The Glow – A Short Story On the Background of Sheldon's Ring
Three Rings for the Elven – kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf – lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for mortal men doomed to die
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in Darkness bind them.
In the Land of Mordor where shadows lie. (The Fellowship of the Ring, Chapter 2)
Sheldon smiled as he read the familiar poem. He was on the 'Lord of the Rings Wiki' and browsing pages, occasionally making edits under the name 'Sheldore'. He was on there because he'd overheard Raj and Howard giggling over the articles they'd messed up in the wiki. He shook his head as he found another error. 'Gerald the Grey is actually a knock off of Albus Bumbledore, a fictional half – orc in the prominent series 'Anne of Greene Gables'.' He sighed and deleted the sentence. In what world would Gandalf be a knockoff of anyone? As he worked, he thought only of the sentences before him, nothing else. And, once he was done combing the wiki, he sat on the couch, contemplating what he had done. But something was bothering him. He shifted and frowned. He stood up, and, just as quickly, sat back down, pulse racing. Should he? He should. No, he shouldn't. He should. He felt like one of those cartoon characters that he'd seen on television when he was small; Tom and Jerry and Bugs Bunny with a little angel and a red devil surrounding their heads, prompting them to choose.
Finally, he gave in to his temptation, stood up, and remained standing. He stared at his desk. As if he were a man in a dream, he slowly made his way over to his desk, and carefully slid open the drawer. Inside, nestled among the papers, pens, and 'ME – WOW!' stickers, was a blue velvet ring box, the kind one obtained at jewelry stores, for engagement rings. Sheldon opened the lid, closed it, and opened it again. He admired the precision of the hinges on the box. He was going to have to send an email to the maker and praise him for making his menial labor exceptional. He caressed the box, and, with great dignity, opened it again, this time leaving it open, so that he contemplate his contents. As he looked at the ring, his mind drifted back to the day he'd purchased it…
Sheldon was absolutely disgusted. Leonard had misplaced his 'bus pants' and he'd refused to sit down on the bus. The bus driver had asked him to leave, so Sheldon ended up taking a grubby, undignified walk, nay, not even a walk – a pilgrimage, to downtown Pasadena. This was a result of his recent train trip, and he cursed himself silently. Why, why must he love Amy so much? As he trudged through the early morning haze, he wondered if Amy would like this idea, this crazy idea that had bloomed in the back of his mind, a seedling, which, if, kindled and watered, and nurtured, would grow into a beautiful flower. Even though he was hot and sweaty, he smiled, because he absolutely loved his idea. Perhaps, should all go well, he would write a paper on it later.
Sheldon reached Pasadena Jewelers late in the afternoon. The store owner, a declared 'Mr. Oliver' gave Sheldon a nasty look before locking some of his cases. Sheldon contemplated this behavior. It was definitely not Sheldon, no… perhaps Mr. Oliver was hungry. Mr. Oliver had just finished locking the last case when Sheldon stopped him. "Sir, erm, Mr. Oliver, may I please purchase something?" Mr. Oliver narrowed his eyes at Sheldon. Mr. Oliver had seen Sheldon once, when Leonard had come to pick out Penny's engagement ring. As most people do, he did not have a good experience with Sheldon, and, upon seeing his arrival into the shop, he started locking the cases under the pretense that the shop was closing.
Mr. Oliver gritted his teeth. "Ah, yes, I remember you. You had the friend, with the glasses, who didn't purchase anything, yes?" Sheldon nodded.
"That's the one! Anyway, I'm looking for the intention to buy this time, and am wondering where your selection of rings are."
Mr. Oliver was suddenly interested. He gestured to several cases on the far side of the tiny shop, at the cases of engagement, promise, and mood rings. "Over there. Do you need any help making your selection today?"
Sheldon smiled. "No, this will do." And he marched over to the cases, with Mr. Oliver hovering behind, mentally egging him on to the priciest rings.
Shedon ran his hand over the cases of rings, trying to determine which one he preferred. He kept in mind her ring size, which he'd clumsily deduced from how big her hand felt in hers. It was a method he'd found online, that, by comparing one's hand size to their girlfriend's, he would be able to find a rough way to determine the size of her finger. He recalled the day that he'd attempted to determine her ring size, clumsily running his hand up and down hers and placing his fingers against hers. She'd given him a funny look, but hadn't questioned. That was one of the best things about Amy. She didn't needle and pry him for information. She respected his boundaries. That was one of the reasons that he wanted to marry her.
Sheldon had stood over the case far too long. The store was almost closed. He didn't know what ring to pick. He'd seen Captain Sweatpants at the comic book store make decisions quicker. Mr. Oliver came over to him. "The store's about to close, son." Sheldon turned and looked at him. Mr. Oliver, who had now reconciled himself to the idea that weirdos would be perpetually tromping in and out of his store, smiled kindly at Sheldon. "Are you sure you don't need any help?" Sheldon nodded, too tired to speak. Mr. Oliver turned away and began to count the money in the cash register, the day's earnings. Sheldon could barely focus, he was so tired. He turned away from the cases. This search would have to continue tomorrow. As he turned away, something caught his eye. A soft, silver glow, that attracted Sheldon's attention and sparkled under the dimming light of the Pasadena sunset. He stepped back toward the case. Mr. Oliver looked up, intrigued. Sheldon was staring at a ring, at the top corner of the case, one that he hadn't noticed before. How could he have not noticed it at all? It was gorgeous, a simple silver band studded with 6 white diamonds, of equal size and arrangement. This, he thought, is the ring. He pointed to it, and looked at Mr. Oliver.
"I'll take this one."
Sheldon looked at the ring in the box. He smiled. Amy was going to love it. He slipped it back into his desk drawer and looked around. There was a knock on the door. Keep it cool, Cooper, he thought. He was ready for this. He'd practiced proposing for the past two months. Now, that Amy was here for their 5th anniversary, he knew that tonight was the night. He was going to ask her to marry him. He opened the door, and smiled at his girlfriend.
"Come in. Let's get started."
Want more? Interested in seeing some of my other works? Visit my tumblr, .com, or stay updated on my FF account. I always accept prompts on my tumblr, feel free to message me your ideas!
Also check out:
The Birthday Bash Reconciliation – A Shamy Story (Published April 2015)
I'm pleased to announce the arrival of my next story, 'The Wedding Gift – Amy's Love' for my next story, a 4 – Chapter Fanfiction on Amy's gift to Sheldon on their wedding day. Stay tuned for release dates and more on my blog!
Thanks for reading!