35- Engaged
Beth Fute walked down a hall at Cornell University. She had been there for seven years, and was still called “Champ” by her fellow classmates. She was studying to be a veterinarian, and still had one year to go.
“Beth, are we studying together tonight?” a voice called. Beth turned and smiled when she saw her friend Michelle.
“Hey Chelle! Yeah, I think I’m free. I have to check with Dominick first. If he doesn’t have anything going on I think he wants to study.”
“If you have a chance to spend time with Dominick, do it. You guys don’t see enough of each other anymore. Ever since midterms everyone has been busy.”
“Yeah. I’m going to go find him now,” she said. Someone cleared their throat behind her.
“Find who? Should I be jealous?” Dominick asked. She smiled up at him.
“I was talking about you,” she assured him, taking his hand. They had been dating seriously for almost five years. It was almost time for Christmas break, and neither one of them could wait to get away from school
“Good, I wouldn’t want to have to beat anyone up. What did you want to know about me?”
“Are you doing anything tonight?” she asked, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder.
“I was going to ask you if you wanted to study,” he said. She laughed.
“I was going to ask you the same thing. Why don’t you come to my apartment tonight. I think Michelle is going to go out and study, so we’ll have the place to ourselves,” she said. Michelle frowned.
“Are you saying I’m loud?” she demanded, putting her hands on her hips. Beth laughed.
“Perhaps. Come on, we’re going to be late Chelle. I’ll see you tonight Dom… remember to bring your books this time,” she said. He gave her a quick kiss and they went their separate ways.
That night Dominick arrived at Beth’s apartment carrying his backpack. He gave her a kiss and then plopped down on the couch.
“I brought my books,” he said proudly, watching as she smiled.
“Wonderful. What’s supposed to be on this test tomorrow? Is it the nervous system?” she asked.
“Yup,” he replied. They began quizzing each other, and after nearly two hours decided to take a break.
“Are you hungry?” Beth asked. He nodded, following her into the kitchen.
“Sure, what do you have?”
“How about turkey sandwiches? We can have some soda with them.” He nodded, grabbing bread out of the cupboard.
“Sounds good, as long as the turkey hasn’t been there for two months.”
“One time Dominick, I made a mistake one time!” she exclaimed. He laughed, putting his arm around her.
“I know, I’m just teasing,” he said. She elbowed him in the ribs and he grunted.
“I just bought it yesterday smarty. Put some mayo on the bread.” He obeyed, and soon they were sitting on the floor watching a movie and eating. “Are we heading home tomorrow after the test?” she asked suddenly.
“Yeah. I called Mom today and she said she can’t wait to see me. She said the months don’t go by fast enough.”
“I never thought of her as the sentimental type,” Beth murmured. He laughed.
“She can be. Let’s just forget about studying for the night, ok? I think we know our stuff.”
“Alright. We can have a movie night,” she said with a grin.
“Do you have popcorn?” he asked as he went into the kitchen.
“Yeah, there’s a box of cheddar cheese popcorn in the fridge. Hurry up, I found a good movie!” she called. He laughed, putting the popcorn into the microwave. When it was done he went back to the living room and sat down beside her. He covered them with a blanket and put his arm around her.
“I love being with you,” he said suddenly as they watched the previews. She scooted closer, putting her head on his shoulder.
“That’s handy, because I like being with you too,” she murmured, looking up at him. He kissed her gently, framing her face with his hands. They kissed for a long time, and when he pulled away she smiled.
“I think I might just love you,” he said.
“Might? Well fine be that way. We’ve only been going out for five years,” she muttered. He kissed her forehead.
“I love you and you know it.” She shrugged.
“I guess I do,” she murmured, giving him a quick kiss and turning back to the movie.
Beth hung up the phone and frowned at Dominick.
“Maybe they’re out getting your Christmas presents,” he said.
“My parents never leave the day before I’m supposed to go home. They stay home in case I call,” she said, plopping down next to him.
“Everybody’s going to be pretty disappointed if we don’t show up, aren’t they?” he asked. They had stopped at an inn on the way back home.
“I’m 25 years old and you’re twenty six… we can stay here if we really want to,” she said, glancing at him. He smiled, putting an arm around her shoulders.
