For the first three weeks, Roger and Alice kept seeing themselves, either on a date, on a business date or something else with Roger trying to be the best gentleman ever. He was shooting his shot carefully and sharply, without flaws.
On the fourth week, he had planned to shoot the final shot. He had plan to engage her.
" This place is so beautiful, " Alice said frantically.
Roger stared at her for a while and spoke up. " I guess a beautiful lady like you deserves beautiful things and places. You are so beautiful and skilled and funny and. . . if I keep listing, I may have a reason not to let you leave my sight tonight. "
" Roger, if you keep flattering me like this then I will have no choice but to marry you right now, " she said half jokingly.
" Are you being so serious? " Roger heard himself asked.
" No. . . I'm just trying to say that I like the fact that you have only nice things to say about people. If you are not praising my business, then you are praising my dad, if you are not praising my dad then you are certainly saying nice things to me or about the restaurant or about the weather and it just fascinates me, " Alice said frantically.
" Oh. . . Yeah. I thought as much but believe me, I mean every single thing I say, " Roger snapped.
" Look Roger, I have got to be sincere, I have never met any man like you in my life. . . "
IS SHE FALLING FOR ME? Roger thought randomly.
" You are a good person, " Alice said. " And whoever that ends up with you will be so lucky. I hope you don't end up with an undeserving lady because you deserve the best. I hope my better half, if I am ever ready for him will be as accommodating and sweet as you are. "
" You are not ready for marriage? " Roger almost burst out in tears. This day was supposed to be his D-Day to propose to her.
" One has to be in love before he or she gets married. And the bitter truth is I wish I could fall in love with someone____ "
" Of course you can. Get married and you will see how falling in love will be so easy, " Roger said promptly.
" That sounds good but I don't think I will be so lucky, " Alice said in a tender voice.
Roger stood up. " Alice, you are one lucky girl and you will always be lucky, " he said, taking her right hand. He knelt down with one knee, propping his left hand on his knee. " I want you to make me the happiest man on the earth. I want us to fall in love together. . . " Thanks to the soap opera he watched, he knew he was using the right words to ask her to marry him. " I don't want to marry you because of you are perfect, I want to marry you so you can make me perfect. I have realized that all my wealth is vanity without you. You have a busy life and I want to be in that life. Marry me today. . . " he said, putting his right hand in his pocket and bringing out a diamond ring worth one point one million dollars. " . . .and make me the wealthiest and happiest man in Earth. "
A balloon flew in their midst with an inscription of WILL YOU MARRY ME?
" Roger? Are you asking me to marry you? I. . . you know how much I am married to my business and. . . and I didn't expect you will marry such a type of me, when you are a classy type of man and you. . . and you like the classy type of women, not some business freak. I'm so short of words, I don't know what to say____ "
" Just say yes. Just accept my ring. But I won't force you. If you want I can give you time to think about it. This gentleman over here is ready to be patient. I have loved you ever since I set my eyes on you. It won't stop now. "
" No. . . it's not like that. I wouldn't be so mean to reject your ring but it came as a shock. . . "
" I'm so sorry for___ "
" Yes, " Alice said briskly. " I promised myself to give the first guy who proposes to me a chance and you are that lucky man. "
" What did you say? " Roger asked.
" I said I promised____ "
" No. . . not that. Before that, " Roger snapped.
" Yes, " Alice said. " I WILL MARRY YOU. "
" YOU WILL, " Roger asked drastically.
" Of course I will, " she said and watched Roger put the ring on her middle finger. Suddenly, rose flowers began to fall from above on them. Alice was smiling passionately.
Roger kissed her finger and stood up. He placed a tender kiss on her lips and hugged her. " Thank you, " he whispered in her ear.
" I should be the one thanking you, " Alice said plainly.
" We will have enough time to thank ourselves after we get married but before that let's make a toast, " he said picking his glass of champagne.
Alice picked hers.
" Cheers to our new relationship, " Roger said promptly. " You, make a toast. "
" To the beginning of love. . . "
" To the beginning of partnership, " and almost as the words came out, he regretted it.
" To us, " Alice said and they joined their glasses together. " Thank you Roger. "
" For what? " Roger asked sarcastically.
" For making me the lucky lady, " she said earnestly.
" It had to be you. . . "
" Do your parents approve of this? " Alice asked.
" Of course they do. This has always been what they wanted. . . I mean, my parents have always wanted me to marry the right woman for me and you are certainly the right woman for me. "
WAS SHE?