The Valentines Day Proposal

by Bella Winters

  “Thank you for helping me, Katy,” Linda said.

  “No problem, Mom,” Katy said. Katy glanced into the dining room. Her father and Brennon were still carrying on with their conversation, almost the way they did for years before her love affair with Brennon blossomed. She then pulled her mother’s arm and pulled her to the side, out of sight of the dining room. “Mom, let me ask you something.” She looked at her mother’s curious face. “Is Dad really okay with this?”

  Linda forced a smile then glanced away, raising her eyebrows. “Katy, you’re going to have to understand some things. I can see the love in your eyes...I could hear it in your voice. I’m a woman and that’s what made me change, somewhat, my feelings toward you seeing Brennon. Even though I’m not totally sure about it, I can accept it. But you asked about your father?” She glanced away again. “I talked to him and, um, well, he’s coming around to it, you could say. But to answer your question if your father is really okay with it, I think he’s trying to be. I told him that even though you’re his little girl in his eyes, you’re a grown woman now. And then I also had to talk to him about how even though we’ve always seen Brennon as a part of our family...heck, I remember when I was pregnant with you and he was in middle school about to go to high school...that you two still aren’t related. And you do have a lot in common, which just so you know your father did admit he always noticed as well. So, that helps, if that means anything to you.”

  Katy nodded as she took it all in, appreciating her mother’s honestly. She leaned back to glance into the dining room. Things still looked alright; her father Richard was keeping his cool. Regardless of what her mother said, Katy was still a bit hesitant about believing her father had changed his hard so soon. Regardless, Katy knew just how strong her love for Brennon. The age difference was only on paper; their history as being loosely related seemed to have only set a stronger foundation than probably some of the greatest romances in history.

  Katy finished up her quiet, chit-chatty conversation with her mother then returned to the dining room. Her mother quickly finished up in the kitchen then joined everyone at the table. For the rest of the evening, until about 9 o’clock or so, the four of them sat at the table. With time, Brennon loosed up; Katy started smiling a little more, and a little easier. Her father even laughed at something Brennon said. When Katy opened up and admitted they’d gone on a trip to the Smokey Mountains, her mother acted excited to see any photos.

  “Come on and show them to your mother, Katy,” Linda said, motioning for her daughter to come over to her side of the table. “I know you took some… Probably of yourself, I’m sure. Brennon, do you find her taking pictures of herself a lot? I’m sure you do.”

  Katy squinted at her mother then looked to Brennon. She was curious to see what his answer would be. Brennon was clearly hesitant.

  “Um,” Brennon said, feeling the heat. “I can’t really say.”

  “I know that feeling,” Richard chimed in.

  Linda looked up from a picture of Gatlinburg and looked at her husband with cold eyes.

  As the later hours approached, the conversation started dwindling down. Richard then stood up, suggesting his daughter and Brennon get going because he thought the news said it might snow again tonight.

  “Yes, of course,” Brennon said. He then grabbed Katy’s coat and helped her into it.

  Once Brennon had gotten Katy into her court, he noticed how her parents stood in the dining room doorway. He figured they might want to talk to her in private, so he went out to start the car so it would be warm for Katy. When Katy shut the door, she turned toward the dining room doorway. Here she was, alone with her parents in the silence of the only home she’d ever known before Brennon. Her heart thumped in her chest then she calmed down.

  “Well, thank you for inviting us,” Katy said, figuring she needed to say something. “I enjoyed the meal, Mom.”

  “Of course, Katy,” Linda said, wrapping her arm around her daughter and hugging her. “It’d been so long since we last saw you. And, well, just thought it might be nice to catch up.”

  “Yeah,” Katy said. She pushed the memories of her mother’s cold remarks in the kitchen the day she initially found out she was seeing Brennon; however, she still interacted cautiously with both of her parents. “It was nice.”

  Katy then looked to her father. She was nervous about what he would say.

  Richard, stern and clearly in thought, wrapped his arm around Katy’s shoulder. He kissed the side of her head like he did when she was just a little girl, coming home from school and stomping into this very foyer where they stood. “Love you, Katy. It was nice to see you again.”

  Linda saw Richard might want a moment with Katy, so she excused herself and darted off to the kitchen.

  “Daddy, are you okay with this?” Katy asked once her mother was out of ear-shot.

  Richard sighed. “Don’t worry about what I am. If I were you, I would worry about what you are. And Katy, regardless of how I, or your mother for that matter, feel about this, I can tell you one thing… I see it all over your face.”

  Katy smiled then her forehead wrinkled. “What is it that you see, Dad?”

  Richard chuckled. “That same look I used to see in your mother’s face when we were young. Or did you forget that we were young once upon a time? A long time ago.” He chuckled again. “You really do look more and more like your mother every day.”

  Katy rolled her eyes then shook her head. “No I don’t. Stop saying that.”

  “Yeah, okay, if you say so,” Richard said. “But I will say you look pretty happy. Actually, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you this happy.”

  A thoughtful giggle slipped through Katy’s lips. “Yeah, I suppose you could say that.” I really have never been this happy, she then thought.

