Where Do We Go From Here?

“What is it dear?” My mother asked.

I gulped before proceeding. “Columbia will be hosting a campus tour in November and I was wondering if I could go.”

“Columbia?” My father asked. “I thought you were planning to go to Princeton or Dartmouth?”

I nodded. “I applied to all three, but I’ve been in contact with this girl Lori who attends Columbia and she’s been telling me all the great things that it has to offer me. I don’t know, but I kinda like the idea of going to Columbia.” I answered.

My father looked a little upset. “Columbia is a fine school, but Princeton and Dartmouth will offer you more opportunities.”

“Honey, Verity is old enough to make those types of decisions.” My mother interjected.

I offered my mother a grateful smile since she was sticking up for me.

I sighed. “I’m not even sure where I’ll be going because no acceptance letters have come in.” I smiled weakly before adding “Besides, this campus tour will pay for the meals and stay all I need to do is buy my airfare.” I pulled out the letter from my back pocket, handing the sealed envelope to my parents. “It explains all the details in this letter.”

My father took the letter first, ripping open the seal and extracting the letter. His eyes darted across the two page letter while holding the brochure in his other hand. I could hear his quiet mutters as he read along the letter. I could see his eyebrows raised which made me nervous. That small gesture could mean one of two things; he’s both intrigued and a little impressed or he does not like it at all.

“Columbia has an excellent writing and political science program.” I quickly added.

My father nodded thoughtfully. “So this tour takes place next month?”

“Yeah, it’s on a weekend so I won’t be missing any classes.” I answered with a sheepish smile on my face. “And did I mention that they’ll be paying for our expenses there, I’ll only have to pay for my flight to and from.”

My mother grabbed the letter from my father’s hand and quickly scanned through it. “Oh look Jim, they’re offering the kids a lecture.”

My father smiled. “So Columbia is where you wanna go?” He questioned.

I shrugged. “It all depends on where I get in.” I answered honestly. “I mean, from what I hear from Lori the place seems perfect.”

Cassandra smiled at me. “My best friend from high school went to Columbia and only had wonderful things to say about the place. I would’ve thought of transferring there, but my scholarship was only to Princeton.”

“See Jim, maybe Columbia might be a good option for Verity.” My mother chimed in.

My father never would have guessed that Columbia would be in my path. He always assumed I’d be headed off to Dartmouth or Princeton. Hell, I think my father would have rather encouraged me to go to Harvard. Those were the Ivy League schools he wanted me to go to since he was a Princeton graduate himself.

He nodded wistfully. “We’ll cross that bridge when we reach it.”

It was the best answer I could have received at the moment. It was then that Jason entered the room.

“Dinner’s ready.” He announced. “Oh and Verity, Tony just arrived.”

“Okay.” I called back before turning to my parents. “So does this mean I can go?”

My father rubbed his chin; a habit he usually did when he was unsure of an answer. “Verity, I’m not sure if we can afford the airfare. Your sister’s hospital bills are pretty hefty to pay—not to mention that your mother just recently flew to and from New York.”

“I can pay my own way.” I chimed in. “I’ve been saving my paychecks.”

My mother sighed. “Sweetie, that wouldn’t be fair.”

I sighed. “No, what wouldn’t be fair is me not being able to go.” I remarked. “All I’ve ever done was bring home straight A’s. This is the only thing I’ve ever asked for.” I pleaded.

Tony walked into the room; his smile slowly dissipating from the tension circulating through the air. Even Cassandra, whose face held a smile, had looked away from the growing argument me and my parents were having.

“We’ll discuss this later.” My father replied dismissively before standing to his feet.

My mother offered me an apologetic smile before standing, Cassandra followed suit. I walked over to Tony and gave him a hug. He was surprised at my sudden affection, but gradually wrapped his arms around me. I buried my face into his chest, inhaling his scent.

“It seems that every time you’re here, there’s some sort of disagreement going on.” I mumbled into his shirt.

Tony let out a low chuckle. “I tend to bring out the worst in everyone.” He joked.

I looked up at him. “Not in me.” I smiled.

He quickly closed the distance between us, placing a chaste kiss to my lips. “So what was this disagreement about?” He asked.

I chewed on my bottom lip. “I’ll tell you after dinner.”

“Yeah, okay.” He smiled before following me into the dining room.

My parents took their usual spots while Jason and Cassandra took their seats on one side of the table, leaving Tony and I to sit opposite of them. As my father dished out our meals, Tony grabbed my hand from under the table and rubbed small circles into my palm. I felt the unrequited tension slowly melting from my blood. I blushed a little as we all said grace—which to me was a little funny since my family never participated in church or any particular religion.

Jason sat at his seat with a broad grin growing on his face. “I can’t wait a moment longer.” He blurted out.

“What are you talking about sugar?” My mother asked after wiping her mouth.

I smiled knowingly at Jason as he took Cassandra’s hand in his. Both my mother and father looked a little confused as Jason stared at his soon-to-be fiancé. The air felt still and all too warm, but I could see the love he held for her in his eyes.

“Cassandra, I knew I loved you since the moment you bumped into me at Wal-Mart.” He began with an uncontainable smile on his face. “I knew that you would be the woman I’d want to spend the rest of my life with.”

I heard my mother gasp with excitement, covering her mouth as she did so.
Jason dropped onto one knee, pulling out the small velvet box from back pocket. “I want to spend every chaotic Monday, every long Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, every frantic Friday, every rapid Saturday, and every slow Sunday with you for the rest of my life.”

I watched as a slow tear started to coast down Cassandra’s cheek. “Will you do the honor of taking my hand in marriage?” Jason asked.

“Yes.” Cassandra cried. “A thousand, a million times yes.”

The four of us erupted into a roar of cheers and congratulate words as Jason slipped the engagement ring on Cassandra’s finger. It was a modest diamond ring that jutted out from a simple, dainty gold band. Against Cassandra’s pale skin, it looked beautiful. Cassandra wiped away her tears.

“I think it’s justifiable to bring out the scotch.” My father commented as he stood to his feet.

“My sweet baby boy is getting married!” My mother cried out in happiness.

“Congrats big bro!” I smiled even the news wasn’t technically a surprise to me.

I looked at Tony who offered a congratulation to the happy couple. I couldn’t help but imagine what kind of proposal I would receive, or even if there will be anyone out there who would want to propose to me. I wondered if my future fiancé would be as cheesy as my brother or maybe try something totally different and daring. I imagined a various amounts of possible proposal ideas, wondering if maybe the guy sitting next to me will ever love me that deeply. I didn’t ponder on it that much longer since I didn’t really want to think about the ticking time of mines and Tony’s relationship.

Notes

Congrats to Jason and Cassandra!

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