Chapter 29

He stared at the small shop in front of him with a sigh, catching a glimpse of the menagerie of jewelry by the window.

"Fancy anything you see, ?" A voice popped up from behind him, making the young man jump a bit. It was the nice old lady who owns the little jewelry shop in Encanto.

"A-ah, no I was just looking..."

The old woman smiled knowingly, "Planning an engagement, perhaps?" Which made Camilo's eyes widened, the old woman let out a small chuckle escape from her lips as she simply shrugged. ‘’ she would simply say.

Eyes glossing over glass shelves meticulously, as he scanned every ring the eye can see, observing every Minute detail like a hawk. But alas, he is no artist nor is he skilled in the skill of craftsmanship to know and understand jewelry.

His eyes caught one banded with shining silver, with it etched upon was a gem of emerald green and bits of diamond on its sides. It was simple, perhaps a bit modest, and most importantly, it was not as expensive as others. Camilo doesn't want to unknowingly pressure his woman to say yes out of guilt with how expensive the engagement ring he bought if he were to buy something fancy.

"Has something caught your eye?"

"Yeah, but uh, like I said ... I'm just looking." He pointed at the ring of his choice with a sigh, now shoving his hands to his pockets and looking away. Even if it's less expensive than everything in the shelf, he still couldn't afford it right now with the money he currently have at the moment. He'll just come back some other time, that is, if the ring wasn't bought yet when he returns.

"I see, I can offer a discount if—"

"No need!" Pepa bursts in the humble store, leaves and twigs stuck on her hair holding a bag of money and pleasantly shocking both the old lady and Camilo quite a lot.

"?! How, what, why??!" Camilo stammered, whereas Pepa simply laughed and patted her son on the shoulders with a bright grin, accompanied by her signature rainbow above her head.

"No need to worry, . is here to take of everything."

"You don't have to—"

"We'll buy everything!"

"!"

This is probably the third time Camilo sighed today, probably more. He held the little paper bag tightly, his thumb rubbing gently on the brown paper. "You didn't have to do that..." He spoke with a small voice, eyes locked gazes with the road in front of him.

"Nonsense, ! Also what are you thinking, going inside a jewelry shop with little to no money in your person?" His mother nagged a bit, arms crossed and her chin held high.

"Like what I said to the old lady, I was just looking . Besides, I don't think, she'll... I don't know."

"You don't think she'll say yes?"

Camilo nodded, doubts and insecurity nagged his mind once again, swirling into a spiral of overthinking. Pepa certainly didn't miss how quiet he became when she said that, obviously, his girlfriend would say yes. That's already a given, she's not letting that young woman to not be her daughter-in-law.

"Camilo, the two of you have been dating for, what? Five years?" She's pretty sure five years of being lovey-dovey with each other is more than enough time to get to know each other.

"But what if she's not ready? What if I'm going too fast? What if she needs more time?"

The more Pepa watched her son overthink the more she sees herself in him, the anxiety filled man who feels the need to make everything perfect and in order. Is that how she looked when she's a nervous trainwreck?

", listen to me." She spoke, her hands holding his shoulders to cease his train of thought. Her eyes gleamed in much seriousness that it made the son focus on her.

"Do you love her?"

"More than anything else."

.

"Do you think she'll say no?"

"Yes... No... Maybe??" He replied, voice changing in tone with every word he uttered, Pepa did not like that answer, so she did what every sweet mother would do:

Smack him lovingly on the back of his head. .

Maybe that might knock some sense into him.

"Camilo, , , you're being stupid." She spoke, clouds forming from above her head, he can hear the threatening rumbling of thunder from above them.

"Listen, you're going to propose to her," Pepa's and now reached her son's freckled cheeks, sandwiching them firmly. "Make her your pretty wife," Camilo could only shrink further from where he stood, holding the paper bag of the precious box of engagement ring higher.

"And give me cute and , got it?"

Camilo nodded vehemently in fear of suffering his mother's thundering wrath. "Yes, ." He squeaked like a mouse on a cage.

"Good, you already asked Galicia his blessing, right?"

...

"Camilo, have you or have you not asked for her father's blessing?" She asked once again, the sound of thundering amplified with each second.

"Well, kinda? But that was like five years ago before we got together, does that count ?"

.

"Of course it doesn't count!—"

!

His eyes widened in fear upon seeing how big his mother's thundercloud had became, it loomed above him ready to strike it's lighting upon him.

Desperate to free himself from the terrifying clutches of his mother, he shifted into a small child and made a run for it. "I'll be asking for his blessing right now, ! Bye! Love you! Muah, muah!"

Terrifying cracks of thunder can be heard in the distance as he ran away huffing and puffing as he sprinted.

The father did not know what to expect when he saw his daughter's lover on his front door, huffing and puffing like he ran the longest marathon yet. He definitely did not expect the words that spilled out from the young man's mouth:

"Let... Let me... Your daughter... Blessing... Yes..." He croaked, still breathless from running.

"What?"

"Water..."

"Oh."

Downing the water like a starving man, Camilo basically inhaled the cup of water given to him in almost milliseconds. The father reckoned it was some kind of quirk their family has —gulping all the water within less than a second without choking.

"Please, let me marry your daughter." The glass hitting the table as he spoke, eyes swirling with unyielding determination. There is certainly one thing her family likes to do, and that is being straight to the point.

And like a Roman Legionary, he struck his point across his enemy with his mighty spear—

"Sure."

"Wait... Really?"

"Yeah, you're a good man. Not afraid to admit his faults, and most of all," with a small smile on his face he spoke with much sincerity:

"You make my daughter incredibly happy."

Now he gets how her mother fell in love with him. Because for a scary looking man, he sure has a soft smile —much like his daughter. Not that his daughter is scary, no no no!

Also internally doing those dramatic shebang earlier when he asked for the father's blessing, was completely unnecessary on his part.

"Hold onto her, . For as long as time allows you to."

"I'll never let her go." He promised, standing up from the chair leaving a loud creak. His back turning, facing the father as he reached the front door; with one last grin, Camilo spoke:

"She is the woman that I plan to spend every waking moment with, so rest assured I have no intention of letting her slip away from my fingers easily."

With a triumphant smile, he walked out the Galicia household with his heart less heavy.