  Just as Katy stepped back from her father, she could hear Brennon’s footsteps coming up on the porch. He came back inside, announcing that the car was waiting. Linda came from behind the staircase to say goodbye to Brennon for the night. As to be expected, Brennon thanked them for having him over for dinner. Katy rubbed his back, hoping he didn’t start feeling anxious. She then watched as Brennon shook her father’s hand in a very respective manner. Brennon then walked her out onto the porch as they all said goodbye to one another, waving their arms.

  The wind picked up, whisking across their property. Brennon held Katy close to his side then let her into the car. When he hopped into the driver’s seat, he pulled off, quickly doing a small circle and headed down the winding driveway. Katy noticed him staring ahead as they headed toward the interstate.

  “So?” Katy asked after several quiet, and nearly awkward, minutes.

  “So, what?” Brennon asked. He glanced over at Katy. “I was just about to ask you that?”

  “Ask me what?” Katy asked. “I was asking you how you felt about how it went.”

  Brennon shrugged. “I guess it went well. They didn’t start flipping out or anything. I can only imagine what they really think. What do you think?”

  Katy bit her bottom lip, looking off at the snowy woods rolling away from the interstate. “Well, my parents have always been the type to act a certain way for the sake of saving face. Just think about the kinds of jobs they have. There’s no way they were going to show you how they really feel about this situation.”

  Brennon chuckled. “I think your Mom is maybe more accepting, in some ways, even if she’d not in favor of this. But your dad?”

  “What? What?” Katy asked. She was anxious to hear a man’s perspective on situation like that.

  Brennon shrugged again. “I think deep down he’s probably not liking this at all. I know he must’ve said something to you when I went outside. That’s why I went out to start the car.”

  “Yeah, I noticed that,” Katy said. “I was thinking for a second that you didn’t have to leave me in there. To be honest, I was a little scared that my Dad was about to get tight-lippe
d and give me a piece of his mind.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought he was probably talking to you about,” Brennon said, veering onto the interstate. “So…. What did he say?”

  Katy closed her eyes for a moment then opened them, staring out at the snowy woods once again while she replayed the scene in her mind. Her father’s words had been so sentimental to her that she didn’t feel as if she would be doing them justice by sharing them. “You know… He’s actually handling it better than I thought. He said he was young once upon a time too.”

  Brennon nodded, glancing over at Katy. “Okay. I see.”

  The couple talked about interesting, for better or for worse, things that happened at Katy’s parents’ house during dinner. Brennon noticed the way her mother’s scolding eyes intimidated a man of even Richard’s status and stature; Katy laughed at how her mother wanted praise for her food. Reality was that the rest of the family had pacified her mother Linda because the open secret was that her cooking skills had always been the weakest of all her sisters and aunts.

  That night, Katy lay in Brennon’s bed – in his arms. Light from the streetlight seeped into the bedroom, streaking rays of light across the bed as well as the hardwood floors. Snow showers moved over the area, falling heavily and blanking the city with another layer of snow. Katy smiled, closing her eyes for a couple of seconds straight here and there as she dozed. Brennon snored in her ear, deep in sleep with his arms around her waist. She smiled and relished in the feeling of love – a feeling she had somewhat put on the back burner for so long. A chuckle then slipped out of her mouth when she thought about Eve’s consistent attempts to push her off on practically any guy. When it’s meant to be, it’ll happen, Katy thought, remembering her wise grandmother’s advice about life. Katy then drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 14

  “Okay, that turned out better than I thought it would,” Brennon admitted as he playfully bumped into Katy. They were leaving a movie after a mini date night. He had gone to Katy’s family on their annual day-after-Christmas gathering then taken Katy to the movies, letting her decide what movie. To no surprise, Katy picked a chick flick then had to practically drag Brennon into the theater by his wrist.

  Katy laughed, shaking her head before chucking some popcorn into her mouth. “See… I told you that you just need to trust me when it comes to picking movies. I always pick the best movies.”

  “Ha!” Brennon said, with extra oomph. “Well, I wouldn’t say that.”

  Brennon looked over at Katy, admiring her beauty. They headed out into the mall then toward the parking garage. It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to surprise his random chuckle. Brennon knew that Katy was probably chomping at the bit to get the details of his day. Today had been the day Brennon went to breakfast with Katy’s father Richard for a “little talk.” He knew it would only be a matter of time before Katy demanded to know what happened on this breakfast meeting.

  Brennon helped Katy into the car then they pulled out of the garage and headed back toward downtown. Once they got onto a parkway that winded alongside the river, several minutes of silence came to an end when Katy slammed her palms against her thighs. “Okay, come on, Brennon. Let’s stop this.”

  Brennon burst into laughter. “I knew it! I knew it!” He then carried on laughing, even turning and laughing harder at Katy’s confused face.

  “You knew what?” Katy asked, trying to figure out what was so damn funny. “Seriously, Brennon. You knew what? What are you thinking that you knew?”

