The Ring

She was waiting for me by the fountain in the middle of the town
square. She had laughed when I suggested it because it reminded her of
an old movie. She asked me if I was going to show up with a bunch of
flowers for her to make the old fashioned picture complete.

She checked her watch. I recognised the look that came over her face,
that mixture of anger and concern that said I was in for the silent
treatment when I eventually showed up. I touched her arm lightly. "I'm
here, Sarah," I whispered. I could have shouted and it would have made
no difference, but tears were choking me and I could barely manage a
whisper.

She started to pace up and down, her high heels slipping on the
cobblestone road as she kept looking at her watch, then at the clock
tower, comparing the two. I was half an hour late, unforgivable in her
book, and I could tell that she was about ready to leave. I walked with
her, trying to hold her hand, telling her that I wanted to be here with
her and that it wasn't my fault, but she couldn't hear me.

Abruptly, she turned and walked away. I couldn't bear to see her go
like this. She was mad at me for standing her up but I couldn't help
it. I had run out of the shop because I knew she would be mad if I was
late. I was in such a hurry to get to her that I didn't see the car as
it shot around the corner.

"Sarah!" I called. She turned around and looked straight at me. "I love
you," I said. She walked toward me and would have ran into me had I not
jumped aside. Her steps quickened, and I saw my brother at the other
side of the square. She was sobbing uncontrollably by the time she
reached him, knowing that something terrible must have happened. He
gave her the ring I had bought for her, and she clutched it in her hand
like I had.