This chapter is really long, possibly one of the longest I've ever written. I hope it makes up for my dismal lack of updates of lack. I hope you enjoy it. Happy Reading. :)

Chapter 8

On Christmas Day, 1981, their last Christmas vacation of high school, Roger went to visit Melanie. He wanted to spend the day with her. When he walked into her house, he didn't hear anything for a few moments. He wasn't even sure she was home.

"Mel? Melanie, are you here?" Roger called.

There was still silence, so Roger went upstairs. He was going to walk into her room and see if she was there, but he heard noises coming from the bathroom. He went to the bathroom door and knocked.

"Mel, are you in there?" he asked.

A moment later, her reply came. "It's open, Roger."

Roger opened the door and walked in. Melanie was lying on the bathroom floor, her cheeks tear-stained, her makeup smeared, and her hair was a mess. She had obviously just gotten out of bed and had been crying.

"Mel, why are you in here by yourself, crying?" Roger asked, rushing over to her and holding her.

"I was just thinking," Melanie said.

"What about?" Roger asked, holding her close.

"This is my first Christmas without Brian. I mean, my first real Christmas without him," Melanie said. "He didn't die last year before Christmas, it was after. My mom went to work this morning without saying a word. I know she's upset. She hasn't called me or anything."

Roger nodded. "I can't imagine," he said, looking down at her.

"I just wish the pain of missing him so much would go away," Melanie said. "But he was my brother. I'm lost without him."

Roger bit his lip and held her close. "I'm sorry, Mel," he said. "I wish there was something I could do to help."

"Just hold me, Roger," Melanie said. "Just hold me and things will be OK eventually… I hope…"

"OK, Mel, I will," Roger said, not letting her go. "Melanie, I love you."

"I love you, too, Roger," Melanie said, lying against his strong frame.

A little while later, Melanie had calmed down and Roger called Mark's house. "Mark," he said, "I know you wanted everybody to get together there at your house today, but Melanie's really upset right now. Can I take a rain check or come by later?"

"Is she OK?" Mark asked, concerned.

"Yeah, she'll be all right. She's just missing Brian," Roger said. "I found her crying in the bathroom, alone, this morning. I don't want to leave her."

"Oh, man, that's tough. Should we come there?" Mark asked.

"No, I don't think that would be a good idea," Roger said. "We'll call you and meet up with you later, though, OK?"

"OK. Good luck, Roger," Mark said.

"Thanks, man, and Merry Christmas," Roger said.

"Merry Christmas," Mark said, and he and Roger hung up.

"Mel, can I see you privately for a second?" Roger asked, when they had arrived at Mark's for their Christmas get-together later that day.

"Sure, Roger, what's up?" Melanie asked.

"Upstairs, if we could, please," Roger said.

"Well, OK," Melanie said uncertainly, giving him a look.

She followed him upstairs. They went into Mark's bedroom and he shut the door. Melanie heard a click as he locked it.

"What's on your mind?" she asked, trying to hide her nervousness.

She could see Roger was hiding something behind his back. But he wouldn't show her it, no matter what angle she tried to see it. Then he looked at her.

"I don't want us to be interrupted," he said quietly.

"OK," Melanie said, confused.

"Melanie, it's been almost two years now since we first met, and we've been through so much together," Roger began. "We've been through good times and bad times and we've stood by each other through thick and thin, and…"

He became quiet and Melanie looked up at him. "Roger, what is it?" she asked. "Baby, you're scaring me."

"I guess I should just come right out and say it, huh?" Roger asked her.

"Yeah, you should," Melanie said, nodding.

Roger turned and faced her and suddenly went down on one knee. "This is what I want to ask," he said, producing a small box and opening it to reveal a ring. "Melanie Elizabeth Schwartz, will you do the honors of marrying me?"

The ring was small and had diamond chips in it, but it was all he could afford. It was beautiful.

Melanie's hands flew to her mouth in shock.

"I said I was gonna do it right, and now I am," Roger said, looking up at her. His hands were shaking and he couldn't take his eyes off her.

"I, um… well, I… I dunno, Roger," Melanie said, biting her lip.

There was stunned silence between the two for a few long moments. Roger looked up at her. "Hey, Mel, I'd… kinda like an answer," he said nervously.

Melanie's head was screaming at her to say no, but she didn't want to break Roger's heart again, like she already had.

So, after another moment, she said, "Yes."

Roger looked both surprised and ecstatic. "You will? Really?" he asked.

Melanie nodded. "Yes," she said, her voice stronger this time.

Roger beamed at her and picked her up into his arms. When he set her down, the ring was on her finger. He picked her up and, disregarding entirely that they were in Mark's room, lay down together on the bed and made love.

"Oh, my God, Mel, what the hell is that?" Maureen exclaimed, later that day.

"Shhh, Maureen, keep your voice down," Melanie hissed. She grabbed Maureen's arm and pulled her into another room.

"But is it really what I think it is?" Maureen demanded, as Melanie shut the door.

"It's an engagement ring, Maureen, yes," Melanie said.