“Do you want to stay?” he asked.
“Yeah. I was never really a big fan of big family get-togethers.” He laughed.
“Then we’ll stay. I’ll call my parents and let them know what’s going on.”
“Do you think they’ll be upset?” she asked. He shrugged.
“They’ll get over it,” he promised, standing up and going to the phone.
When Beth finally got hold of her parents it was nearly eleven o’clock at night. Her mother answered.
“Mom, it’s Beth,” she said.
“Hey sweetie, where are you?” Jess asked.
“Dominick and I decided to spend the vacation skiing… we’re not going to come home this Christmas.” There was a long pause.
“I hope you don’t expect me to tell your father this,” Jess muttered.
“I was hoping you would. It’s just one holiday Mom, you guys can live without me for one.”
“Rachel is coming home this year… everyone will be so sad you won’t be here.” Beth sighed and glanced at Dominick. He crossed his eyes and she stifled a laugh.
“She can live without me too. Just tell Daddy I miss him and I’ll come home for a visit as soon as we have our first round of tests next term.”
“Alright. We love you Bethy,” Jess said. Beth said goodbye and then hung up.
“So it was that hard to talk them into it?” Dominick asked.
“Yeah. Mom has always been big on family, especially at Christmas.”
“We can go home if you want,” he assured her. She sat down next to him, squeezing his hand gently.
“I want to stay here,” she said.
“OK. Do you want to get some sleep? I’m pretty tired.”
“I want to finish this movie first,” she said. He pulled a blanket off the couch, then put his head in Beth’s lap. He covered up and closed his eyes. “You really must be tired,” she murmured, playing with his hair. He nodded slowly, eyes still closed.
“Just wake me when the movie is over hon,” he mumbled. She nodded and looked at the TV. He was asleep soon after, and she grinned.
“I love you Dominick Giran,” she whispered.
The next morning Beth woke up still on the couch. Dominick was still using her as a pillow, but now his head was on her stomach. She smiled and glanced at her watch; it was almost ten o’clock and she gasped.
“Dom wake up,” she said, shaking his shoulder gently. He rolled over, looking down at her.
“I’ve been awake since around eight… just decided to let you sleep in,” he said, touching her face with his index finger. She caught his hand.
“Well you should’ve gotten me up. I don’t like to sleep for that long.” He laughed and planted a kiss on the tip of her nose.
“Well I hope you’ll forgive me for letting you sleep in. I called room service and they’re going to bring some breakfast.”
“Thank you. I should probably get dressed shouldn’t I?” she murmured.
“You should shower first… you stink,” he kidded. She smacked his shoulder and stuck out her tongue. “That looked like an invitation,” he said, leaning down and kissing her. She smiled against his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck. He rolled again, pulling her on top of him. His hands slid slowly up her tank top and she moved her kiss to his neck. A knock on the door made her pull away.
“Saved by the bell,” she murmured with a smile, kissing him quickly before getting up to go to the door. Dominick smiled.
They spent the day skiing. Both of them were good, although Beth was better than he was.
“Come on, you know I’m way better than you. Just admit it,” she teased him. He grabbed her around the waist, pulling her into a snow bank. She giggled, stuffing a handful of snow down the neck of his shirt.
“You’re in trouble now,” he said, picking up an armload of snow and dumping it over her head and pushing some down her jacket and shirt.
“Dominick!” she screamed, laughing and gasping for air. He collapsed next to her, laughing as hard as she was.
“Don’t you just love snow?” he demanded, glancing at her quickly.
“Oh yeah, it’s my best friend. I’m going to catch pneumonia because of you,” she said, still smiling. Dominick rolled onto his side and looked at her seriously.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. She smiled and kissed him gently.
“I was just kidding. Come on, it’s cold and starting to get dark. We should get back to our room,” she said, starting to stand. He caught her arm and pulled her back down.
“I love you Beth,” he said. She smiled, kissing him again. It went on seemingly forever.
“I love you too Dom,” she murmured as he pulled away. “Come on, let’s go,” she said. He laughed, throwing more snow at her. She chased him down the path, both of them laughing.
