Beautiful? No freaking way.
“Grant, Isaac, Rip . . . What’s taking you so
long?” Walter shouts.
That make us move past ‘the bet’. We go to
the dining area hurriedly. Grant and Isaac greet their parents with
a kiss on the cheek and a hug. I do the same. We sit wordlessly
then start to eat.
“What were you talking about up there?” Sam
starts.
I am about to say, “Nothing,” when Isaac
recounts everything.
“Oh, Rip. You don’t believe you’re beautiful,
don’t you?” Sam says it with a sad smile.
I don’t answer.
“Well, you might not know it before, but you
know now. Besides, Grant wouldn’t like you in the first place if
you’re not.” Walter declares.
“I knew it. Grant only likes me because of my
killer looks,” I joke dryly.
They laugh.
“Well, for the record, only Grant has the
nerves to court me. He’s the only one who knows how beautiful I
am.”
He instantly answers in defense. “For the
record, I am not the only one who knows how beautiful you are.
There’s David, Seth, Park, Ian, and Ben among others.”
“Wait, wait, wait . . . What are you talking
about? You just drop names of some of our schoolmates. And Ben?” I
glare at him.
“Yes, Rip. Those names are some of the names
who have been dying to court you but couldn’t pass your
standards.”
What is he talking about? David? Seth? Park?
Ian? They are some of the school’s heartthrob, and it’s not a
secret that I am way below their standards.
“Your cousin Ben?” Walter asks Grant.
Grant answers a short, “Yup.”
“You know Ben?” Isaac asks.
I nod without speaking.
“Yes, he’s Rip’s neighbor in Michigan,” Grant
says in rescue.
“So, you’re from Michigan?” Isaac makes a
follow up question.
“Yes, then I went to South Carolina for
college,” I answer in advanced to shift the topic away from my
hometown.
Time flies by quickly because the next thing
I know, I’m with Mom washing the dishes. I see the beautiful ring
on her left ring finger—not her wedding ring—and I can’t help but
admire it.
“Mom, your ring is beautiful. It’s ruby,
isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. This is Beatrice’s, Grant’s
grandmother, Walter’s mother. When Walter proposed that I marry
him, he gave me this.” She’s dreamy-eyed as she talks about her
husband. I love to have that kind of relationship with
Grant—already advanced in years but we still love each other as if
our relationship is new.
“Grant told me about you and Dad. Your love
story’s amazing.”
“You’ll have your own with Grant, and I know
that you’ll have a better story to tell.” She removes the ring and
hands it to me. “Here, try it.”
“No, thank you, Mom. It’s yours,” I decline
profusely, waving my hands.
“Just try it, Rip. We’ll just see if it fits
you. Go on,” she insists.
I accept it, even if I am unsure of what I’m
about to do.
“Wow! A perfect fit. Ruby looks great on
you,” Mom says with a sincere smile.
“Thank you, Mom.” I remove it and give it
back to her.
“Don’t tell Grant I ask you this.”
“Okay.”
“Have you two ever considered when to get
married? Right after college, maybe? Two years after?”
I shake my head incessantly. “Oh, Mom, we
haven’t talked about that. We’re just twenty, and our relationship
is relatively fresh. We’re taking things one step at a time.”
“Of course, honey. I’m sorry that I even
asked. It’s just that Walter and I are already fifty. I just can’t
help but ask. Never mind me, Rip.”
“It’s totally fine, Mom. It’s not that I’m
not sure if Grant is the guy I want to marry, I am sure about that.
I mean, I want to. It’s just that we’re kind of young and he’s my
first boyfriend.”
“Walter’s also my first boyfriend,” she says
with a smug smile.
I smile. I want this. I like this
mother-daughter conversation. “Is it okay for me to open up to
you?”
“Sure. Please do. I’m your mom,
remember?”
“Okay, here
“Grant, Isaac, Rip . . . What’s taking you so
long?” Walter shouts.
That make us move past ‘the bet’. We go to
the dining area hurriedly. Grant and Isaac greet their parents with
a kiss on the cheek and a hug. I do the same. We sit wordlessly
then start to eat.
“What were you talking about up there?” Sam
starts.
I am about to say, “Nothing,” when Isaac
recounts everything.
“Oh, Rip. You don’t believe you’re beautiful,
don’t you?” Sam says it with a sad smile.
I don’t answer.
“Well, you might not know it before, but you
know now. Besides, Grant wouldn’t like you in the first place if
you’re not.” Walter declares.
“I knew it. Grant only likes me because of my
killer looks,” I joke dryly.
They laugh.
“Well, for the record, only Grant has the
nerves to court me. He’s the only one who knows how beautiful I
am.”
He instantly answers in defense. “For the
record, I am not the only one who knows how beautiful you are.
There’s David, Seth, Park, Ian, and Ben among others.”
“Wait, wait, wait . . . What are you talking
about? You just drop names of some of our schoolmates. And Ben?” I
glare at him.
“Yes, Rip. Those names are some of the names
who have been dying to court you but couldn’t pass your
standards.”
What is he talking about? David? Seth? Park?
Ian? They are some of the school’s heartthrob, and it’s not a
secret that I am way below their standards.
“Your cousin Ben?” Walter asks Grant.
Grant answers a short, “Yup.”
“You know Ben?” Isaac asks.
I nod without speaking.
“Yes, he’s Rip’s neighbor in Michigan,” Grant
says in rescue.
“So, you’re from Michigan?” Isaac makes a
follow up question.
“Yes, then I went to South Carolina for
college,” I answer in advanced to shift the topic away from my
hometown.
Time flies by quickly because the next thing
I know, I’m with Mom washing the dishes. I see the beautiful ring
on her left ring finger—not her wedding ring—and I can’t help but
admire it.
“Mom, your ring is beautiful. It’s ruby,
isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. This is Beatrice’s, Grant’s
grandmother, Walter’s mother. When Walter proposed that I marry
him, he gave me this.” She’s dreamy-eyed as she talks about her
husband. I love to have that kind of relationship with
Grant—already advanced in years but we still love each other as if
our relationship is new.
“Grant told me about you and Dad. Your love
story’s amazing.”
“You’ll have your own with Grant, and I know
that you’ll have a better story to tell.” She removes the ring and
hands it to me. “Here, try it.”
“No, thank you, Mom. It’s yours,” I decline
profusely, waving my hands.
“Just try it, Rip. We’ll just see if it fits
you. Go on,” she insists.
I accept it, even if I am unsure of what I’m
about to do.
“Wow! A perfect fit. Ruby looks great on
you,” Mom says with a sincere smile.
“Thank you, Mom.” I remove it and give it
back to her.
“Don’t tell Grant I ask you this.”
“Okay.”
“Have you two ever considered when to get
married? Right after college, maybe? Two years after?”
I shake my head incessantly. “Oh, Mom, we
haven’t talked about that. We’re just twenty, and our relationship
is relatively fresh. We’re taking things one step at a time.”
“Of course, honey. I’m sorry that I even
asked. It’s just that Walter and I are already fifty. I just can’t
help but ask. Never mind me, Rip.”
“It’s totally fine, Mom. It’s not that I’m
not sure if Grant is the guy I want to marry, I am sure about that.
I mean, I want to. It’s just that we’re kind of young and he’s my
first boyfriend.”
“Walter’s also my first boyfriend,” she says
with a smug smile.
I smile. I want this. I like this
mother-daughter conversation. “Is it okay for me to open up to
you?”
“Sure. Please do. I’m your mom,
remember?”
“Okay, here
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