Chapter 20: Proposal
DR. COCKROACH PH.D.
I hauled the enormous, heavy box down the aisle of our private jet, just departing from New Zealand. Susan was lounging near the back.
"Hey, Doctor," she said. "Do you need some help?"
"If you could," I said.
She reached for it. "New invention?" she said.
"Something like that," I said. "Could you open it for me as well?"
She opened it, and she gaped. She stared into the box and then glanced down at me.
I grinned at her. "Will you marry me?" I said.
She lifted the ring from the box. It was just her size. The diamond was the size of a human head, and the sapphires on either side of it were nearly as big. "Oh… my… God," she breathed. "Doctor, where did you get this?"
"Oh, you know," I said modestly. "Just some heat and some pressure… they don't really have many diamonds that big. The gold and the sapphires I just sort of… found, you know."
"My God," she whispered. "This is amazing. Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes!"
She put the ring on her finger. She picked me up in a bone-crushing embrace and kissed me passionately. I held my breath for as long as I could. Finally, she dropped me flat on my back.
"I am so lucky I found you," she said.
"Quite," I choked out. "A kiss like that would have killed a normal man in four different ways."
She laughed.
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Our plane pulled into our remote airstrip, where the other three monsters were waiting.
"Look, you guys!" Susan said. "We're engaged!"
Link gaped at the ring. "Holy crap, Doc," he said. "Where'd you get the giant rock?"
Insectosaurus leaned in to get a better look. His pupils dilated, and he struggled to look away.
"I call best man!" B.O.B. said abruptly.
"Damn it," Link muttered.