 

On Christmas morning when David handed me what I thought was the same small black velvet box I got so excited, my stomach felt as if it had missed a step on the stairs as he opened the box in front of my eyes. I was gutted when the box revealed a pair of beautiful diamond earrings. David was puzzled at my less than enthusiastic response to what were undoubtably expensive piece of jewelry.

 

My mind naturally wondered if he had bought the ring for someone else or if he still wasn’t comfortable with me being bisexual, something which was fresh news to him. My ex, Jacqui, had sent a Christmas card with a photo of us kissing at pride the month before she slept with my best friend, which led to our parting ways.

 

I always felt that Jacqui would put a spanner in the works in some shape or form in mine and Davids relationship.

 

I wondered if he had brought the ring back, and knew it would have been too noticeable if I ran upstairs and checked, so I waited a couple of days before taking the hoover out again. To my relief, the ring was still there.

 

Seven months passed. I had pulled out the spare bed once a month, each time the small black velvet box, which was gathering dust, was still under the loose, mismatched floorboard. I was confused as to whether he would ever pop the question.

 

Once outdoor dining was restored, I had begged and begged for David to take me to my favorite pizzeria, and every time he said they were booked out. My mood flat, I decided that Saturday night would be the night to get a take away, David agreed.

 

I spent all day salivating over the menu, which was on their website. I had decided to get a Margareta pizza with ham and extra cheese. David asked me to go with him to collect the order which he had supposably placed twenty minutes earlier. I rolled my eyes and reluctantly put on a pair of jeans.

 

The air was heavy, the sun shining, as David parked in a spot on the opposite side of the road and joined me in my mission to retrieve the pizzas. As we crossed the road, David grabbed my hand in his and I noticed that he was in a smart shirt and pants. I did a double take at him as he had been wearing shorts all day. I never realized he had changed. He had a stupid grin on his face that had me puzzled as he seemed distant all week.

 

When we entered the restaurant, we were asked if it was for outside dining or collection. ‘Collection’ I said and at the same time David said, ‘outside’. I looked at him quizzically, his grin growing; ‘surprise’ he said his eyebrows raised. I looked at my grubby jeans and was conscious that my hair looked unkept.

 

We walked through what was our favorite restaurant, but was currently a shell of a building and were led to an area which was kitted out with two large fancy black gazebos standing side by side on weed free paving slabs. There were three outdoor heaters separating six tables; room for twelve people. We were guided to an end table and handed a menu. Of course, I already knew what I was going to get as I had thought I had already ordered it.

 

Davids grin spanned from ear to ear as we were served water and said we were ready to order. As we waited for the pizzas, David did everything but look me in the eye;  he read through the alcohol menu that lay on the table, scanning the laminated page carefully and excused himself saying he was going to the bathroom. I sat in awe of the wonderful job the owners of the restaurant had done on the small area that they had to work with.

 

After a couple of minutes David returned, closely followed by our food. I took one look at the pizza and my mouth watered. I knew from experience that if you let the pizza cool down a bit then there is less chance of the cheese sliding off the slice. David put his elbows on the table, his fingertips touching each other. He was in a funny mood.

 

To avoid the uncomfortableness, I tore a piece of pizza free and took a bite, the salty ham and mozzarella cheese made a great duet.  I tried conversing with David but he was distracted. ‘Great’ I thought to myself, ‘our first restaurant experience in eighteen months and he has checked out!’. I rolled my eyes and decided to just enjoy the food.

 

When we were both full to the brim, we put the leftovers onto one plate to bring home in a doggy bag. The waiter came over to us and took the plate with the remaining pizza and said he would place it in a box.

 

Suddenly, out of nowhere, David got up out of his wrought iron chair and put his hand in his pocket. He retrieved an all too familiar small black velvet box and got down on one knee. I gasped and covered my mouth with my hands, my eyes filling up with tears as he said the words: ‘Julia, I have loved you since the moment I set eyes on you! I would love nothing more than for you to……’ He was cut off when a voice came from a six-person party about to sit down, ‘oh, my, god!’ the voice said.

 

I looked up from David and realized that the familiar voice was that of my ex, Jacqui. I closed my eyes and felt my heartbeat thump throughout my body. This would be the one dealbreaker, if there were any to be had, of marriage with David. He knew I was bisexual, but the photo in the Christmas card had freaked him out hugely.

 

Jacqui and I had gone out for two years before she cheated on me and, apart from that one Christmas card, I hadn’t seen or heard from her since our complicated break up.

 

David got up from the concrete slab and looked from me to Jacqui and back again. ‘Sorry, but I’m trying to propose here!’ David said irritably. I gasped as Jacqui made her way over to our table, bent down, looked me in the eye and said, ‘seriously!’ I nodded, praying she wouldn’t say anything to David. To my horror she looked at him and said, ‘you do know she’s gay, right?’

 

David who hadn’t even gotten to the part where he was to open the small black velvety box, put it back in his pocket, his grin had turned to terror. He wasn’t completely comfortable with me being bisexual but its something he had come to terms with. He was having a lot of trouble keeping his cool with Jacqui.

 

‘She’s bisexual!’ David said through gritted teeth. Suddenly, all five foot six inches of Jacqui squared up to six foot one David like she was about to hit him. I stood up and put some distance between the two of them. David, being literally the bigger man, walked away and left me and Jacqui alone.

 

I confronted her about the situation and told her that her Christmas card was not welcomed. She tried to kiss me. David, who was watching from afar, approached us once more and suggested that we leave, something I was glad to hear.

 

David settled the bill and we walked back to the car; his face somber. I apologized to the love of my life and reassured him that Jacqui was my past but that he was my future. I told him how I wanted to have babies and grow old with him. I asked him to please discard anything that Jacqui said as she is a raving lunatic.

 

David smiled and took my hand in his once more. He apologized that he didn’t get the opportunity to finish his speech and started it again: ‘Julia, I have loved you since the moment I set eyes on you! I would love nothing more than for you to have my babies and grow old with me. Will you marry me?’ He took the black velvet box out of his pocket again and flaunted the ring in front of me.

 

The ring was even more amazing than it was in the space under the loose mismatched floor board in the spare room; I gasped at the sight of it, my eyes filling up with tears. ‘Of course,’ I blurted out and threw my arms around David’s neck. When I finally let him go of him, his cheesy grin appeared once more. He placed the ring on my finger and kissed me. Finally, we were engaged.