A HOT DAY IN JULY (Part 5)

Seriously, something strange is in the Scrabble bag. What is this? And I pulled out—

A ring.

Well, sort of a ring. It looked like half a ring. I held my breath as I studied it: gold, with tiny diamonds down the side, but next to them there were four empty prongs reaching skyward. There was no stone.

I placed it in my palm as I would a fragile seashell. In the bag I felt another not-quite-a-Scrabble-tile thing. I slipped my hand inside and pulled out another ring, this one with a large, clear, square diamond.

For a minute — or it could have been a week, who knows — I sat in front of the Scrabble board, mouth agape. When I finally looked up, William wasn't there.

He returned from inside the house carrying a Scrabble rack cribbed from our travel Scrabble set. He set the rack down in front of me. On it, seven Scrabble tiles read:

MARRY ME

When I looked down, William was on bent knee. I started crying. And then we were hugging. And we were both crying.

This was the thing? Scrabble?

Will you marry me?

Yes. Of course. I love you. Yes. Yes. Yes.

And the kiss was like our first. Sweeter than marshmallows dipped in raspberry juice.

So really, this was the thing? Playing Scrabble was the thing?

Yes it was. I decided I would propose the next time you suggested a game.

See, luck! You lucked out that I didn't suggest a game in Rome. I can't believe we didn't play in Italy. Merda! I can't believe we didn't play. Pure luck. You've had a long time to prepare. Seven months!

But once you mentioned it this morning I knew it was on and suddenly there no time.

What's the story on these rings, anyway?

They're from my mom. From her side of the family. I figured we could take them to a jeweler and have one made into an engagement ring with a setting you like and you can make the other into a wedding band. You decide.

Were they in the bag for both games?

Yes!

So that's why you lost. You were handicapped by nerves.

No, I lost because you were better.

Right.

You were better, that's all.

You were a wreck.

You don't give yourself enough credit.

I think I give myself enough credit. I'm getting married, aren't I?

The candles burned lower. A breeze made the flames jump. Stinky and Spencer dozed at our feet and I knew I would sleep very well tonight.

We were settling down and it felt right. If this could happen, maybe I could find answers to other questions. Maybe a settled place was the place to look up from.

But there was only one decision I had to make today.

Yes. Yes. Yes.