[cl] 36. Ring
[Set in whenitsadream. 1mountain_aday and feel_theburn used with permission and love.]
All she had done was hand Madeline a plate to dry.
She had just gotten new sinks recently, thanks to some job of Michael’s going awry and destroying her kitchen, and Bela had paid for having them redone. The drying rack was still on the left side, however, so when Bela placed them inside after washing them, she should have figured that Madeline was paying attention. It wasn’t immediate, in fact it didn’t catch her attention until a few plates in when she was suddenly lashing out, grabbing Bela by the wrist and pulling her hand closer.
“What’s this?”
Bela glanced down at her, giving her a bit of a worried look. “My … hand?”
Madeline gave her a look like Bela had just called her an idiot. “I know that. What’s this?” She took the wet hand in hers and held it up, before tapping right next to the engagement ring that was sitting on her ring finger. Bela was still very confused. She had thought Madeline knew about her
“It’s … an engagement ring?”
Bela wasn’t quite sure what to make of the look on Madeline’s face at first. She had thought that Michael had told her not long after he proposed, but if what she was she was seeing on Madeline’s face was true, that was not the case. She just stared back at her for a moment, unsure of what exactly to say after that, but Madeline took care of that for her.
“Michael!”
Michael had been in the garage fixing something, but it only took him about five minutes before he appeared in the doorway, looking like a deer in the headlights. “Yes, Mom?”
“You’re getting married and you decided not to tell me!?”
Michael then looked even more frantic, before his eyes darted to Bela with a confused look. “You told her?!”
“You didn’t?!”
“I was getting around to it!”
“Getting around to it? Michael. You don’t get around to telling your own mother that you’re engaged. What, you thought this was going to be another Samantha?”
“Samantha?” Bela frowned. “Who’s Samantha?”
“Samantha was Michael’s last fiancé he decided not to tell me about.”
“You were engaged before?” It wasn’t an expression of hurt, really-more surprise than anything else. Michael didn’t seem the type to have had two engagements in his lifetime, so she had thought she would be the only one. Never mind the fact that she was dead for two years.
“Mom. This isn’t another Samantha. I was going to tell you.”
“When? When I get the invitation for the wedding?”
“I was working on it, alright?”
“Right. Sure.” She sighed for a moment, before turning around to face Bela again, pulling her into a hug. “Welcome to the family, sweetheart. Hopefully you’ll be one to stick.”
“Thanks, Maddie,” she said softly, returning the hug before looking at Michael over her shoulder and raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” he sighed, before heading back to the garage. “I’m in trouble.”
500 words
All she had done was hand Madeline a plate to dry.
She had just gotten new sinks recently, thanks to some job of Michael’s going awry and destroying her kitchen, and Bela had paid for having them redone. The drying rack was still on the left side, however, so when Bela placed them inside after washing them, she should have figured that Madeline was paying attention. It wasn’t immediate, in fact it didn’t catch her attention until a few plates in when she was suddenly lashing out, grabbing Bela by the wrist and pulling her hand closer.
“What’s this?”
Bela glanced down at her, giving her a bit of a worried look. “My … hand?”
Madeline gave her a look like Bela had just called her an idiot. “I know that. What’s this?” She took the wet hand in hers and held it up, before tapping right next to the engagement ring that was sitting on her ring finger. Bela was still very confused. She had thought Madeline knew about her
“It’s … an engagement ring?”
Bela wasn’t quite sure what to make of the look on Madeline’s face at first. She had thought that Michael had told her not long after he proposed, but if what she was she was seeing on Madeline’s face was true, that was not the case. She just stared back at her for a moment, unsure of what exactly to say after that, but Madeline took care of that for her.
“Michael!”
Michael had been in the garage fixing something, but it only took him about five minutes before he appeared in the doorway, looking like a deer in the headlights. “Yes, Mom?”
“You’re getting married and you decided not to tell me!?”
Michael then looked even more frantic, before his eyes darted to Bela with a confused look. “You told her?!”
“You didn’t?!”
“I was getting around to it!”
“Getting around to it? Michael. You don’t get around to telling your own mother that you’re engaged. What, you thought this was going to be another Samantha?”
“Samantha?” Bela frowned. “Who’s Samantha?”
“Samantha was Michael’s last fiancé he decided not to tell me about.”
“You were engaged before?” It wasn’t an expression of hurt, really-more surprise than anything else. Michael didn’t seem the type to have had two engagements in his lifetime, so she had thought she would be the only one. Never mind the fact that she was dead for two years.
“Mom. This isn’t another Samantha. I was going to tell you.”
“When? When I get the invitation for the wedding?”
“I was working on it, alright?”
“Right. Sure.” She sighed for a moment, before turning around to face Bela again, pulling her into a hug. “Welcome to the family, sweetheart. Hopefully you’ll be one to stick.”
“Thanks, Maddie,” she said softly, returning the hug before looking at Michael over her shoulder and raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” he sighed, before heading back to the garage. “I’m in trouble.”
500 words