The Seven Steps to Closure Read Online Free PDF Page B

grabbed my wine. ‘Oh look, I’m empty,’ I said, after I’d skolled the remnants in my glass, ‘anyone else for more?’ Hopping up I proceeded to top up the still full glasses around the table.
    ‘Jackie tells me the way he proposed was so romantic,’ Aunt Esme continued. ‘You don’t mind me talking about it dear?’ she asked me, fake sympathy fairly oozing from her voice.
    I knew she was trying to get a rise out of me, so she could clutch her chest and pretend to swoon. Mum was staring at me with wide eyes – silently willing me to behave myself, so instead of pouring the contents of my wine glass over Aunt Esme’s head – which would have given me a few seconds satisfaction, I replied airily, ‘Of course not. I’m so over him that I couldn’t be more over him.’ Realising how silly that sounded I took another swig from my glass and sat back down. Lily squeezed my knee under the table in sympathy as she continued.
    ‘He took her horse riding at sunrise along a beach, and there was a table set up overlooking the water. He had organised one of the top chefs from the Hilton to cook breakfast for them right there.’
    I picked up a toothpick and began to clean between my teeth, thoroughly examining the end of the pick as I went for any signs of plaque.
    ‘And then it turned out that her serviette was really a big treasure map and she had to follow the map and find the clues.’
    Yawning loudly I stretched my arms above my head.
    ‘It took her all along the beach until finally she found the place on the map where the treasure was.’ Aunt Esme was really getting into her story.
    ‘They did that once in
The
Bold and the Beautiful
,’ interrupted Lily, boldly attempting to stall her without causing a myocardial infarction. Aunt Esme looked at her. ‘Ridge was proposing to Taylor, mmm, could have been Brooke – I can’t keep up with them. Anyway he did a treasure hunt on the beach and she found a little chest, and in it was an engagement ring.’
    Aunt Esme, looking disappointed that her thunder had been stolen, continued. ‘Well it was kind of like that,’ she concurred, ‘but in the chest was a little heart with Jake’s name on it. And when she picked it up he said, “My heart is in your hands, will you marry me.”‘
    She looked positively teary. I, however, had a strong desire to throw up.
    ‘And then a man appeared with a limousine and whisked them off to Tiffany and Co.’s. They had the whole shop to themselves while she picked out her engagement ring.’
    ‘That’s like in
The Bachelor
.’
    ‘Huh.’ Aunt Esme stopped with her mouth wide open, looking at Lily.
    ‘In the show
The Bachelor
when he is choosing between the last two girls he takes each of them to a jewellery store where they pick out an engagement ring, and then the next day when he chooses the winner he proposes with the ring.’
    ‘Hmmmph. I doubt Jake would watch a show like
The Bachelor
.’
    ‘Everyone finished?’ I asked jumping up to start clearing the table.
    I wanted to do the dishes to take my mind off Aunt Esme’s story, but as the birthday girl I was forbidden to even enter the kitchen. I took my glass of wine and retired to the garden where there was an extremely comfortable chair. It was only normal, I guess, that I would think about how Jake had proposed to me, comparing and analysing the differences.
    We had been dating for two months when I turned 22, and were just starting to reach a comfortable place in our relationship. He had taken me out to dinner and I was a little nervous, never having done any official gift exchange with him before. I was a little panicked thinking,
What if I don’t like it? Or
what if it’s a really functional, useful present?
When let’s face it, all we really want is something pretty. Or even worse…
What if he doesn’t even get me a present?
Then I would have to pretend that it didn’t matter, when I knew deep down I would be devastated. Not that I wanted something big