Chapter Twenty-Five
"You're gonna do what tonight? Revy demanded, caught between hysterical laughter and silent shock, so she settled for yelling what she was going to say.
"I'm… Gonna propose to Frederica tonight… We're going on a date and… Well, we've been going out for over a year, now. And I'm not getting any younger…" Rock said, blushing slightly at the disbelieving looks on his crewmates' faces.
"But why?" Revy asked.
"Because I love her." Rock said, fingering the ring that he was going to give to her. Revy gagged silently.
"That's stupid! You have like half a dozen bitches chasing you around Roanapur, and you settle for just one! You're a fucking retard!" Revy snarled, turning away so that Rock couldn't see the look in her eyes. Rock sighed and nodded.
"Well… Maybe it is stupid… Nobody ever said love made sense. But I won't know if I don't try, right?" He asked. Revy gagged exaggeratedly again while Dutch, Benny and Linus just smiled at the idea. Dutch wondered what would become of his crew if Rock left it in order to marry Frederica. It had been fine before Rock came, so he was sure that they would be fine if he left. But he had become a pivotal part of the crew. The diplomat, the tactician. He was an important part of the crew.
"So, does this mean you're planning on leaving Roanapur?" Benny asked. Rock shook his head.
"Nah… I wouldn't fit in anywhere else anymore. I didn't even feel at home in my native country when I went there. I gotta get going. I'm already pretty late. I doubt Frederica would like me being late. Later…" Rock said, putting on his belt with his weapons on it and running out the door.
"Hey… Frederica… Sorry I'm late…"
"That's okay. You're only a few minutes late. Let's get going. We don't want to miss our reservations." Frederica said, taking Rock's hand and leading him out the door. Shenhua had been observing Rock strangely closely while he was there, like she was appraising him. Had she been hired to assassinate him? Would she have been willing to do so?
She was certainly amoral enough to accept the job. But would she be willing to kill her friend's boyfriend? That, he wasn't sure of. As they got to the restaurant, Rock checked his watch. They were five minutes late, so he picked up speed, sprinting the last 100 yards and walking in the door, breathless as the waiter took them to their table. As he did, he looked appraisingly at Rock as well.
"We… Aren't going to have a shootout here tonight, are we, Mr. Okajima?" He asked, apparently remembering the last date Rock and Frederica had been on. Rock laughed.
"Well… There are no guarantees in life. But we haven't heard about anyone being after us. So I would hazard to say no, there won't be." He said with an easy laugh.
Ever since he had moved to Roanapur full time, and truly gotten situated, he had noticed that he was becoming much less anxious, far less angry and much, much more willing to have fun. In Japan, he was a businessman, first and last. He often stayed in the office 12-14 hours a day and got drunk to forget about the stress that his job was putting on him. He was nobody in Japan.
In Roanapur, he was arguably still nobody, but he legitimately had friends, people he would gladly kill or die for. Dutch, Benny, even Revy who although she was overbearing and even cruel, he valued her. They were like the family he always wished he had. And now, he had a girlfriend who loved him for who he was and whom he also loved and who wasn't concerned with whether he was a high ranking businessman or just a delivery boy.
As they looked over their menus, Rock rehearsed in his head again what he was going to say to her.
Frederica, it's been the pleasure of my life getting to know you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you… No, that sounds stupid. Frederica, I was kind of nervous about this, but if I don't say it now, I'll never be able to.
"What are you nervous about, Rock?" Frederica asked, raising an eyebrow. Rock gasped. He had said that out loud? Ugh… His nerves had gotten the better of him.
"Well, now or never, I guess. Frederica… We've… Been dating a little over a year, and I… Wanted to know if you'd… Marry me?" Rock muttered, holding out a diamond ring for her.
A deep crimson blush filled Frederica's cheeks as she stared disbelievingly at the ring. Finally, she picked it up gingerly, as though the slightest jostle would break it.
"Yes… I will…" She whispered, reaching across the table and hugging Rock tightly, kissing him on the lips.
"Boy… I meant to do this at the end of the meal… But I guess now was as good as ever, right? You should probably hide that." Rock said casually. Frederica nodded, picking an inside pocket underneath her dress and zippering the ring into it. You couldn't be too careful with such valuables in Roanapur. The man who sold it to Rock had said that his store had been robbed five times just in two months, and the scarcity of robberies was only because he set up burglar proofing.
The last time his store had been robbed, all the burglars ended up riddled with bullets from automatic weapons hidden in the walls of the store. Actually, Frederica's company had been hired to clean up after that mess. Their meals came soon after. Frederica had again ordered a huge dinner and steadily made her way through it as though she had a hollow leg.
