“But I need time. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to marry you, it just means… ask me again once we’ve been together for at least a day.”
I got it. Maybe it was too sudden, too shocking. Plus the ring needed a serious upgrade. My grand gesture, along with the seaweed ring, sunk to the bottom of the ocean floor.
“Hey,” she said, squeezing my hand. “I love the passion behind your delivery.”
I nodded, grinning. “Thank you. And, just so you know, Samantha Anderson, that isn’t my last proposal. You’ve been warned.”
Five Years Later
31
Samantha: The Writing on the Wall
Ichecked the phone for the twentieth time. Still nothing. I should have gone to her doctor’s office. I could have hung out in the waiting room behind a potted plant. But this wasn’t my experience to share. It was Shannon and Stewart’s, and like it or not, the title of best friend didn’t entitle me to share this moment with them.
Scooping Murphy off the floor, I flung the dog onto my shoulder. His breed, Wheaton terrier, was known for their sloth-like cuddling, and he didn’t disappoint.
“Will you be my baby, Mur?”
He responded with a series of licks that had me forgetting about the phone call I was desperately awaiting. Typically, Murphy wouldn’t be home with me on a Saturday as he had a permanent spot at Keith’s side. An unofficial mascot, Murphy was a shop dog, going to work with Keith everyday. Fans even posted pics of him on social media.
Keith! Yes, he could help me pass the time. I rang him up.
“Hey, babe,” he answered. “What’s up?”
“Have you left for LA yet?”
A quick day trip Keith was making to Los Angeles to replenish supplies for his store was the reason for Murphy’s banishment.
“Just did. I’m running late. A bus filled with tourists stopped by and gutted the place. Once they left, I had to wipe the bodily fluids off Jake’s life-size cutout. It took a whole roll of toilet paper.”
“Well, that’s just…” I cringed. “Disturbing.”
“You’re telling me. I think I might need to laminate Jake.”
“Or take him down. Even Cardboard Jake deserves his dignity.”
Three years ago, Keith had realized his dream by opening Kali’s Surf and Skate Shack. And that’s where Cardboard Jake lived. Aided by the star power of its famous co-owner, Jake McKallister, Kali’s grand opening was a Hollywood-worthy event. And it continued to draw crowds once word got out that it wasn’t just a surf shop but also a museum of sorts, sporting a memorabilia wall with awards and old family photos of a young musical legend in the making.
“Have you heard from Shannon yet?”
“No, and I’m dying over here.”
“I’m sure you’ll be the first to know.”
“No, I’m third in line. First her mom. Then his mom.Thenme. It sucks.”
Keith laughed. “God forbid you have to wait an extra hour.”
My phone buzzed with an incoming call, and I screeched. “It’s her. Bye! Call me on your way home. Squee.”
I hung up on Keith, too excited to hear his reply, and before Shannon could say a word I blurted out, “Boy or girl?”
She laughed; such a beautiful sound. “Girl!”
I screamed, actually screamed, dancing around the room with Murphy. “Just what we wanted,” I puffed. “Oh my god, Shannon, I’m so happy. The ultrasound was good? All her measurements are normal?”
“Uh, well, what is your definition of normal? She’s perfect, but is already a giant. She’s measuring way longer than normal babies her gestational age.”