  Brennon finally contained himself, wiping his watering eyes. “I knew it. I knew that you were just waiting on the right moment to bring it up.” He grinned, smiling and glancing over at Katy. “You just won’t let it be, will you. Why do you want to know?”

  “What do you mean why would I want to know?” Katy asked. “You said you were going to breakfast with my dad.” She smiled, blushing. “So, what did you two talk about? Who suggested you guys go to breakfast together? Was it you or my dad?”

  “Oh, now now,” Brennon said, shaking his head. “Why does that matter?”

  “It does,” Katy said firmly. “So, spill… Who suggested this sudden breakfast?”

  “Hmm,” Brennon said, putting his index finger on his chin as if he were solving a difficult puzzle. “You know...Now that I think about it… I really can’t remember how that came up.” He glanced over at Katy and grinned, raising his eyebrows.

  “Okay, okay, very funny, Brennon,” Katy said. “But, seriously, did my dad call you about this breakfast? If he did, I swear he didn’t say anything to me about it or I would’ve warned you, I promise.”

  Brennon laughed. “Warned me. Sometimes you make it sound like he’s in the mafia or something.”

  “Well,” Katy said, rolling her eyes. “You never know. My father could be the one and nobody ever know it.”

  “Now, now Katy,” Brennon said, trying to suppress his laugh. “Why does it matter? We just had a quick catch up breakfast.”

  “So, what did you talk about?” Katy asked. “If it wasn’t that big of a deal, why can’t you tell me what you talked about?”

  “Okay, dang, Katy,” Brennon said. “We talked about the weather and some politics.”

  “Weather and politics at ten o’clock in the morning on the day after Christmas?” Katy asked then rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. I don’t believe that for one second, Brennon. Fess up. Something is going on. You need to tell me.”

  Brennon chuckled. “Wow, you’re already talking that way. How funny.”

  Katy squinted at Brennon then turned back to the street ahead, storefront buildings now hugging either side.

  Brennon glanced over at Katy then looked out at the snowy city. “I got an idea, actually.”

  Brennon turned at the next stop light, pretending as if this change in plans was spontaneous. It wasn’t, but he knew he could be a good actor. He remembered supposedly being in love when he was in his twenties, but his feelings for Katy were something much stronger. She was everything he wanted in a woman – a woman he thought he would never find.

  “Where are we going?” Katy asked once the car turned onto an older street that headed directly into downtown. “We’re not going home?”

  Brennon shook his head. “Naw, not just yet. Why? You don’t have anywhere to be tomorrow.”

  Katy playfully slapped Brennon’s shoulder. “You don’t know that, Brennon. I could have a booked day tomorrow.”

  Brennon looked over at Katy with eyes that said yeah, I don’t believe that for one minute.

  “Oh, calm down, Katy,” Brennon said, calmly as he then turned onto a different street that led into the core of downtown. “You’ll like it. Do you trust me, Jasmine? Do you?”

  Katy picked up on Brennon’s Aladdin pun and laughed. “Okay, that was cleaver. I’ll give you that.”

  “Hmm, hmm,” Brennon said, acting chummy. “I knew it would be. Isn’t a man always cleaver.”

  “Yeah, whatever,” Katy said. “So, why won’t you tell me what you and my dad talked about, Brennon? Don’t tell me what it was that you two talked about. Instead, just tell me why you won’t tell me. Why?”

  Brennon laughed. “Because it was a man’s conversation.”

  “A man’s conversation.” Katy shook her head.

  Brennon crossed the river then turned down a side street, leading through a tight community of close houses and grand trees that canopied over the street. He looked over at Katy, wondering just how far she would go to find out about the talk he had with her father. He then patted his inside pocket – something he’d been doing for much of the day. With Katy now living with him, it’d been somewhat hard to get away to certain places. He and Katy’s friendship was so organic at this point that he truly enjoyed going just about anywhere with her, which was hard to believe in itself.

  “Where are we going, Brennon?” Katy asked as she looked around at the neighborhood.

&nb
sp; “Oh, Katy,” Brennon said, turning onto a different street – one that led back toward a park. “You didn’t forget about this place, did you?”

  Katy looked around then started smiling. She was so used to going to her favorite park from the other side that coming from this side had thrown her off. She turned and looked out the back window. Downtown – its east side – glowed in the distance. Just then, there was a clearing at the side of the street Brennon had just turned onto. From here, Katy could look down the snowy river bank. A barge carrying cargo rolled down the river with the core of downtown sparkling in the background.

  Katy blushed, looking over at Brennon. “Really, Brennon? You could’ve told me we were going to my favorite park. I’ve never come in from this side.”

  “Yeah, I thought it might be a nice way to end the night,” Brennon said. The road curved then led to a park entrance with a large sign reaching over the center of the road. It then winded between patches of woods. Picnic tables were practically buried; the jungle gyms looked like random objects in the shadows of thick forestry. Snowdrifts pushed massive amounts of snow across the barely-plowed road. “I used to have a cousin that lived on this side of the park and we would use this entrance. I don’t think a lot of people know it’s here.”