The Valentines Day Proposal

by Bella Winters

  “No, I didn’t meet her at the university,” Brennon said, shaking his head. “Carl, why would you even say that? You know how colleges really look down on something like that...especially when the professor is much older than the student. It’s not like I’m fresh out of college and this is my first teaching job or something. Anyway, you actually know her to be honest.”

  “Oh...yeah?” Carl said. “I know her? Is it someone we grew up with? Dude, please don’t tell me it’s what’s-her-name that you used to see off and on. Man, let her go. She was crazy and everybody was trying to tell you.”

  “No, I’m not talking about Beca,” Brennon quickly explained. “It’s Katy.”

  “Katy who?” Carl said. “Come on, man, we both know a lot of women with the name Katy out in the world.”

  “It’s Katy Katy, Carl,” Brennon said. “You know… Katy. Richard’s daughter...Melanie’s cousin.”

  “Oh,” Carl said. The word seemed to slip out of his mouth. It was then followed by a long pause. “You mean Katy Katy.”

  “Right, Katy Katy, Carl,” Brennon said. His eyes slanted toward the phone. He could tell by the tone in his brother’s voice, as well as his long pause after hearing it was Katy Miller, that he probably had some kind of opinion.

  “Oh, okay,” Carl said. “And you two are going on a date?”

  Brennon put a couple of sprits on his neck and wrists then set the bottle down. After looking at himself one more time, in a different mirror, he turned the light out in his bedroom and headed for his living room at the front of his apartment. He checked the time then plopped down on the couch, figuring that he would be getting off of the phone with Carl soon so he could call Katy. “Yup, we are,” he answered. “I’m going to take her to this restaurant downtown I think. I’m not totally sure yet. So, we’ll see.”

  “Interesting,” Carl said. He was clearly holding back his words. “Man, are you sure about that?”

  “What do you mean am I sure about that?” Brennon knew exactly what Carl was referring to, but he wanted to hear him say it to be sure.

  “You’re going on a date with Katy Miller?” Carl asked. “Melanie’s cousin? The one you used to give rides and stuff when they would want to go somewhere? Isn’t she like twenty-six or something like that?”

  “Yeah, something like that, Carl,” Brennon said.

  “Does Richard know?” Carl asked.

  Brennon peered out of the window. Richard had been the very topic of his thoughts for the last week or so. Despite how Brennon tried to rationalize that Katy was a young woman know trying to make her way in the teaching profession just like he had more than ten years ago, his mind still came back around to one thing: how this might look. But something in his heart – in his soul – lit a fire for Katy. “I don’t know what he knows, Carl. I didn’t tell him anything if that’s what you mean.”

  “Hmm, I see,” Carl said. “Well, Brennon, don’t you think it might look kind of bad you dating Katy? And please don’t take this the wrong way, but I know, man, you gotta be seeing how this looks. You have to be.”

  Brennon sighed. I shouldn’t have said anything just yet, he thought. “Well, I can see what you mean. But like I said she’s a young woman now, so what are you gonna do?”

  “I get that, Carl,” Brennon said. “And if this was some chick you met at a bar or some conference or something, who was the same age as Katy, then it might not even be an issue. But this is Katy, man… Melanie’s cousin. You’re like twelve or thirteen years older than her.”

  “I know, Carl,” Brennon said. “I can do math. And so? What does that mean?”

  “Dude, whatever,” Carl said. Morsels of frustration came out in his voice – his tone. “I’m just hoping you know how other people might see it. You used to take her and Melanie places when they were little girls and you started driving.”

  “I know,” Brennon said. “I remember. But it’s not like I was trying to date her or have any kind of relationship with her then. Really, I didn’t even think about Katy for years until I heard she was going into the teaching profession. Dude, she has become a beautiful woman...really. We talked on and on at their house when I went over there for that shindig they had. Then when I went to see Richard about some things, she was there. Richard wound up having to leave so I was there with her for a little while before I had to get back on the road. I’m not going to worry about what other people think and just see what happens.”

  Brennon finished up his conversation with his brother Carl. Carl did little to nothing to hide his disapproval of his brother Brennon considering starting something romantic with Melanie’s cousin’s daughter. Nonetheless, the two brothers agreed to disagree then Brennon hung up. He stood up, paced around the floor, and dealt with his nervous feelings. As much as he didn’t want to believe what Carl was saying, he knew indeed that people might see this potential relationship with some skepticism. At this point in his life, though, he really couldn’t care. If it was meant to be, it was meant to be.

  Brennon listened as Katy’s phone rang, anxious to answer.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey,” Brennon said. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m okay, how are you?” Katy asked.

  “Doing well, I must say,” Brennon said. He smiled in a way he hadn’t smiled in a very long time. “So, um, do you think you’re about ready to go?”

  “Oh, absolutely,” Katy said emphatically. “I was actually waiting on you to call. I remember you saying you wanted to pick me up.”

  “Yeah,” Brennon said. He could sense by the tone in Katy’s voice something negative was about to come through the phone. “And?”

