It was the night of the masquerade, and Christine and Raoul were hiding in
her dressing room.
Raoul broke the silence. "Christine, I have something important to say. Can
you come over here, please?"
Christine reluctantly abandoned her post at the door.
"It would be better if you sit down, actually." Raoul said nervously.
Christine eyed him curiously, but sat down without saying a word. Raoul
wiped sweat off his face, as Christine watched him with a puzzled frown on
her face. Raoul abruptly turned, knelt in front of Christine, and pulled a
small box from his back pocket, opening it with a snap and displaying its
contents to Christine.
"Christine - ," he started, licking his lips nervously, "Will you marry
me?"
Christine stared blankly at him for a minute. Finally she took the ring out
of the box.
"A...plastic ring?" she asked, "You want to engage me with...a plastic ring??"
She suddenly burst out laughing.
"What do you mean?" he asked, a touch of fear in his voice, "What are you
talking about?"
Christine handed him the ring, still laughing.
"I mean, Raoul, I thought you were rich for crying out loud! Boy -," she
said, wiping her eyes, "I guess I was wrong. Can't you do better??"
Raoul looked at the ring. It was no longer the beautifully elaborate
diamond inlaid ring that had been so carefully nestled in its snug velvet
case earlier that morning. Instead it was a quite obviously plastic ring.
It was tinted blue with a carefully glued plastic teddy bear on the top
holding a small red plastic heart. Quite a stretch from the diamond ring he
had purchased earlier that week.
It was now Raoul's turn to stare blankly. Christine soothingly laid a hand
on his arm.
"It's quite alright, Raoul, I understand." She shrugged, "I'm sorry. I
didn't know that you couldn't afford better." She broke off and looked at
him pityingly.
Raoul started sputtering. "But – but – earlier, I mean, it had – it had
diamonds! And it - ..."
Christine patted him gently on the arm. "It's fine Raoul, I quite
understand."
"Really?" he whispered, relief flooding through him.
"Yes, she continued, "And while I'm afraid I thought that you could
actually afford a moderately nice ring..." she shrugged again, "I'm going to
have to call off our relationship."
Panic seized him again. He started pacing up and down the room, running his
hands through his hair. "Is it the ring?" he demanded furiously, suddenly
rounding on her, "Is that it?"
"No, Raoul." She said, looking at him sadly, "That's not it."
Raoul suddenly stopped and came to a startling conclusion. Pounding his
hand on Christine's dressing table, he shouted, "Someone must have stolen
it and replaced it with this!!!"
Christine glared disapprovingly. "Really, Raoul, it's one thing to buy a
plastic ring to try and engage a girl with it, and quite another to lie
about it!" Then she suddenly glared again. "Am I, perhaps, misreading the
situation?" she continued, "Did you buy that ring because you thought it
was the best quality someone like me deserved???" Is that it?!" she yelled.
Raoul hastily stepped backward. "It's not that! It's just that - ..."
"Well!" Christine shouted, cutting him off, "I can't be engaged to you
anyway, Raoul, because I'm already engaged to Erik!"
Raoul stared, openmouthed. He was aware that he was gaping like a fish.
"Erik?" he said weakly.
"That's right!" Christine stated, proudly displaying her hand and the ring
that was on the fourth finger of it. The diamonds caught the light and it
sparkled brightly, showing off the high price of the ring. Raoul snatched
her hand out of the air and inspected the ring.
"That's my ring!" he finally said, shocked.
Christine pulled back her hand, startled. "How can it be?" she said,
astounded.
"It is the ring I bought you!" Raoul insisted, "I'd recognize it anywhere!"
Christine gave an uneasy laugh. "What a remarkable coincidence."
Raoul looked at her firmly. "This is no coincidence, Christine. Erik must
have stolen it!"
"Raoul, this is getting out of hand," Christine said disapprovingly, "Just
because you're jealous doesn't mean that –,"
"Jealous?!" Raoul practically shrieked, "Me?? NAAH!!"
He stormed to the door and yanked it open. "Good-bye Christine!" he said
dramatically, "I don't think I'll ever see you again!"
He slammed the door and angrily marched down the hall. The last words he
heard her say were: "Raoul, I'll invite you to the wedding!"
her dressing room.
