The Ring

[smokingboot]

He knew a lot more about them than I did. There we were in the jeweller's while he guessed at the clarity or cut or carat, correctly as it turned out, and talked about claw settings and inclusions. Me, I was only helpful in not mentioning my prejudice against diamonds; there's such a sense of kidology about them. The most valuable look like glass, so why not buy glass? Give me a ruby or an emerald any day, though obviously diamonds set them off nicely...

Still, she likes white gold and diamonds so we found ourselves staring haplessly at the solitaires, and he leapt over the boundaries of his budget almost instantly. I might have been flattered that he asked me to help, but frankly he was seeking assistance everywhere; his sister, his mother, his prospective mother-in-law, his prospective brother-in-law and their closest Spanish friend in London. He hasn't asked the termagent who, when she finds out, will castigate him for wishing to marry his girlfriend, and me for allowing him to spend so much money on the engagement ring - as if I could stop him. As it was, all I could do was advise him to wait and shop around, but he has his mind so made up to propose, it was like watching someone steel themselves for their first ever parachute jump.

The ring is pretty but he is fighting off the suspicion that she'd really prefer a puppy. We'll soon know.