Almost a week later Beth and Dominick were sitting in their cabin. It was the day before Christmas Eve, and Dominick said he had a surprise for her.
“Come on Dom, just show me,” she said. He had covered her eyes with his hands and was guiding her through the rooms.
“OK, open up,” he said, removing his hands. She opened her eyes, smiling when she saw the candlelit dinner.
“Wow,” she whispered. He took her hand and led her to the table, pulling out her chair for her. He gave her a kiss and then sat down across from her.
“I hope you’re hungry,” he said.
“I’m starving,” she assured him. They ate in silence, and when they were done he looked at her seriously.
“I love you a lot, and I’ve been thinking,” he began. Beth grinned, shaking her head.
“Oh no,” she kidded. He smiled, standing and going to her side before getting down on one knee.
“I’m serious Beth,” he said, reaching into his pocket. Beth stared at him, her eyes growing wide. He continued, “Elizabeth Fute, will you marry me?” he said. She stared at the ring, tears filling her eyes. She nodded slowly. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes,” she managed, a tear slipping down her cheek. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a long kiss. When it broke he slipped the ring on her finger.
“Let’s go home. I want to tell my parents… show off my fiancé.” She nodded, following him as he went to begin packing.
Cotey answered the door, smiling when she saw Dominick and Beth.
“What a surprise! Oh I’m so glad you two decided to come home!” she said, giving them each tight hugs. Dominick smiled and took Beth’s hand in his. She glanced at him, then looked at her parents.
“Hey Mom, hi Daddy,” she said, giving them both a hug. Jason smiled at Dominick and shook his hand.
“You’ve been taking good care of her haven’t you?” he asked. Dominick nodded, looking at Beth and smiling.
“That’s sort of what we came home for,” he said. Everyone stopped talking and looked at him.
“What are you talking about?” Sam asked. Rachel and her boyfriend appeared and Beth smiled at them.
“I asked Beth to marry me, and she said yes,” he said, putting his arm around her. They were bombarded with hugs, and Rachel practically tackled them. Jess and Cotey started to cry, and their husbands put arms around them. Beth smiled up at him.
“That was a big reaction,” she said quietly. He nodded.
“Yup. Come on, let’s go down to the barn. I miss my horse,” he said. Everyone laughed, watching as they walked out of the house.
They walked slowly down the aisle, Beth stopping to visit with several of the horses. Dominick fed his horse, Superstition, a carrot and then giving the sixteen hand tall mare a sound pat on the neck.
“She probably misses having you around to make her jump six foot fences,” Beth said.
“She’s not jumping that high yet. We’ve only worked over three footers so far. She’s young yet.” She smiled.
“Would you mind taking me over to my house. I want to see King and Lion… I’ve missed them so much.”
“You missed them more than you missed everyone didn’t you?” he asked. She smiled.
“Only a little,” she admitted. He laughed and followed her outside. It was a clear night and the stars were out.
“Let’s go over to your place,” he said. They walked off through the woods, hand in hand.
When Jason and Jess got home, they found Dominick and Beth asleep in front of the fireplace. Jason smiled at his wife, going into the kitchen.
“Did you ever imagine they’d end up engaged? I mean, when they were five years old and use to have sleepovers I never imagined they would end up getting married. Did you?” he asked. She pushed herself up onto the counter, smiling at him. She put her arms around him when he came closer.
“I don’t know. With all that they’ve been through together… it’s hard to imagine them not being together in some serious way. This has been a long time coming I think.”
“Nobody expected us to get together, but we did,” he said. She smiled.
“That’s absolutely correct. Let’s go up to bed,” she murmured. He followed her toward the stairs, both of them looking in on Beth and Dominick one last time. She had her head on his shoulder and his arms were wrapped around her. Jess stopped to put a blanket over them, then continued upstairs.
The next evening Beth and her parents went to Cotey’s for the traditional Christmas Eve party. Beth wore a long black skirt and a bright red blouse. She walked into the house, smiling when she saw Dominick. He put his arms around her and steered her under the mistletoe.
“Well look at that, we’re going to have to kiss now,” he said. She laughed.
