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mean, you met them. Sure, it was awkward, but now that my mom has adjusted to the idea of us being together I’m sure it will be—”
    I grabbed her wrist. “Stop talking and let me get this out. It has nothing to do with your parents.”
    And then I took the box from my pocket and offered it to her.
    About a split second later , I knew it was a big mistake.
     
    Anna
    I stared at the little square blue box on Jason’s palm and felt as if all the air had been sucked from the car. My heart began pounding. Of all the events I guessed might happen on this trip, a proposal didn’t even make the list. We’d never discussed it. I’d had no clue Jason was thinking in those terms.
    “Oh” was all I could manage to push out of my mouth. Then, as I considered that maybe it was just an early Christmas present, a pair of earrings perhaps, I added, “Is that…?”
    He flipped the lid up , and, yes, it was a ring. A pretty little sparkling thing that looked as if it would fit my finger perfectly.
    “Oh, Jason . It’s so… I had no idea. How long have you been planning this?”
    “Not too long. I just started thinking about how much you mean to me. I love you , and I wanted to show it in a concrete kind of way.” He stared at the ring, then into my eyes again. “But I can tell it’s too soon. It was a bad idea.”
    He closed the box , and his eyes got that shuttered look I recognized from earlier in our relationship.
    “No .” I rushed to relieve his doubt. “It’s not that. I mean, I love you too, but I wasn’t expecting this, like, at all. We never talked about it. I need time to process.”
    Jason nodded. “Sure. I get it. There’s a lot to consider.”
    He still sat with the ring box on his palm. I reached out and took it. His hand dropped into his lap.
    “This is horrible timing, right ?” he said. “I should’ve known better. I was thinking I’d ask you Christmas Eve and it would be a romantic gesture, but I should’ve waited till we were at home. Stupid!” He talked faster, gesturing with one hand.
    I captured his hand in mine and held on. “No. Not stupid. Very romantic.”
    “ At first I thought I should wait until I have more money saved, but we both know my income’s never going to equal yours. I’m never going to ‘get ahead,’ so I decided I’d just take the plunge. Go with my heart instead of common sense.”
    Tears welled in my eyes , and I swallowed a lump in my throat as I leaned forward to throw my arms around him. “I love your heart.”
    I realized I was a breath away from accepting his proposal. But the rationality instilled in me since birth beat down that emotional instinct. The older I got, the more I realized how much my mother’s daughter I was. Planning, discipline, and logic, the three-pronged approach to life. About the only instances of spontaneity I could remember were the day I’d picked Baby from a litter of puppies at a street fair, and the night I agreed to go out for coffee with the janitor in my building.
    I let go of the Jason’s warm, solid body and sat back on my side of the car. “I’m…honored that you asked me. Just give me some time to think, and we’ll talk about it again, okay?”
    “Yeah. That’s fine.” He shrugged. “It would be only an engagement anyway. Those can go on as long as you want.”
    I nodded and smiled at him, wishing I could give an instant answer. There seemed to be nothing else to say. From the radio, a jazzed -up version of “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” filled the silence.
    I put the car back in gear and headed through the last familiar streets to the house I’d grown up in. After living in an apartment in the city for a while, I’d forgotten how spacious a neighborhood could be. Huge houses were each set in parklike settings of trees, lawns, and gardens. No one’s view was interrupted by other houses. Low stone walls or wrought iron gates encircled each estate. I turned into my parents’ long driveway, passing