“Yes,” I lied. What was the harm in pretending if it brought a measure of comfort to an elderly man who lived mostly in his memories? Hugh took a step toward me before struggling to one knee.
Gazing up at me as if I were the light that kept him living, he began, “My dearest Victoria, from the moment we met, I knew you were the only girl for me…”
Though I’d heard these exact words from him many times, tears welled in my eyes. What would it be like to have a man lay himself bare like this for me? Even when I’d been in this situation for real it hadn’t felt like this. Sure, there was excitement and love in the proposal. But it wasn’t Hugh-level love.
The door swung open, and Joel, a staff member from the memory care facility down the street stepped in just in time to witness the end of the proposal. He opened his mouth to apologize for his charge’s intrusion, but I held up my hand. Hugh deserved a beautiful finish.
At some point in his life, the old man had foundthe one—a woman who’d captured his heart so completely that in the twilight of his life, his only thoughts were of her. It took my breath away. If only I was his Victoria … or anybody’s Victoria.
Presenting me with the empty ring box, Hugh’s voice shook with emotion. “Will you marry me, my lady?”
Tears threaded my lashes, as they did every time we got to this point in the proposal. His face, so full of hope for a ‘future’ he’d already lived, slayed me every time. Had his Victoria said yes once upon a time? Had they lived the life I could only hope for? I wanted to believe so.
With tears trailing down my cheeks, I took his aged hand and stared lovingly into his expectant eyes. “Yes, Hugh. I’d love to marry you.”
* * *
As soon as my last client left for the evening, I dashed for my car and dialed the number I did every time Hugh came calling. “So I was proposed to again today.”
“Oh, Honey.” My mother laughed. “I feel like I say this a lot, but congratulations.”
“Thank you. And I have to say, it never gets old.”
“Poor Hugh,” Mom replied wistfully. “He must miss Victoria so much.”
“I wonder if I actually look like her. I mean did women really have bleach blond hair tipped in pink back then, or am I just the only woman he’s found who’ll put up with his repeated proposals? Today’s engagement was lucky number eleven.”
“He’s fortunate to have found you.”
“Yeah? Why do you think that?”
“Because you say yes. Every single time. A lesser person would call the police or just kick him out of the salon. But not you, Breeze. I think Hugh found a kindred spirit. He knew you would protect his heart. That’s what I love about you.”
Ah, Mom. That’s why I called her every day. Her positivity was the shot in the arm I needed. But after having acted the way I did today, I wondered if I really deserved her devotion.
“I tried to hide from him today,” I admitted. “Under my work station.”
“Why?” she asked, surprised. “I thought you loved his proposals.”
“I do. It’s just emotional for me and I feel drained afterwards. I see what love could be, the magic and passion, but I can’t picture any man ever loving me the way Hugh loved Victoria. I mean, what if you only get one shot at love? What if Brandon was it for me?”
Brandon had been my universe. High school sweethearts, we’d planned out our lives well before graduation. I went to beauty school. He trained as an electrician. We were going to have two kids, a boy and a girl, and live in a modest three-bedroom home with enough space for the stray animals I brought home and nursed back to health.
Like Hugh, my man had dropped down to one knee and proposed. When he’d slipped that platinum band with the shiny diamond onto my finger, I couldn’t imagine ever being happier than I was in that moment. As far as I was concerned, I had it all. Until Brandon went and murdered our dream.
“Breeze, honey, I fell in love more than once and so can you. Think of Brandon like I think of your father. He was the pinch hitter—a bench player not worthy of a starting spot. But the quarterback, now that’s your guy. Maybe he’s still in the dugout, but once he steps out onto the court, you’re going to know he’s the one for you.”
“Seriously mom, you’re mixing up all the sports. Pick one and stick with it. Plus, you know I’m not the girl who gets the quarterback. Sure, I’m prime real estate for the band geeks and the stoner boys. But as far as athletes go, I might be able to land a tennis player. And even that’s stretching it.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, Breeze. I’m sure you could get a weightlifter… or even a bowler.”
I laughed. “Wow, thanks for the support, Mother.”
“My point with the whole sports analogy is that sometimes you have to be patient and wait for the right guy to come along. Just like my Terry. He doesn’t need to be a star athlete to treat me the way I deserve to be treated.”
“So Terrance is your quarterback?”
“Terrance is everyone’s quarterback.”
