Good Enough For A Book

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"A man had proposed three times to you. People would wonder why you are still unmarried."

Bella stared at her as if she was some kind of alien species. In the end, she gently shook her head in bafflement.

"It's only puzzling to you because you forgot the most important part. Which was the fact that he was not my boyfriend. He was my best friend's older brother - that's what our relationship was and still is.

He knew I had a boyfriend at that time. I was in a long-term relationship, but that didn't stop him. He kept on proposing to me! At that time, that baffled me a lot and put me in a very tricky situation -- you know, the fact that he is my best friend's older brother and our families are friends."

"He must love you a lot," she solemnly said.

She sighed and furrowed her brows, "That I don't know."

"Bicth, the poor guy proposed three times, what else do you want?"

Her head never snapped too quickly, she looked like that doll from that horror movie, "That's the thing I hate the most! Why am I being forced to like someone, or even worse accept them just because they proposed to me?" Standing up from the couch, with arms in akimbo, she started pacing the living room.

"You know what, that's the shit I hated and couldn't understand -- that tone of your voice. My mother used that a lot, as though I should be goddamn thankful that a guy asked my hand for marriage.

It's not like I owe him or something. I didn't ask him to marry me! He knew I had a boyfriend, so what did he expect?

He gave me a diamond ring, I swooned, fell on my knees, and be eternally grateful for his proposal - don't mind the fact that he wasn't even my boyfriend."

She did not realize that her voice had already soared a few octaves. The topic was really a sore spot for her. It doesn't help that most people reacted as though she let go of a once-in-a-lifetime chance to have something amazing.

Like she wasted her life when she turned down the proposal. Which was not the case! She went on with her life, got a job, earned her own money, improved herself to the point that she became successful in her chosen career, yet, her mother - and now Bella was acting like she made the biggest mistake of her life!

She wanted to pull her head in frustration!

"Well, if you do put it that way --"

"There is no other way to put it." she snarled at her friend, "And now the jerk Hideaki is acting like I wronged him or something. Gosh! So effing annoying! I need alcohol!"

She turned around and marched her way to the basement again to get another bottle of wine. When she closed the basement door behind her, she heaved a heavy sigh.

She didn't tell Bella how many times in the past few years she wondered if she had indeed made a mistake in rejecting that proposal. Especially, when her long-term relationship failed to work out in the end.

It is useless to regret. Once time has passed, you can never have it back. She may wonder but will not know the answer.

She trod her way to the old liquor cabinet again to grab some wine. She put a mental note at the back of her mind to get her own wine supply.

It looked like there were people who were using this basement now, and she could be stealing their wine. She chuckled with the thought.

Bella was still musing in the living room when she returned to the first floor. She grabbed two clean wine glasses and sat next to her.

She poured them a glass and she joined her in staring at the wall.

"Last questions, you said he proposed to you thrice; did he do it with three different rings, and you said you kept the ring, does that mean you have three engagement rings from him?"

"I don't know why you are obsessing with all the small details of it --

"Well, humor me. I am a writer. I need to know the details to be satisfied."

"I'm not sure if he had prepared three different rings, I didn't give much attention to it in the past. And no, I don't have three rings. The one I have was from the second proposal. The third proposal, he had a box but I didn't see the ring."

"Oh, I see."

"Why do you sound disappointed?"

"I was thinking that you got three diamond rings with you," she laughed, "And that would be so cool. A good conversation piece when you are at a party."

She chuckled lightly when she tried to imagine what Bella said. "Hmm, they will stare at your ring and ask, when will you get married? I would answer, 'Oh this? I just got the ring but I dumped the guy."

"Yes, yes…" she nodded, laughing. "I do think it would be funny."

"Or it could backfire to you, you know."

"How so?"

"Well, imagine telling that at a party, and they got hooked with the story and started asking questions you were not ready to answer -- or worse, you don't have the answer!"

She giggled, "I apologize. I got too curious about all these stories of yours."

"Nothing to say sorry. Also, I did wear the engagement ring in my finger more than one time."

Her eyes widened as huge as a saucer, "No way!" she muttered in disbelief.

"I did. And the reactions always varied, and no they are not fun!" she laughed before Bella could open her mouth and asked unnecessary questions again. "Just leave it like that."

"I still find all of this so hilariously funny and frankly - quite interesting. Do you think your story should be in a book?"

"Shut up, Bella. Don't you ever dare!" She scoffed at the idea of having a book of her life story.