  “Well, I was thinking maybe I could drive somewhere and you pick me up from there,” Katy suggested. “My mom and dad are here and I just don’t feel like hearing anything out of their mouths right now. They’ll already see me leaving dressed the way I’m dressed, so I’ll probably get questions based on that alone.” She groaned. “You know what I mean?”

  “Yeah, yeah, I get it.” Brennon paused for a moment as he realized the dynamics of the situation. Here Katy was in her mid to late twenties – Brennon in his late thirties – and her parent’s potentially disapproving glares were deterring him being able to pick her up from her own house. “So, what are you thinking?”

  “Do you know that strip mall down on Brownsville Road?” Katy asked. “I was thinking I could drive down there, park, and you pick me up from there. I know it’s out of your way… So, if you don’t like that idea then I can just drive all the way downtown.”

  “No, no,” Brennon said. “Seriously, that’s not a problem. Whatever works for you, Katy. Plus, you drive all the way down into the city everyday. I can just pick you up from there. How soon do you think you’ll be there?” He grabbed his keys off of an end table. “I can be on my way right now.”

  ***

  Brennon couldn’t keep from smiling when he turned off of Brownsville Road and into the strip mall parking lot. As soon as the strip mall came into view, he saw Katy’s car parked among a cluster of cars outside of a Kohl's. Even though he certainly hadn’t thought he would be picking up a date in this way at his age, there was something thrilling about it. He had been looking Katy’s father Richard in the eye just last week while they talked about issues brewing with an urban planning committee. “This is wild,” Brennon mumbled to himself.

  Brennon pulled up next to Katy’s car then hopped out. He quickly rushed over to the driver door when he saw it swing open. “Let me get that for you, Katy.”

  Brennon held the door open while Katy carefully stepped out onto the pavement. He couldn’t keep his mouth closed from the awe. Dressed in an elegant, cream evening dress, Katy looked every bit of stunning. Katy could literally give Marilyn Monroe a run for her money.

  Brennon pushed the door closed then looked Katy up and down. “Wow,” he said.

  “Wow?” Katy asked, looking down at her dress. “And
do you like it?”

  “Absolutely, Katy,” Brennon said. “I don’t know… I might have to run back home so I can put on something better.”

  Katy laughed. “No, Brennon, you look great.”

  Brennon looked Katy up and down once again. “You really are stunning.” A strong, brisk wind blew across the parking lot. “Come on so we can get going. I don’t want you to get cold.”

  Katy threw her scarf up over her shoulders then allowed Brennon to grab her by the hand and walk her around to his passenger side door. Like a true gentleman, he held the door open then held her hand while she sat down. He then quickly walked around and got into the driver seat.

  “So, I have two ideas,” Brennon said, “about where we could go to eat. Which one do you like more? Italian food or Greek food. They’re both downtown and both places are super nice, but I wanted to know what you might have more of a taste for.”

  Brennon pulled out onto the road then headed toward downtown – a cluster of glittering high rises in the distance, protruding over the tops of trees. My God she looks beautiful, he thought. He then, for whatever reason, remembered Katy as a teenage girl – she and Melanie hanging out at least a few times a week. Her evolution was so amazing that sometimes he didn’t feel as if he were looking at the same person.

  “Greek,” Katy said, smiling excitedly. “I haven’t had any Greek food in a while.”

  Brennon looked over at Katy and smiled. “Greek food it is.”

  The ride into downtown took roughly twenty minutes. Brennon purposely forwent getting on the interstate, even though it would’ve been faster. He had been waiting all week for this date, so he was in no rush to make it any shorter. Plus, naturally, he and Katy talked on and on for every bit of the ride. She talked about her Friday – yesterday – and how she’d been speeding out of the parking lot with screeching tires shortly after the school buses rumbled away. Brennon laughed, sharing his accounts of students who were begging and pleading for better grades because they really needed to pass a certain class. This was a story they both knew too well, from both sides of the desk – as a teacher as well as a student.

  Brennon parked his car on a narrow neighborhood street then helped Katy out of the car. “I love these old Victorian houses. I’m so glad they’re being renovated and fixed up and all that. They really are beautiful.”

  “Yeah,” Brennon said, helping Katy up onto the curb. She wrapped her arm around his right arm then they headed up the block. “I think the same thing. Something used to tell me I should’ve bought one when the prices were next to free, but it just wasn’t the right time in my life.”

  Katy looked into Brennon’s eyes, batting her eye lashes. “Yeah, I know what you mean. But sometimes you have to remember that things happen for a reason, when they happen.”

  Brennon looked at Richard’s stunning daughter. “Yeah, this is true.”

  Brennon guided Katy up the block until they came to Bardstown Road, a street lined for nearly a mile with restaurants, boutique shops, and art galleries. The upper levels of the storefront buildings were often either condos, apartments, or offices. They walked for nearly a block then came to Santorini’s, an elegant Greek restaurant she’d heard coworkers talk about. Brennon opened the door and guided her inside.

  “So, have you been here before?” Brennon asked. A hostess had just seated them then took their drink orders, saying the waitress would be over with them. They decided to start with some wine – Malbec.

