Chapter 17: Unexpected Proposal

Unexpected Proposal

“One more year of high school!” I nearly yelled into the phone, right as I pulled into my driveway. Today had been the last day of school.

“That’s great baby. I’m kind of busy at the moment.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. What are you doing?”

“Talking to my boss, having a conversation about how I’m not supposed to take personal phone calls during the work day.”

“Oops. I’m sorry. When are you going to be done?”

“I’m out of work, and I should be home in maybe an hour.”

“Did you eat?”

“No. Been too busy.”

“You need to eat.”

“Stop nagging.” He sounded annoyed, and I decided to back off of him. I would have him, hopefully, to myself later on.

“Okay. But if you don’t call me back, I might not be able to talk much until late.”

“Why’s that? Got a date?”

“Kind of.” I heard him growl, and continued quickly, so his blood pressure wouldn’t rise excessively. “I’m going up to the Grind with Kaley, Colin, Steve and Christy tonight, that’s all.”

“When are you going to be home?”

“Probably by eleven. Mom doesn’t let me stay out much past that.”

“No boys.”

“Nope.”

“You’re mine.”

“Yup.”

“All mine.”

“Yup.”

He growled again, and I smiled. I have to admit that most of the time, I did enjoy his protectiveness.

“I love you.” I said when he was done.

“I love you too. I have to go, baby.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll talk to you in a while.”

“Okay.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.” I hung up the phone and turned off my truck’s ignition. I grabbed my book bag and stepped out of my truck into the hot June sunlight. It had just recently gotten hot enough to wear tank tops and get rid of the normal “hoodies”, hooded sweatshirts for those of you in warmer climates.

I shouldered my back pack and walked the short distance to my front step. Most of the vehicles were gone – we always had at least one in the driveway – so I figured I’d be home alone. Sure enough, the dogs greeted me happily as I opened the door and stepped inside.

“Get down! Damn it!” I said, pushing them off of me. Easily excited, they loved to jump up.

“Want to go out, guys?” I asked them, setting my book bag down next to the stairs leading up to my room. I walked out towards the kitchen and opened the garage door. Jack waddled out the door happily, but Sam firmly planted his butt on the ground, seeming glaring at me. I sighed.

“You don’t want to go out?” I asked him. He cocked his head and wagged his tail. I stood in silence, staring at him for a moment. If he wasn’t going to go out the garage door, he was going out somehow, some way. If he didn’t, he was going to spend the half an hour before either of my parents came home bugging the hell out of me, following me where ever I went and whining, a lot.

“Come on, buddy. Don’t be difficult. You know you want to go out and play. It’s a beautiful day.” His head turned the other way, and his tail stopped wagging. I took a step towards him and he backed up, planting the rest of his body firmly on the ground. He knew I didn’t want to drag his body, over a hundred pounds, twelve or so feet out the door and down the garage steps. I decided to change tactics.

“Fine, I’m going out. All by myself.”

I stepped out the door and closed it, waiting for the dog to get curious and walk over and scratch at the door. Hearing nothing, I looked out the door leading to the fenced in back yard. Jack was sniffing around our pool, tail still wagging. He was such an easy going dog, all things considered. He was happy with just lazing around. Sam however, always needed attention. Needed play time. Granted, Jack was the older dog, but Sam was nearly three and still bouncing off of the walls. He was the most playful that we ever had.

“Jack, come here buddy!” I yelled, knowing that Sam would hear it. Jack waddled over, panting in the humid summer heat. I stepped out of the door and into the bright sunlight, sitting on our small deck. I reached out and started to pet him.

“Hey buddy, how’s it going, huh? You’re such a good boy.” I have to admit, I was desperate, and I was using the voice that some people use when speaking to babies. I scratched his head furiously. “Good boy, huh…” I kept going for about thirty seconds. I could hear the faint sound of furious scratching against the door behind me. I won. I got up, gave Jack a final pet on the head, and walked back into the garage. I opened the door and watched in triumph as Sam raced out the door. I rushed inside and shut the door behind me. I almost felt guilty, but now I had a few moments to myself.

I realized that my throat was burning and went to the sink to fill a glass with water. I almost seemed…bored, I realized, and went to sit down at the table for a moment. Junior year was over. And now, even today, June 20 something, I had to begin my search for colleges. Yay.

