To ask or not to ask

une 1, 2023 Thursday

Lyle stood watching the setting sun’s reflection in the mist forming on the water. He had is arm around Vicky and was thinking about how to ask what he wanted. She was his family. She and his best friend Jeff, and few others were all he had. His parents were gone, as were his grandparents. He thought briefly of his great grandfather, he had only nine years with the man, but his influence didn’t die with him. Lyle thought of all the fun times he had, had with his family. He thought of the deep pain when he lost each one. He wanted to share all the fun and pain of family with Vicky but was now the right time? He had been on his own since he was sixteen. Vicky was just getting on her own feet, she had just graduated from nursing school and was starting a new job at one of the large hospitals in the city. He twisted the ring in his pocket, it was a beautiful old ruby that his great grandfather had given his great grandmother, in 1933. He felt Vicky lean into him, she whispered “It’s so pretty out here in the evening” he started to pull the ring out of his pocket. She pulled away and picked up the picnic basket. “I have an early morning, this has been wonderful but I need to get home.”

“I guess I will have to get used to health care hours”, he smiled down at her, and pushed the ring deeper into his pocket.

Vicky laughed, “you work long hours and weekends a lot.”

“Yes, but, I like to think that I can get out of it when ever I want.”

“I think that you’ll need a promotion before you can truly say that.” she laughed again and Lyle winced slightly.

“Your brother worked hard for that promotion.”

“You don’t feel bad because you have seniority?”

“Oh maybe a little, but it comes down to who will work the most weekends, particularly Sundays, I like to have a few off” He frowned slightly, he had sensed something else going on in the office recently, and it made him uneasy.

They reached his car and he opened the door for her. As they were working their way through traffic back into the denser part of the city, Vicky sighed and said, “You should come to my apartment on Saturday, I get off around seven and we can have a late supper and watch a movie”.

“Stan wants us all on Saturday morning, which usually means from nine am until around six pm, but I should be able to pick something up and bring it over around eight. What is your pleasure m’lady?”

“Just bring dessert, something chocolate would be nice. There is a new Thai place around the corner from the hospital I’ll get something there.”

“It’s a date then.”

Lyle pulled into his rented parking spot. “Allow me to deliver you to your door, Ma’dam”

“Sure as long as we take the elevator to my floor, you can take the stairs from there.”

“Your wish is my command.”

He opened the doors for her all the way to the elevator.

Lyle bowed and indicated the open elevator door, “after you ma’am”.

Vicky turned her head away from Lyle and rolled her eyes, but chuckled when she said “How did you get so chivalrous?”

“Says the lady who can’t go an entire summer with out at least two renaissance festivals.” He pressed the three for her floor.

“You really should go with us next month, it will be fun. Sarah and Bill are moving to California and are not sure that they will be able to go next year”

“Well at least if I got hurt jousting you could tend my wounds. "

“I work with new babies and mothers, but I am sure I could just kiss it and make it all better.”

The elevator dinged, “Here we are, may I kiss you goodnight.”

“Of course, I would be mad if you didn’t. But, it is sweet that you always ask.”

The woman across the hall stuck her head out of her apartment and glared at them.

He held her face gently in his hands, her dark eyes held his soul in their depths.

She tasted of honey and smelled of the river, and yielded a whisper of promise.

Lyle was sprinting up the last flight of stairs to his floor, and singing “I’m putting all my eggs in one basket, I bet on you” when his phone rang.

“Hey Jeff, what’s up?”

“Do you know what happened to the Peterson file?”

“Joan Peterson, or Peterson enterprises?”

“Preston Peterson.”

“I didn’t work on that one, I think Stan has that account.” Lyle’s keys clattered to the floor.

“Did you just drop your keys? Are you just now getting home you left the office hours ago.”

“I told you I had some errands to run.”

“Does this errand have anything to do with the ruby ring ring you hid in your pocket this morning when I came to your office?”

“Well not exactly, the ring is still in my pocket”

“You should take her on a picnic in that secluded little park on the Potomac and ask her just as the sun goes down.”

“I did, well the picnic part anyway, I didn’t ask her.”

“Pock, pock, p pp Pock.”

“Very funny, Jeff, I’m not chicken, it just didn’t feel like the right time.”

“You could just move in together, that’s what most normal people do.”

“My grandpa said that an extraordinary woman should be treated extraordinarily, and your sister is no ordinary woman.”

Lyle could hear yelling in the back ground.

“I gotta go, don’t be late in the morning.”

“Guess I won’t be picking up your breakfast burrito then, that’s the only time in two years that I’ve been late.” Jeff laughed and the call disconnected.

Lyle pause on his way to the kitchen and dropped a few crumbs of fish food into the aquarium.

“Well, Wally, I am beginning to feel relieved that I didn’t get that promotion. I love my job, but something is off. I don’t suppose that you have any advice about Vicky do you? I should have got a dog.”