On Christmas Eve, I got up and showered and went to the jewelry store with my semi-brother Scep to pick up an engagement ring! No, not for me, it’s a gorgeous ring, but not nice enough to make me put up with Scep forever. Actually, I probably will be putting up with him forever but not in the way poor Katie has to now. But I’m messing up my whole story.
Anyway, Scep called to say that he was going to the jewelry store and I have to get up and get ready right now to come with him! Scep’s engagement is on the short list of things which get me out of bed in a hurry so I said good morning and goodbye to my family and assorted exchange students who were having breakfast downstairs, and we set off.
Scep isn’t really my brother, but we’ve been friends for so long that I can barely remember when we weren’t. We’ve spent enough time at each other’s houses that we can correct any family trivia the comes up at dinner at either house, especially the stories that involve childhood injury or teenage embarrassment. (By the way, remind me to tell you about Scep’s first car accident, and the Mac which met a sad end). Over the years, Scep’s listened to a lot of boy-related drama from me, and I would totally return the favor for him, but then he met Katie and I didn’t have to.
On the way to the jewelry store, I extracted a promise that the wedding would not take place until I am back from China and tried to get a promise that I would not have to wear anything stupid or juggle or perform any ritual that would make me cringe at the pictures later. He said “that’s all up to Katie” which is probably boy-speak for “we’re getting married in Hawaii and you’re wearing a hula skirt.” Oh well. I suppose I owe it to them.
“Hi Mom! We got the ring! Can I borrow a Tupperware?” I shouted when we got back. My mom looked up, told us to help ourselves, and went back to decorating for Christmas. We turned the the clear plastic container into a fake geocache by filling it with old McDonald’s toys, colored birthday candles, little plastic charms you get from playing Skeeball, and The Ring. Geocaching is for Katie and Scep what Romans are for Stick and me, or roses and champagne are for a normal couple.
We took the fake geocache up to one of the hiking trails at the reservation and hid it in a fallen log. Scep punched the co-ordinates into his GPS, which I guess makes it a real geocache.
Then Scep dropped me off and went home to tell Katie that there was a new cache up at the reservation and since it’s so warm and uncrowded, they should do it today. Now, in fact!
I don’t really know what happened next, but later this afternoon Katie and Scep came over to show my family a certain piece of new jewelry and there was a lot of crying and hugging. There was so much going on that I couldn’t actually pin them to the no-hula-skirts promise.
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