Raoul broke the silence. "Christine, I have something important to say. Can
you come over here, please?"
Christine reluctantly abandoned her post at the door.
"It would be better if you sit down, actually." Raoul said nervously.
Christine eyed him curiously, but sat down without saying a word. Raoul
wiped sweat off his face, as Christine watched him with a puzzled frown on
her face. Raoul abruptly turned, knelt in front of Christine, and pulled a
small box from his back pocket, opening it with a snap and displaying its
contents to Christine.
"Christine - ," he started, licking his lips nervously, "Will you marry
me?"
Christine stared blankly at him for a minute. Finally she took the ring out
of the box.
"A...plastic ring?" she asked, "You want to engage me with...a plastic ring??"
She suddenly burst out laughing.
"What do you mean?" he asked, a touch of fear in his voice, "What are you
talking about?"
Christine handed him the ring, still laughing.
"I mean, Raoul, I thought you were rich for crying out loud! Boy -," she
said, wiping her eyes, "I guess I was wrong. Can't you do better??"
Raoul looked at the ring. It was no longer the beautifully elaborate
diamond inlaid ring that had been so carefully nestled in its snug velvet
case earlier that morning. Instead it was a quite obviously plastic ring.
It was tinted blue with a carefully glued plastic teddy bear on the top
holding a small red plastic heart. Quite a stretch from the diamond ring he
had purchased earlier that week.
It was now Raoul's turn to stare blankly. Christine soothingly laid a hand
on his arm.
"It's quite alright, Raoul, I understand." She shrugged, "I'm sorry. I
didn't know that you couldn't afford better." She broke off and looked at
him pityingly.
Raoul started sputtering. "But – but – earlier, I mean, it had – it had
diamonds! And it - ..."
Christine patted him gently on the arm. "It's fine Raoul, I quite
understand."
"Really?" he whispered, relief flooding through him.
"Yes, she continued, "And while I'm afraid I thought that you could
actually afford a moderately nice ring..." she shrugged again, "I'm going to
have to call off our relationship."
Panic seized him again. He started pacing up and down the room, running his
hands through his hair. "Is it the ring?" he demanded furiously, suddenly
rounding on her, "Is that it?"
"No, Raoul." She said, looking at him sadly, "That's not it."
Raoul suddenly stopped and came to a startling conclusion. Pounding his
hand on Christine's dressing table, he shouted, "Someone must have stolen
it and replaced it with this!!!"
Christine glared disapprovingly. "Really, Raoul, it's one thing to buy a
plastic ring to try and engage a girl with it, and quite another to lie
about it!" Then she suddenly glared again. "Am I, perhaps, misreading the
situation?" she continued, "Did you buy that ring because you thought it
was the best quality someone like me deserved???" Is that it?!" she yelled.
Raoul hastily stepped backward. "It's not that! It's just that - ..."
"Well!" Christine shouted, cutting him off, "I can't be engaged to you
anyway, Raoul, because I'm already engaged to Erik!"
Raoul stared, openmouthed. He was aware that he was gaping like a fish.
"Erik?" he said weakly.
"That's right!" Christine stated, proudly displaying her hand and the ring
that was on the fourth finger of it. The diamonds caught the light and it
sparkled brightly, showing off the high price of the ring. Raoul snatched
her hand out of the air and inspected the ring.
"That's my ring!" he finally said, shocked.
Christine pulled back her hand, startled. "How can it be?" she said,
astounded.
"It is the ring I bought you!" Raoul insisted, "I'd recognize it anywhere!"
Christine gave an uneasy laugh. "What a remarkable coincidence."
Raoul looked at her firmly. "This is no coincidence, Christine. Erik must
have stolen it!"
"Raoul, this is getting out of hand," Christine said disapprovingly, "Just
because you're jealous doesn't mean that –,"
"Jealous?!" Raoul practically shrieked, "Me?? NAAH!!"
He stormed to the door and yanked it open. "Good-bye Christine!" he said
dramatically, "I don't think I'll ever see you again!"
He slammed the door and angrily marched down the hall. The last words he
heard her say were: "Raoul, I'll invite you to the wedding!"