“As long as it’s just the one time, I guess it’ll be okay,” she said. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her.
“Thank you,” I said. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she said, kissing me back.
That weekend, we had dinner at her parents’ house and that’s when I proposed to Marissa. After we ate, I got down on one knee and proposed to her, ring in hand. Her eyes lit up as she hugged me tight.
“Yes,” she said. “I’ll marry you.” Her family applauded and we celebrated with a glass of wine. Her mother looked at me like a scientist might look at a bug under a microscope.
“I suppose you’ll be wanting to get married in a church?” she asked. I looked around and saw several somewhat hostile faces looking back at me. I knew Marissa didn’t like churches, so I thought carefully before saying anything.
“Whatever Marissa wants is fine by me,” I said, hoping to keep the peace. Her mother smiled briefly before nodding her head.
“Good,” she said. “Then it’s settled. The ceremony will take place here, in the garden.” The “garden” was actually what she called the entire back yard, which was huge and filled with immaculately-trimmed hedges and bushes. “And when did you want to get married?” I thought a bit longer.
“Maybe after we get back from Kentucky, two or three weeks after graduation,” I said. Her mother looked at Marissa.
“You’re going with Jim to Kentucky?” she asked. Marissa nodded her head.
“I already promised him I would,” she said. “He wants to introduce me to his friends and family. It’s only right that I meet the people who helped raise him.”
“Very well,” her mother said. “I’ll make the preparations and we’ll have the ceremony here when you return from Kentucky,” she added, putting emphasis on “Kentucky.” Marissa smiled.
“Thank you, mother,” she said. The older woman nodded her head and left for the kitchen. The women followed, almost as if on cue. As they left the room, Marissa’s father turned to me and extended his hand. I accepted it.
“Welcome to the family,” he said. His mouth formed a smile, but his eyes seemed to have no emotion whatsoever. Greg also extended his hand. I shook it as well. His eyes also displayed no emotion.
“Congratulations,” he said. “You won’t regret it.” I had a very hard time reconciling this to the frightened man who warned me to leave Marissa just a few short days ago.
The next few days were a blur as I was not only preparing for graduation, but for our trip home. Perhaps it was a case of nerves, but I began to notice a few odd things around the place. For example, more than once, I thought I saw a shadow figure in my peripheral vision. As I turned to look, however, it was gone.
Once, I saw a knick-knack sway on its shelf, where it had sat undisturbed for the last year, and fall. I picked it up and put it back, wondering what just happened.
“Probably a micro-quake,” Marissa said when I told her about it. “This is southern California, after all.” She was right about California and earthquakes. I had felt several in my short time there, but I felt nothing when that knick-knack fell. I tried to shrug it off, but couldn’t.
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