Smitten At First Sight

““I know, Mom.” Maggie sighed, remembering Jeffrey’s zeal for punctuality.
“Now, what are you sighing about, young lady?” Mrs. Robin placed her hands on her hips. “You’ve just graduated college a semester early with honors, your boyfriend proposed to you with a splendid ring, and he is taking you on the ski vacation of a lifetime!”
At her mother’s mention of her engagement, Maggie self-consciously twisted the huge diamond ring on her finger – the ring was too big, and she constantly worried about its slipping off.
“Let me see that sparkler again!” Mrs. Robin gushed, grasping Maggie’s hand. “Magnificent! You are one lucky girl – I always knew that Jeffrey was the one. I am so happy for you, honey. Promise me that you won’t sulk.”
“I promise. Now, let’s get this suitcase zipped up.” Maggie was in no mood for one of her mother’s speeches. And yet, she could not help admitting that her mother did have a point. Maggie had been dating Jeffrey for almost two years, and she was pretty sure that she loved him, so marrying him seemed like the next logical step, but no matter how hard she tried to convince herself of this fact, she could not shake off a feeling of uneasiness ever since Jeffrey had proposed, a week ago.

They were having dinner at Alain Ducasse when at the end of the meal, right before dessert, Jeffrey reached for Maggie’s hand.
“Maggie, we have been seeing each other for a while, and now that you’re done with school, I think it’s time that we took our relationship to the next level.” Jeffrey placed a robin-blue jewelry box on the table.
Maggie stared back at him, suddenly at a loss for words.
“Go on, open it.”
Slowly, Maggie pulled on the white ribbon. Inside, was a smaller box of black velvet. Feeling Jeffrey’s expectant gaze upon her, Maggie flipped open the lid. A giant diamond glinted against the black material.
“Timing is everything, and I think that right now is the perfect timing for us, don’t you?” Jeffrey pressed on without waiting for her answer. “There are a lot of opportunities for me at the network, Maggie, and our engagement will show my father that I am a ‘reliable fellow,’ to use his words exactly. You see, my father is rather old-fashioned, and he has made it pretty clear that he expects me to settle down before he is going to entrust me with a more serious role in the company.”
Maggie blinked, wondering what getting engaged had to do with timing and reliability.
“Of course, that is not the main reason why I want to marry you.” Jeffrey reached for her hand. “I love you, Maggie. We are perfect for each other. But when it comes to climbing the corporate ladder a man’s character is often judged by his personal life, and I do plan to climb to the very top.” Jeffrey winked.
“Yes.” Maggie nodded.
“I’m so glad.” Jeffrey put the ring on her finger where it dangled loosely.
Maggie’s first impulse was to explain that her ‘yes’ was directed at Jeffrey’s statement regarding the corporate ladder, but instead, she remained silent, thunderstruck by the enormous diamond on her finger: it was blindingly ostentatious – a single emerald-cut solitaire – just what a future studio producer’s wife would wear.
“Oh, it’s too big… Didn’t you say you wear a size six and a half?”
“It’s five and a half, actually,” Maggie murmured, “but it doesn’t matter – it’s beautiful.”
“No worries. We’ll get it resized.” Jeffrey pressed her hand to his lips. “What do you say to our setting the wedding date to a year from now? That way you’ll have plenty of time to plan things, and I can be certain that all the people that should be there will be able to attend.”
Maggie’s throat felt constricted. It was not that she did not want to marry Jeffrey, it was just that she had not given the matter much thought, and now, he was expecting her to give an answer about the rest of her life right on the spot.
“Good. Then it’s all settled.” Jeffrey signaled for a check. “Oh, I almost forgot. Close your eyes.”
“Why?”
“Just do it.” Jeffrey grinned. “No peeking! Okay, you can look now.” Jeffrey placed a travel itinerary before her.
“A ski trip to British Columbia?” Maggie’s eyes lit up as the memories of her childhood winter vacations in Lake Placid flashed in her mind – she had even made it to the junior racing team. There was nothing better than flying down the mountain.
“Our engagement trip.” Jeffrey beamed. “Of course the terrain there can be pretty rough, but I promise to never let you out of my sight.”

“Whew, finally, we got this thing to close!” Mrs. Robin exclaimed. “What did you pack in there – your entire wardrobe?”
“Do you think I overdid it?” Maggie wrinkled her forehead. She always felt that she had to put her best foot forward for Jeffrey, so she had packed an outfit for every possible occasion.
“Well, it’s a bit too late to worry about that now. And Margaret,” added Mrs. Robin, “promise me that you will think about law school. Getting engaged is wonderful, but you’ve been accepted to one of the best schools in the country. A law degree would be an icing on the cake.”
Maggie glanced at the thick envelope from Yale Law on her desk.
“Maggie! Are you listening to me?” Mrs. Robin took her daughter’s hand.
“I promise to think about it, Mom.”
There was a knock on the door. Maggie heard her father’s voice.
“Jeffrey is here, honey.”
“Come on in!” Mrs. Robin flung open the door, waving for the two men to come in. “It’s so good to see you, Jeffrey!” Maggie’s mother gave Jeffrey an affectionate kiss on the cheek.
“Likewise, Mrs. Robin. It is always a pleasure to see you.” As always, Jeffrey was impeccably dressed: a pinstriped colored shirt, a v-neck sweater and wool slacks.
“Janet, let’s leave the two love birds to finish their packing.” Dr. Robin put his hand around his wife’s waist. In his other hand he was still clutching a copy of a medical research journal, which he had been reading when Jeffrey arrived.
“In a minute, dear. Maggie, are you sure you’ve got everything – your passport, tickets?”
“Not to worry Mrs. Robin. I have everything under control.” Jeffrey flashed a smile worthy of a chewing gum commercial.
“All right, then. We’ll wait for you downstairs.” Mrs. Robin reluctantly followed her husband through the door.
After her parents left the room, Jeffrey scooped Maggie into his arms and planted a long kiss on her lips. “Boy, I missed you. I can’t wait for us to be alone together.” He winked.
“I missed you too.” Maggie tightened her arms around Jeffrey’s shoulders, realizing how glad she was to see him. She must have suffered from a temporary fit of insanity to question her good fortune: she was going to marry Jeffrey Preston. She was the luckiest girl alive.”