Four Little Words
Rachel is waiting for a proposal. Will she get it?
Rachel's long vulpine ears sagged and her brain ached as her sister's voice pounded against its walls. Susan's telephone calls were at best annoying. First, Susan would mention how she was engaged to marry some poor guy who didn't understand her spending habits. Then she'd ask why Rachel wasn't married to Jack yet, "...after all you've been dating for two years."
"Because he hasn't said those four little words to me yet Susan."
"After two years 'Will you marry me' should come easy unless one of you is holding things up. He's not going to find anyone better. Nobody who is better looking, more intelligent, or even as financially set as you are, by the way...."
There always was a 'by the way,' with Susan. Rachel sighed audibly as her long bushy red tail swished behind her small yet curvy form. Susan went silent. After a minute Rachel said, "Susan, you didn't call about money again did you?"
There was silence.
"There was a reason daddy left me the bulk of his inheritance, okay? You've always been bad with money and frankly, any cash he did give you, you blew on worthless trinkets." A low but steady knock at the door saved Rachel from the barrage of wounded and profane language that followed, "Susan that's Jack, look I'm sorry about what I said, but I have to get going."
Rachel hung up as her sister continued to protest and walked to the door opening it to find Jack. The tall dark gray wolf smiled down at her. His blue pinstripe suit wrapped about his well toned body in all the right places. If he had been so inclined, Rachel thought, he could have been a model. "Hey baby," she said and kissed him square on the lips her small red body in its black cocktail dress pressed to him as a deep chuckle spilled forth from his lips.
Jack smiled, "Hey yourself. Sorry I'm late; traffic was awful coming from the Bay Bridge."
"Traffic is usually bad out that way. I should know. My sister lives out there, speaking of which I was stuck on the phone for two hours with her," she said as she playfully whacked him with her tail as Jack scrunched up his face in mock pain.
"Judging from how long you were on the phone and knowing what you've told me about your sister I think I have an idea of what you two were talking about," said Jack as he cleared his throat and put on a feminine voice, " 'Why haven't you made Jack marry you and I need money,' does that sound about right?"
Rachel nodded as she giggled and open the door to his silver Miata. "You know when dad died she got the house and some money. In two months she'd spent it all on crap that nobody could ever want except her. She still has control of the house but she keeps asking for more cash. If she weren't my sister I'd swear she was a leech."
Jack chuckled, "Well, let's just hope that her little conversation didn't ruin your appetite or your mood tonight."
"Oh?"
Jack nodded as a broad grins stretched across his face, "Yeah I'd say you're in for a real surprise."
Rachel pushed back her blonde hair and looked out of the window as the car darted back to his apartment. She'd never seen a grin quite like that one and he wore it well. Was tonight going to be the night, Rachel wondered as the cityscape darted past her window in a mixture of grays and whites.
The Miata pulled into the parking garage and stopped with a jolt, "So, have you guessed it yet," asked Jack.
"No, I've no clue what you have planned hun."
"Aw... are you sure?"
"Yep, I'm stumped."
"Well, just so you know it's not just the fact that I will be cooking something edible for once."
Rachel nodded quietly and did not say anything from the parking garage to the elevator. Jack talked about his day advising some client about the new tax laws as they road the elevator up to his apartment. This had to be a setup for the proposal she thought. This had to be the night when he would finally say what it was she had been hoping to hear for the past two years. She hated pretending to not know what was going on; yet, she couldn't help but smile.
"Hey Rachel?"
"Huh," said Rachel jerking back into reality.
"Are you there?"
"What?"
"You're staring off into space. Are you hungry or something?"
"No, I'm fine. I'm just trying to figure out what it is you're planning."
Jack smiled again as they walked into his apartment. When they entered he strode directly to the kitchen, "You'll find out soon enough. Why don't you sit down and get comfortable babe? The roast should be done soon."
"Can't I watch? I've never seen you not burn something before."
"Nope. Never interrupt the master chef while he's working," said Jack "Besides, I don't want any witnesses to this little endeavor."
Rachel laughed and sat on the giant leather sofa that sat across from a mahogany coffee table and a sixty-two inch plasma screen TV. The table, as usual, was a disaster. Bills, magazines and other assorted pieces of paper concealed the dark wood top. "Why not, I can kill some time," said Rachel as she piled his magazines and bills into two separate stacks. Besides, if she just so happened to stumble across something that confirmed her suspicion then that was all for the better.
"What's this," she murmured picking up a yellow slip of paper," Michael's Bridal...," she gasped. This was it. This was the night he was going to propose to her. She knew it and it was about time too. Her giddiness raced up and down her spine as a large grin plastered itself across her face.
"Hey babe," called Jack from the dining room.
"Crap," she said as she slid the receipt under an envelope, "Yeah hon?"
"Dinner's ready," said Jack as he stood in the entry way between the dining room and living room.
"Okay I'll be there in a sec," she said turning the plastered on smile to him. That was close. The last thing she wanted was to ruin his surprise. After all he had gone to so much trouble to plan this romantic night in.
As Rachel entered the dining room she noticed a bottle of red wine sat near the center of the table and the two crystal glasses by each place setting. Two candles flickered on either on either side of the bottle, their soft light filling the room. The roast was already cut and waiting for them as she sat down in her wicker chair. Jack pushed her seat in and she kissed his neck softly. Rachel couldn't help but think of how good he smelled when he was that close to her as he sat down to his meal. "Bon a petit," said Jack.
Rachel drank her wine as Jack cut into his roast and took a bite out of it. He looked up at her and smiled in the dim light. "You know," he said, " I just can't wait anymore."
Rachel's heart pounded furiously as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a box just big enough to hold a ring, "This is for you beautiful."
Rachel felt warm and giddy as her stomach did little flips, her heart pounding hard within her chest. This was it she thought as she opened the box. But, in side the box there was no ring, only a note. Puzzled she opened the note and as she did so her face slowly knotted at the words on it, four little words, 'There is no antidote.'
"What does this mean," asked Rachel her stomach twisting harder as she winced, "Is this a joke?"
"It's not."
Rachel clasped the table briefly before toppling over her stomach hard aching, feeling like they were going to burst. Her body tightened into a fetal position as Jack continued to eat ignoring her gasps of pain. "Why," she managed to choke out as the world slowly grew dark.
Jack looked across the table to where Rachel had been sitting and pushed his glass of wine to the center of the table, "Because, I'm engaged to marry your sister. I'm the most recent of 'those guys' as you call them, and now with a fortune coming her way I think I could almost care for her," said Jack with a mouthful of roast, "By the way she sends her love."