And apparently it was illegal for me to even get a hug from my boyfriend, so I was basically only allowed to touch myself for another year. And after that, maybe, I’d see him. And for the next four years after that, we probably wouldn’t live together, maybe see each other three or four times a year. Assuming he didn’t realize he was insane and dump me for someone his own age, someone closer to him.

I also had a rather large problem approaching. I still hadn’t told Roger about Tom, a friend that was coming to stay at my house in…about a week. A friend from England. I wasn’t sure if Roger was going to break up with me or not, and I kind of dreaded the conversation.

I sighed and finished my glass of water. Considering Roger didn’t know, and no one but me was going to tell him, I considered my options. I don’t really think I could get away with lying for two weeks about a male staying at my house. My parents would want to take him places. The local zoo, out to eat at local restaurants, the museums… Niagara Falls in Canada was only an hour or two away. I would have to tell him. But I obviously couldn’t right now. He was getting yelled at by his boss about my phone call around noon every day.

I stood, leaving my water where it was and went back out the garage door, ignoring Sam’s pissed off antics. Some people say that dogs don’t have feelings, but I knew better. Not only was Sam pissed off, but he was going to get me back the next time it rained. I could guarantee it.

“Go get me a toy, buddy.” I looked at the Doberman mix. His ears were too big for his body. “A toy, retard. A toy.” He looked at me, tail wagging. I crouched down, fending off his paws, and pointed to the soccer ball lying near by.

“The toy!” I shouted. He looked at my finger, and then back at me. He pawed my hand down. I sighed and stood up, beginning to walk towards the ball. He would get the picture soon enough. Within three feet, he raced over to the ball and picked it up. He had the uncanny ability to fit a soccer ball in between his teeth and prance around with it. He was actually a better soccer player than most of the people I knew.

I laughed and chased after him. The wiry dog could out run and out-maneuver me, but it was still fun. Hell, I was out of school for the year. I had the right to enjoy myself. All of my exams were over, and to be honest, I didn’t have to do anything for the next few days. I didn’t even have to go to work, because I wasn’t scheduled in for another five days.

“You are the stupidest looking dog I’ve ever seen.” I panted, chasing him a little bit more. He ran around the pool and I waited on the other side to capture him. He saw me and ran back around the other way. “Honestly.” I continued, stopping to catch my breath. “Your ears are too big, your tongue is too long, your legs are mismatched to your body, and you can fit a soccer ball in your mouth. You’re a reject, dog.” I watched him with interest as he edged closer to me, ball in mouth.

As soon as he was close enough, I lunged forward with my foot and kicked the ball out of his mouth. The effects of ten years of playing soccer when I was smaller. I jumped on it, and he followed, jumping on my back as I cradled the ball in my arms. I sat up to get him off of me, and nearly caught his paw in my face.

“Ah! Get off me and sit!” I yelled, trying to push him away from my feet. I out weighed him by about thirty pounds, but he was a strong dog. He sat obediently after another minute of pawing at me, and I rolled the ball in the opposite direction as an award. He bounded after it happily.

“Okay, buddy. That’s enough for now. I’m tired. I just finished my last exam. Let’s go wait for mommy inside. Okay?”

Sweat was dripping from my face, and my arms were red from the dog’s flailing paws and teeth. He never really drew blood, but he knew how to play rough. He still held the ball in his mouth, and dropped it dejectedly as he realized I was going inside. I opened the door to let them both inside. The house was still unusually quiet. Dad must have had a late day working, like he did some times. He was his own boss, and sometimes decided that he needed to work late. He brought in a lot of money, but he nearly broke his body doing it. It was like we never saw him in the summer.

“Get a drink guys, its hot outside and you both were running around.” I commented to the dogs as they looked up at me, as if waiting for me for to do something special.

“You guys are really special, you know that?” I bent down and petted them both gently behind the ears. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. You keep me company. I think I’d go crazy without you guys around. You and Bill. And of course, mom and dad.”

I was about to continue my one sided conversation when a familiar ring tone interrupted my thoughts. I raced to the counter and picked up my phone from it. I had emptied my pockets when I walked in the door.

“Hey.” I said, grinning. I hadn’t expected him to call me that early.

“Hey baby, I have a question for you.” Roger’s deep voice rumbled from the other side of the phone.

“What’s that?”

