The Engagement

The Engagement
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Ten-year-olds Tom and Sue were alone on a wooden bench waiting for the school bus one crisp fall morning.

Sue said to Tom, “‘Do you love me?”

“No.”

“What do you mean, ‘No’?”

“I don’t love you. Why would I love you?”

“Well, because I’m beautiful!”

“Says who?”

“Says me and my friends Sally and Terry.”

“So what.”

“So what is that I’m beautiful and you are lucky to love me!”

“Why would I be lucky to love you?”

“Because you love me and it is ok if you’re unlucky.”

“What do you mean I’m unlucky?”

“I mean that you should marry me since you love me and then you won’t be unlucky.”

“But I’m not unlucky and I’m not marrying anyone!”

“Right, you're marrying me - not just anyone - and my husband is lucky, not unlucky.”

“I’m not unlucky and I’m not marrying anyone.”

“You are stalling our marriage, which is unlucky, and I won’t have it!”

“I’m not stalling anything and I’ll have everything I want!”

“It’s about time you acted like the man I marry. We need a lot of things to make this marriage work.”

“What do you mean? What ‘things’ are you talking about?”

“The things that our friends have and we don’t have. Look at this dress! Is this what your wife should wear? I wore this same dress last week and everyone we know saw me wearing it.”

"But I don’t buy your cloths."

“That’s what I’m talking about! I could be wearing rags and you still wouldn’t have provided me with a pretty dress. How can you live with treating your wife like this?”

“Ok, if I had a wife I would buy her a pretty dress.”

“Well it’s about time you did your part.”

“I’m glad that you approve.”

“Do you think that’s all?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean all the things that our friends may have and we don’t have. Even now, we’re waiting for a stupid bus because you haven’t provided the bicycles our family needs!”

“But we don’t have a family!”

“And whose fault is that? I’ve been here every day for you!”

“Sue, I don’t even have a job.”

“You think I don’t know that? How long can you expect us to stay together with you still being unemployed? Look where that’s gotten us. I had to get lunch money from my mom today.”

“Sue, we get lunch money from our mothers every day!”

“So that’s something else your proud of? What kind of husband are you?”

“I really don’t know anymore. I guess I could get a job delivering newspapers. I would have to quit the football team, but when I got paid enough I could buy bicycles for us.”

“Oh Tom, you have such wonderful plans. A little gold ring will let everyone know you love me. Soon, we’ll be able to leave the bus behind and hold our heads high.”

“Well, I’m so glad we’re finally getting this all straightened out.”

“When we have our house we will spend all our time together and do the things we want to do. It will be a real man’s castle. I’ll keep the house and put the bicycles by the front door for all to see.”