“Imagine that,” she replied. He leaned down and kissed her, then took her hand and led her into the living room. They sat down, Beth in a chair and Dominick on the arm of it. Sam and Cotey were on the couch, Rachel and her boyfriend Jim were sitting on the floor, and Jason and Jess were sitting on another chair.
“I’m glad you two came home,” Cotey said.
“So are we. I think we would’ve missed being here tonight a whole lot.” Dominick wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.
Late that night as the party was coming to a close, Dominick and Beth walked down to the barn. They went into the loft. The big sliding door was open, letting the icy air in. he led her outside and turned on the tape player he’d been carrying. As the music started he pulled her into his arms and they began dancing.
“It’s snowing,” she said after a minute. He nodded, holding her tightly.
“It sure is. Do you want to go inside?” he asked. She shook her head, pulling away a little and smiling up at him.
“I’m fine right here,” she said, moving to rest her head on his shoulder.
“Good,” he whispered. Little did they know they had an audience; Cotey had her camera and was clicking pictures.
The next morning Beth pulled on a pair of jeans and a Cornell sweatshirt. She went downstairs and smiled when she saw the lights on the tree. Her parents were in the kitchen, talking and drinking coffee.
“Morning. What time is it?” she asked. Jason pointed to the clock.
“Can’t you tell time?”
“Nope, never learned. That’s why I’m always late,” she kidded. Jason laughed.
“It’s eight thirty-seven. Do you want to start opening presents?” She nodded, glancing into the living room. Presents were everywhere around the tree, and many of them were for her.
“Let’s get started!” she said, starting for the tree eagerly. Jason and Jess smiled, following her slowly.
Dominick arrived later that afternoon, riding Superstition. He had a backpack on his back. Beth was riding in one of the fields, working Lion at a canter. Snow was flying everywhere, but she didn’t seem to notice. With a smile Dominick dismounted and led the mare into the barn. When he was done he went back outside and stood by the fence to watch her. She suddenly sensed his presence and stopped. She turned in the saddle, a bright smile appearing on her pretty face.
“What’re you doing here?” she asked when she and Lion reached the fence.
“My mother said that Santa brought this and the present I got, but I happen to think it was one of his elves,” he said, handing her the picture he’d carried over in his bag. It was of them dancing outside the barn. Snow was falling around them, and they were looking at each other with smiles on their faces.
“That’s beautiful,” she said, leaning down and handing it back to him.
“I know. As I said before, it must’ve been an elf. Nobody as big as Santa could hide in the bushes to take pictures.”
“Don’t be ridiculous Dom, Santa doesn’t need a camera. He can make a picture out of his memory,” she said. He laughed, holding Lion so she could dismount.
“If you say so hon. Come on, let’s get him put away. I want to have a snowball fight after. We’ll get everyone to join in.”
“Is your family still coming over for dinner today?” she asked. He nodded, glancing toward the path at the entrance to the woods.
“Speak of the devil, it’s them. Come on, let’s hurry up,” he said. They jogged up the driveway and Lion trotted with them.
Jess talked her parents into a snowball fight quickly, and soon everyone was outside. The parents were going to be on one team, the kids on the other. They chose sides and then the war began. Beth threw the first snowball, and it hit her father directly in the chest. She started to laugh, but was suddenly pushed out of the way by Dominick so she wouldn’t get hit with a snowball. He grinned at her, then got hit in the side of the head by a snowball Jason threw. After about twenty minutes everyone seemed to freeze; they were all looking at Beth and Dominick. She looked at him and frowned.
“We’re going to get hit a lot aren’t we?” she asked. He nodded, starting to back up. Suddenly everyone started throwing and Beth squealed. They started to run through the deep snow, but she lost her footing and they both fell. Dominick covered her so she wouldn’t get hit, both of them laughing. He rolled off of her when the barrage of snowballs stopped. Their families were looking at them, all smiling.
“Thanks a lot guys,” Dominick managed between laughs. Beth laughed too, pulling him close for a long kiss before standing up and following everyone to the house.
After dinner, Beth was asked to play the piano. She agreed hesitantly, sitting down and playing ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” Rachel began to sing first, and soon everyone joined in. Beth smiled when she felt Dominick’s hands slide over her shoulders. She started to sing, happier than she had ever been.