Finally, they finished dinner and headed out, Rock making sure that his weapons were on him. He didn't take for granted that he might be robbed. They made their way back to Frederica's apartment, where she immediately showed Shenhua and Lotton the ring. Lotton had a surprisingly underwhelming reaction. But he never reacted very loudly. Shenhua on the other hand ran over and hugged Frederica.
"That great! I hope he propose soon, yes I do!" She said in her broken English. "So, when is wedding?" She asked. Rock shrugged.
"I'm not sure, yet. I didn't even know if she would say yes. How could I have planned the wedding?" Rock asked. Shenhua raised an eyebrow.
"You no have enough confidence, no you don't. Of course she say yes! I sorry I staring at you earlier. I no want make you uncomfortable. Just wondering what you mean for Sawyer now."
"Well… Maybe our next date can be at a karaoke bar… Now that she can talk again."
"Oh, dear… I'm not sure I'm ready for that, yet." Frederica muttered nervously. Shenhua and Lotton laughed about this.
"I'm sure you'd be fine. Nobody expects you to sound like a professional." Lotton said. Frederica scowled at this.
"I used to sound like a professional. Singing was a huge part of my life."
"It could be again, yes it could. You need just practice, yes?" Shenhua suggested. Frederica nodded.
"I guess I learned once. I can learn again. Good night, Rock." Frederica said, a blush still on her cheeks.
Rock nodded, kissing Frederica tenderly on the lips. Lotton turned away, thinking it rude to watch while Shenhua privately thought that Rock seemed like a good kisser. Finally, they broke apart and Rock headed out, going back to Lagoon Company's apartment. Revy was still awake when Rock got in. As he sat down, her eyes narrowed.
"So… What'd she say?" She asked. Rock sighed happily.
"She said yes." Rock replied. Revy smirked. "Well… They say life ends at marriage. We'll see how long you survive the institution. Y'all gonna get married at the Rip-Off Church, or you gonna get married in Japan or some stupid shit like that?"
"No… Officially, I'm dead. Remember? My company told me to disappear into the South China Sea. They staged my funeral and everything. I bet my family didn't even show up." Rock said, seeming resentful suddenly. Revy actually looked like she sympathized for a moment.
"Well… You lived with the living, and now you've died with the dead. And soon, you're gonna die again. I can't say I don't pity you… Stuck with a wife and kids…" Revy said.
Rock rolled his eyes.
"I'm not sure Frederica wants kids. We haven't really talked about it. It never seemed like a good time. Frederica and I will probably get married at the Rip-Off Church… Or maybe just a marriage certificate. I guess it depends on what we decide. We haven't really made any definite plans yet." Rock said. Revy nodded.
"Well… Good for you. No, really. I'm happy for you." Revy said, actually smiling. She had seemed terribly surly at first, and this seemed strange to Rock. But he could tell that she was being sincere… As sincere as she could be, anyway.
"Oh, and if you're gonna be at my wedding… And I hope you will be, please wear something appropriate? Do you have any dresses? Pants? Shorts that don't ride halfway up your ass?" Rock asked.
He felt like the compromises he was making were getting ever more embarrassing, both for him and for Revy. In fairness, how many situations would there be for Revy that she needed a dress? She was hardly an office worker. She scarcely needed to wear a pantsuit or a dress to go to work, though he wondered how she stretched as well as she did in the shorts that she did wear. They didn't seem terribly practical either. Revy's scowl deepened into one of pure loathing and disgust.
"I haven't worn a dress since before I came here! I have three long sleeved shirts and two pairs of jeans! I don't need anything else! And I ain't changing that for you or anyone!" The purple haired gunslinger snarled. Rock sighed.
"Well… Maybe you could wear the long jeans then. The wedding won't be long. The ceremony usually only lasts half an hour at the most."
"What about the afterparty?"
"You can get as drunk as you like so you don't have to think about the fact that you're wearing jeans." Rock said. Revy nodded. That sounded like a deal.
"Who's gonna be yer Best Man?"
"Well… Usually a man chooses his best friend, or his brother or cousin or someone like that… I guess I'd really have to think about that. Maybe Dutch? I wonder more who Frederica's bridesmaids, if any will be." Rock said. "You will be dressed appropriately at the wedding right, Revy?" Rock asked, seeming slightly desperate.
"Long as I can carry my guns with me, I guess the clothes don't matter." Revy said dismissively. Rock sighed. It was better than he was expecting. But then again, this was Roanapur. Who wore a bridal gown or a tuxedo in Roanapur? It was way too hot and such clothes were way too restrictive, completely impractical. Rock sighed.
"You know what, Revy? Wear what you want. I doubt anyone else will be dressed up. It wouldn't be fair to expect you to dress up." Rock said.
Revy nodded.
"Thanks… Now, if you'll excuse me it's 3 in the afternoon and I'm not drunk yet." She replied.