  Katy smiled then shook her head. “No, I haven’t. It looks nice. Thank you for bringing me here. Yeah, I had a chance to come here. The faculty at my school had some kind of meeting or something here. I don’t remember why, but for some reason I couldn’t go.”

  Brennon felt a sense of pride in being able to introduce a new place to Katy. “Oh, it’s no problem. Yeah, this is a nice place and I thought it would be a perfect place to bring you on a date.”

  Brennon watched how Katy looked around at the restaurant's decor. Some serious money had obviously been dropped into the layout. Before she could go on anymore about how thrilled she was to be here, the waitress popped up with their bottle of wine. She poured a glass for each of them then asked if they needed more time to go over the menu. They did, asking the perky, freckled young lady to come back in a few minutes. Brennon and Katy opened their menus; he struggled to look over the menu because he was so consumed with admiring Katy’s beauty.

  A few minutes passed quickly then the waitress came back around to take their order. When she zipped away, disappearing into the crowded restaurant, Brennon sipped his wine and looked across the table at Katy. “You really do look beautiful. And I’m not just saying that because that’s what a guy is supposed to say on a date. I really mean that...you do look beautiful.”

  Katy’s eyelids fluttered. “Thank you. I have to admit I am so nervous.”

  “Nervous?” Brennon’s forehead wrinkled up. “Why, Katy? Why are you nervous?”

  “Because, I haven’t really been on too many dates,” Katy explained, shrugging her shoulders. “To be honest, at first I thought that wearing something like this might be a little too much or something.”

  “Nah,” Brennon said, smiling. “Not to me it’s not.” He found it strange Katy mentioned not having been on many dates. While he was well aware of the romantic struggles some women could have at a young age, Katy sure didn’t seem to be one of them. “Really, don’t worry about that. So, I know we talked on the way down here, but what’s been new with you?”

  “Well,” Katy said, gathering her thoughts. “More and more lately, I’ve been thinking about getting my own place.”

  “Really?” Brennon asked. Even though he loved the Millers’ house, he still couldn’t imagine living with his parents through his late twenties. His mother squawked too much about any and everything; his father was too stern and somewhat controlling. “What has you thinking that now? Haven’t you lived with them since you graduated, right?”

  “Right,” Katy said, nodding. “But, you know.” She sighed. “I’ve just been thinking a lot lately. At first I told myself I was just going to be staying with them so I could save money. Well, I’m saving and all that, but sometimes I wonder if it’s really worth it.”

  “I see, I see.” Brennon liked that Katy was always thinking ahead. “Well, then, where do you think you would want to live? Do you think you’re ready to buy a house?”

  “Yeah, I suppose,” Katy said. “But I think I would want to wait until I’m married or something like that before I buy a house. I think I want an apartment in the city.”

  Brennon’s eyes bulged. “Huh? Are you serious, Katy?”

  “Why, yes,” Katy said putting her hand on her chest. “Why do you say it like that?”

  Brennon chuckled. He realized how his reaction must have come across. “Well, I mean, you just don’t seem like the kind of woman who would want to live in the city.”

  “And why not?” Katy asked. She giggled, giving forth her best effort to come across as absolutely insulted.

  “Well, I just didn’t think you all were ever city kind of people,” Brennon said. “But, I suppose. I didn’t even know you knew the city that well.”

  “Well, I work down here,” Katy said. “The school is what? Maybe a couple miles away from here or something?”

  “Yeah, Katy,” Brennon said. “But to work somewhere in which you drive in and out of the city is one thing. To live down here is another. Tell me about the neighborhoods you know.”

  “Um, well,” Katy said, realizing she was being backed into a corner. “I know downtown.”

  Brennon chuckled and sipped his wine. “You’re funny. Katy, everybody knows downtown. Are you going to live downtown?” He knew the answer to this question. Brennon remembered all too while surviving on a teacher’s salary. Back when he was teaching in elementary school, he couldn’t even afford to think about getting an apartment downtown. “Are you thinking about getti
ng an apartment down here?”

  Katy groaned under her breath. “Well, no, but there are other areas of the city I may consider to live in.”

  “Like where?” Brennon asked, smirking. He leaned forward. “Tell me about what other neighborhoods you would consider getting an apartment in, Katy. Huh?”

  Katy squinted at Brennon then looked away, closing her eyes. “I would rather not say at the moment. I’m still contemplating some things and I don’t want to jinx myself.”

  Brennon chuckled – a chuckle which slowly transformed into an outright laugh. “Okay, if you say so.”

  Brennon and Katy sat across from one another as their conversation flourished. When their food arrived, they could hardly chew their forkfuls without trying to say something. Around 9:30, Brennon paid, left the tip, then walked Katy back out onto the sidewalk. They were both a bit taken aback by the busyness. The art gallerias buzzed with free-thinking souls; the boutique stores, mostly coming close to closing, did their last transactions. Music thumped from nearby bars while some watched various sports channels.

  When they got back to Brennon’s car and he had helped Katy in, he started the engine then looked over at her. “Are you in a rush to get back home?”