“Well, my boss implied that our relationship wasn’t going to last. So I explained to him very calmly that it was a serious relationship, and he still didn’t believe me.”

“Okay…” Confused, I watched the dogs take turns at the water dish.

“Anyway, the question. This is one I’ve been meaning to ask you a while. What’s your middle name?”

“Is that the question?”

“No, a precursor. Just answer me, baby.” He said.

“I hate my middle name.”

“I don’t care.”

“…Ellen.”

“Storm Ellen McAllister?” He asked. I nodded, then realized I had to say it out loud for him to hear me. The dogs lapping the water was a fascinating, disgusting process to watch.

“Yup.”

“Okay. My question. Storm Ellen McAllister…” I turned around, startled as a deer in headlights as the door opened and my mother walked in from work. I paid attention to Roger’s voice again. “You are the light of my life…”

“Roger, hang on just a second.” I muttered to him as I greeted my mother, putting the phone down to my waist. I kissed her hello and bounded up the stairs.

“Okay, I’m sorry about that. What were you going to say?”

“Umm…You just proved my boss right.” He muttered.

“I’m sorry! Mom came in and I wasn’t sure if the question was going to be one that I could answer in front of her. Seriously, what were you going to say?”

“I’ll try again.” I heard him take a deep breath, and I focused on the sound of his voice instead of checking my email.

“Storm Ellen McAllister…you are the light of my life and I don’t want to lose you, now or ever. I know we’ll have to wait a while, but I don’t care if I have to wait the rest of my life. Will you marry me?”

This is another moment where you, the reader, will probably want to moan and cover your eyes. Perhaps you should stop reading right now. I mean, who proposes over the phone?

In my defense, I was a little bit distracted. In fact, just as he was saying that, my virus scanner popped up telling me it was infected with the Love_bug.vbs file.

“Shit!” I exclaimed, and then realized it was a bad time to say something like that. “Oh! Not ‘shit’ as in I don’t want to marry you, ‘shit’ as in my computer just told me it had a virus!” I said in a rush, trying to prevent him from thinking that I hated him. I continued in another breath. “I love you, Sexy. Of course I’ll marry you. I’m sorry! You’re never going to let me live that down…are you…?”

“The rest of my life…Has anyone ever told you you’re special, Storm?”

“Yes, sir. You. So, does this mean I can call you my fiancé now?”

“I love you.” He sighed. “Did you really have to answer like that?”

“I’m sorry!” I defended myself. “My computer told me it was infected with the love bug while you were asking me to marry you.”

“Uh huh.” He replied as I fiddled with the computer, hoping that I wouldn’t get the fatal death sentence of a blue screen.

“Was it better than your first proposal?”

“And then you bring up my ex-wife. What am I going to do with you?”

“I can think of a few things, especially when we’re married. It involves chains and a few other thi-”

“You’re on speaker phone, honey.” He emphasized as I was about to go into detail.

“Oops.”

I realized I could hear his boss laughing in the background. I had never spoken to him, but from what I heard he was a decent guy. I could feel my face turning red, even though I was over a thousand miles away. I always seemed to get myself in trouble.

“Oops is right.” He tried to hold back his laughter. I tried to use my cute-ness as a defense.

“I love you…”

“I love you, too.”

“I have to talk to you a little bit later.” I said, Tom suddenly resurfacing in my mind. Would Roger end our engagement-ness when he learned?

“About what?”

“Just a few different things.”

“You always worry me when you tell me you have to talk to me later.”

“I know. Don’t worry.”

“You cheating on me?”

“No, sir. Never ever. I’m gonna marry you!”

“As of a few minutes ago.” The deep possessive edge was creeping into his voice.

“You’re not home, are you?”

“No, I have to head that way right now.”

“Are you in trouble?”

“Nope.”

“Can I talk to your boss?” I asked him hopefully. I barely ever got to talk to anyone around him. He, however, got to talk to my friends whenever they were around.

“Nope.”

“Damn.” I didn’t want to push it. I was in a good mood.

“I’ll call you when I get home, baby. Okay?”

“Alright. I love you.” I didn’t want him to get off of the phone, but the laws were the same in his state as they were in mine. No talking on a cell phone while you were driving.

“I love you too. Bye.”

“Bye.”

And just like that, I was engaged to be married. I looked at the lit display in wonder. That hadn’t taken long. I knew it was what I wanted though. Where would I ever find a better guy?