Sunday, June 15
Mike stepped out of the taxi onto Fifth Avenue. He was so filled with excitement and anticipation that he didn't get much sleep, and this particular task was foremost on his mind. Of course, he couldn't leave the apartment without Connie asking where he was going – he'd told her that he had an errand to run, nothing too important.
The first part of that statement was true, but the second part was an utter lie.
As Mike stood outside the imposing stone structure with its famous Atlas clock – according to legend, the clock has stopped only once, on the exact hour of President Lincoln's death – he realized that picking out Connie's engagement ring was very important, probably one of the most important things he'd ever do.
He took a deep breath and entered the building, nodding to the guard at the door.
If his nerves were bad before, seeing the overwhelming selection of jewelry certainly didn't help matters. There were earrings, and necklaces, and brooches, and bracelets, and rings of every kind. Mike didn't even know where to start – what he wanted was an engagement ring that suited the woman he was going to marry.
Mike stood in front of the glass-encased display for a moment, not quite knowing what to do. A well-dressed older woman spotted him and approached, flashing a pleasant smile.
"Welcome to Tiffany's, sir. I'm Kathy. How may I help you?"
He cleared his throat. "Um, yes, hello…I'm looking for an engagement ring."
"Certainly." Kathy led him through the maze of people to another display. "This is our engagement collection," she said, pointing to one ring in particular. "I strongly recommend the Tiffany Setting. It's our most popular design, and the world's favorite engagement ring."
Mike examined the ring. It was perfect – so simple, so beautiful, and so Connie.
"How much?" he asked.
"This ring starts at nine hundred and seventy dollars."
He winced. So much for purchasing a new BlackBerry this year. Still, if it made Connie happy, every single penny was worth it.
"I'll take it," he said, reaching for his wallet.
"Excellent choice," Kathy replied. "Your lady will love it."
After Mike's credit card was approved, Kathy wrapped up his purchase, placing the velvet ring box in a larger blue Tiffany box with a white silk ribbon.
"What's your lady's name?" she asked.
"Connie," Mike said, beaming proudly.
Kathy smiled. "You look very happy."
"I am."
"There you are," Connie said as Mike entered the apartment. "I thought you were never coming back. What errand was it, anyway?"
"Nuh-uh," Mike replied, kissing her. "That's for me to know and for you to find out."
She smiled at him mischievously. "Okay. You know that I absolutely love surprises."
"Trust me, this one will be worth it."
As Mike slipped out of sight to hide the box, he hoped that Connie would indeed love the ring he'd chosen. If diamonds really were forever, it turned out that forever hadn't been such a hard thing to deal with after all.