The Question

“What do y-you wanna do now?” I ask as I turn off the television and toss the remote onto the side table.

Moving the blankets and pillows of my little corner nest I make room for a partner in hopes that Winona might want to make out. When I look up I realize that she was still staring at the door through which Grandpa disappeared. I cock my head, wondering what was up. Slowly she turns, her eyes panning over the knick-knacks and pictures affixed to the walls of the saloon until at last settling the photo of Grandma that was just above me. There is long moment of silence with only the very gentle rocking of the Bella beneath us to keep it from becoming still.

“This was some day, huh Sprout?”

“Yeah.” I say softly. “I honestly c-can’t remember a better one.”

“I can’t either.” She nods once and her eyes drift down to meet mine. “From that scare you gave me at the port, the journey, the whales, you lookin after me when I got sick, you showin me that island and bringing me to that holy place…”

“Don’t f-forget the nookie on the cliff. He he he.”

She chuckles. “I’ll never forget it.” Stepping closer she reaches her hands for me. I rise, smooth out my dress and take her hands like she wanted me to. “Seeing you taking pictures of me, that silly puffin, that wonderful supper, the stars, my talk with Grandpa, and this awesome movie night. It’s all brought us to here.”

“Um…”

“All day I’ve had one question tumbling around inside of me. And everywhere I turned it was being answered again and again and again. Land, sea, nature, spirits and the wisdom of our elders.” She glances up and Grandma again, lingers a moment, then looks back to me. “And most of all…right there in my own heart.”

“Wh-What was the question?”

“Mmm.” She smiles a sweet and nervous smile. “What really matters now is an answer.”

With that…Winona gets down onto one knee!

“Oh!” I gasp as the realization of what was happening. My eyes had barely dried from my sobfest after the movie when, in an instant, my vision is blurred once more with tears. A tightness presses in on my chest, a constriction grips my throat, and my overwhelmed little heart begins to pound. I couldn’t breathe! But not in the bad way like during my anxiety attacks. “Ohhhh!”

She straightens up, kneeling tall and proud without even the merest hint of doubt in her blazing hazel eyes. Taking my left hand Winona gently removes the promise ring she’d given me just a couple of days ago and moves it over to the ring finger of my right hand. Holding my left hand again she leans in and kisses it before looking up into my eyes.

“You’ve made me the happiest woman in the world. We haven’t known each other that long yet…I can no longer imagine my life without you. And I want to spend the rest of it with you at my side. I can’t promise you fame or fortune or to keep you in all the fine things that you deserve but I can promise you a good life. An honest life. A simple life. A life full of love and laughter and companionship.” She smirks. “And sex. Let’s not forget about the sex.”

“Oh!” I sniffle.

“It will be a life full of struggles, of course, but struggles shared. Challenges faced, together. If you will let me, I promise to always…always be there with you as your best friend, your partner, your lover, your confidant, your playmate, your Dommy and your ever devoted wife. I promise most of all to love you with all I am, to my very last breath and beyond.”

I watch my beloved with my free hand over my mouth holding in the joyous weeping that threatened to escape. The edges of my vision were clouding and the room began to spin. I couldn’t believe this was happening!

Winona holds my left hand in hers, the ring finger centered in her cupped grip, and reaches into her pocket.

“Avery Beckett, will you…”

“Yes!”

She laughs. “You gotta let me say the whole thing Sprout!”

“Okay!” I sniffle-giggle between hard gulping gasps.

Beaming so brightly that the light escaping the portholes must have been visible all the way to the mainland she take a breath and starts again. She slowly opens her hand to reveal…

“Hah!”

What breath I had escapes me as I see resting in the center of her palm…my Grandma’s wedding ring! It was a simple, delicate little thing, just a slender plain ring of gold with a single glimmering round cut diamond about the size of a spring pea, with nothing particularly distinctive to set it apart. Though I had only seen it a few times in my life as Grandpa kept it in a special box that contained all of his most treasured mementos of his one true soulmate I knew what it was the moment I saw it. It shone with a value that could not be measured in dollars and cents. Winona’s gift of tobacco! She must have asked his advice about proposing. And in return…Grandpa must have passed this priceless heirloom onto her! Tears of love and joy roll down my cheeks. I couldn’t hold them back anymore. This moment was beyond my wildest dreams! It was beyond perfection! It was a joy beyond joy! If only I could breathe!!! My waning focus clings to my beautiful Winona as the rest of the world dims and spins ever faster around her.

Winona positions the ring at the tip of my finger, gazes up into my soul, and asks. “Sprout, Althea, baby girl, Avery Beckett. Will you marry me?”

I felt like I was floating on a heavenly cloud…then falling right through it as the lights blink out.