Getting Hitched Fiction - The Next Step

By Lauren Walter

"He’s going to do it." Emma looked up from her magazine and raised her eyebrows at Jane.

"How do you know?"

"I just know," Jane said. "Just by the way he’s been acting. Ogling the display windows of jewellers. Being all cagey and secretive. I’ll bet you anything Adam’s going to propose to Claire."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. And he’s going to get himself a mortgage and adopt underprivileged children, too."

"I’m serious, Em. I really think he might be up to something."

"Your brother wasn’t even comfortable being a groomsman at your wedding. There’s no way he’s ready to get married. It’s just not his thing."

"Don’t be so sure," Jane warned. "He may just be more ready than you think."

As she shivered in the cold waiting for her bus to arrive, Emma couldn’t help but think about what Jane said. Was Adam really planning on proposing to Claire? Adam, who had laughed and poked fun at how much time and effort Emma and Jane had expended on Jane’s wedding? Adam, who at fifteen declared that he would never get married because of the pain caused by his parents’ divorce? Could his outlook on life have changed so suddenly? Emma certainly hadn’t noticed any change in him, and they’d been housemates since the end of high school.

Not that he didn’t have the right to change his mind – it wasn’t like Adam had to report to her every single thought that blew through his mind. But she was hurt that he didn’t confide in her about something as big as this. They were best mates, after all.

They had shared the belief that getting married was something that grown-up people did. People like Jane, who thought about superannuation and insurance, who had five-year plans and hundred thousand dollar mortgages. Adam and Emma could barely predict how much money they would have at the end of the month, let alone forecast what they would have at the end of the financial year. But they were only twenty-five. There was plenty of time for serious relationships and mapping out their lives later. Or so Emma had thought.

Adam wasn’t in when Emma got home that night. At least he’d brought the junk mail in, even if it was strewn around the lounge room. Emma flopped on to the couch, tucked her numb feet into her warm ugg boots, and rifled through the catalogues.

To her surprise, the jewellery catalogues were spread open across the coffee table. Rows of thousand dollar diamond rings lined the pages. They taunted her in squeaky high-pitched voices: Which one of us will it be? Which one of us will be the one to steal Adam away? Emma slapped the catalogue shut and scooped the junk mail into a pile. Jane was wrong. It was all a coincidence. Adam wasn’t ready to take the next step in his relationship. Emma wasn’t ready to let him.

Emma was jerked awake. Through bleary eyes, she saw Adam poking around the lounge room.

"What are you looking for?" she yawned, and stretched her arms up over her head.

"Emmy!" Adam closed the drawer of the entertainment unit and began looking through the box that contained all of Emma’s fashion magazines. "I didn’t mean to wake you. Do you know what happened to the junk mail?"

Emma froze. "Why are you looking for the junk mail?"

"Got to keep my eye on the specials. I need to save money, you know."

She didn’t believe him, but dragged herself up off of the sofa anyway. She reluctantly pulled the catalogues out of the recycling box and thrust them at Adam. As he disappeared into his room, she felt chilled, despite her proximity to the heater. She tried to curl up in front of the TV, but all she could think about was being left all alone without Adam to keep her company.

"Happy birthday, Em!" Jane placed a slice of double chocolate mud cake in front of Emma. As Jane left to get their coffee orders, Emma picked at her cake. Why did time slip away so quickly? Why did everyone feel the need to move on and be more mature?

"So?" Jane interrupted her thoughts. "Did you find out anything from Adam?"

"Nothing." Emma stirred sugar into her drink. Perhaps she was wrong. Perhaps it was her who was lagging behind. In four years’ time she would be thirty. She couldn’t put off growing up forever.

Emma sipped her lukewarm cappuccino and stared vacantly at the shoppers as they hurried past the café. They all looked like they had a purpose, like they knew what they wanted from life. Emma had no idea of what she wanted from life. For now, she was happy just as she was. Why did Adam feel the need to move on?

"There he is!" Emma saw the familiar jaunty walk and Adam’s dark spiky hair as he strode past.

"What?"

"Adam just walked past. He told me he was going to be with Claire all day."

"You know what I think we should do?" Jane smiled.

"No," Emma looked horrified at what Jane was proposing. "We can’t."

"We have to. It’s the only way to find out."

Emma and Jane clambered up out of their chairs and hurried out into the mall.

"Where’s he gone?" Jane pulled her scarf tighter around her neck. Emma dug her hands further into her pockets as she strained to see Adam.

The spruiker in front of the jewellery store called out specials to consumers intent on ignoring him. Behind him, she could see Adam leaning over the glass of a display case, pointing out what he wanted to see to the jeweller. Emma felt her hands go cold and her eyes sting with tears. She had to accept it. Be happy for him, Emma told herself, but she couldn’t make herself believe it. She didn’t want to be left behind.

"Happy birthday, Emmy." Emma unwrapped the present that Adam gave her. She opened the lid of the box to reveal a necklace with a diamond pendant.

"Check it out," Adam took the box from her and fastened the chain around her neck. "Genuine diamonds and everything."

"No. You can’t give me this. It’s too expensive!"

"Well, consider it a sweetener."

"A sweetener? For what?" Emma steeled herself for the inevitable.

Adam sat down next to her on the sofa, his forehead creased with worry.

"I want your absolute honest opinion," he said, looking her straight in the eyes. "I want to know what you think about me asking Claire to move in with me."

"Move in with you?"

"With us. Here. If it’s all right with you."

Emma smiled. She didn’t have to worry about losing Adam. She just had to be willing to take the next step.

***

© Lauren Walter 2008

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