"A what? It's a— a— that's…" Maureen stammered. Then she seemed to regain her senses— and her defiance. "You gotta be kidding me."

"No, Mo, I'm not," Melanie said. "We're gonna get married after graduation and then we're gonna move to the city and get jobs while we go to college. It can work out this time, I'm sure of it."

"I hope you are," Maureen said. "I don't want a repeat of history and I know you don't, either. It was hard enough on all of us the first time, especially you and Roger."

Melanie nodded. She wanted so badly for her and Roger to work it out this time.

"Mom, Dad," Roger said, looking up from eating dinner at the table with his parents that night, "I need to tell you something."

"What is it, Roger?" Mrs. Davis asked.

"I… I proposed to Melanie," Roger said, looking up at them.

Both his parents looked surprised. "You did?" Mr. Davis asked. "When?"

"Well, I gave her a promise ring a year ago," Roger said. "I told her I'd do it right later, but I wasn't sure when. And today was when. I gave her a real ring with diamond chips in it and everything."

"You did?" Mr. Davis asked. "Son, how did you afford this?"

"I took some money out of my college fund," Roger said, "and I've been playing at gigs around town when I can to get a little extra, too." He looked up at them. "Mom, Dad, please don't be mad or anything. I love Melanie. We've been through so much together. It was time for me to do this. It was my own decision to make… our own decision to make… because she said yes."

"She did?" Mrs. Davis asked. "Why didn't you tell us before you did this, Roger?"

"I tried, but I just couldn't find words to tell you," Roger said. "Now I've done it, so there's really no turning back. I want to marry her, Mom. And I know she wants to marry me."

Mr. Davis looked at his wife, and then he looked at Roger. "Son, this is a very big decision," he said. "It's even a bigger change than graduation. But more importantly, it's a commitment."

"I know, Dad," Roger said, looking at his father.

"And may I ask you something?" Mr. Davis asked.

Roger looked at him suspiciously. "Sure, Dad," he said.

"You're not just marrying her because of Brianna, in any way, are you?" Mr. Davis asked.

Roger gaped at his father. "No, Dad, I'm not just marrying her because of Brianna. Besides, we had to give Brianna up and she's gone now. 'Why would I be marrying Melanie just for Brianna, when Brianna's no longer in our lives?'" Roger asked, aghast. "How could you ask me something like that? I thought you'd both be happy for Melanie and me."

Mr. Davis nodded. "I'm just making sure, son, that you know there's no way of getting Brianna back," he said.

Roger scowled and nodded stiffly. "I know," he muttered. He rolled his eyes. He didn't see any reason to continue this conversation. At the very least, he had hoped his parents would be happy for him. But he found he'd lost his appetite, so he asked, "May I be excused?"

"Yes, you may," Mrs. Davis said. "Roger, you've barely eaten anything. Are you sick?"

"No, Mom," Roger said, getting up quickly from the table and going upstairs to his room. When he got to his room, flopped onto his bed, and picked up the phone, he muttered, "Only lovesick." By instinct, he dialed Melanie's number.

"Melanie Elizabeth Schwartz, what is that on your finger?" Mrs. Schwartz asked.

"It's an engagement ring, Mom, see?" Melanie asked. She held up her hand and showed her mother the ring.

"From Roger?" Mrs. Schwartz asked.

"Yeah, of course from Roger, Mom," Melanie said, rolling her eyes.

"When did he give you that?" Mrs. Schwartz asked.

"Well, he gave me one the first time a year ago," Melanie said, "but he said he wanted to do it right with a real ring later, so I just waited. I wanted to tell you, but we were both nervous about whether you'd give him consent or not."

"Melanie, you're not eighteen yet," Mrs. Schwartz said. "He needs to come to me and get consent, like you say."

"Oh, Mom, can't you give it to me to tell him?" Melanie asked. "It would be easier that way."

"No, honey, I'm afraid not," Mrs. Schwartz said. "It doesn't work that way."

Melanie sighed. "But Mom, we're not going to have the wedding until after graduation, so I'd be eighteen then," she said. "Doesn't that sound OK?"

"I'm not sure, Melanie," Mrs. Schwartz said.

"We've been together two years. Isn't that long enough?" Melanie asked. "You and Dad were only together for six months before you got married."

By the look on Mrs. Schwartz's face, Melanie could tell she had unintentionally struck a nerve. "I'm sorry, Mom, I didn't mean it that way," she said. "But you know what I mean, right?"

Mrs. Schwartz nodded. "I know," she said. "Honey, I'll think about it, OK?"

"If Brian was still alive, I'm sure Roger would want to get consent and approval from him, too."

Mrs. Schwartz nodded, tears shining in her eyes at the mere mention of her late son's name. "You're right. I said I'd consider it, OK? Please don't pressure me about it, honey."

Melanie nodded. "OK, Mom, I won't," she promised, going over and hugging her mother.

The phone rang and Melanie ran upstairs to her room to answer it. She got it by the third room. "Roger?" she asked.

"Yeah, baby, it's me," he said. "I told my parents."

"You did?" Melanie asked. "What did they say?"

"Well, I thought they were gonna say they were happy for me, for us," Roger said. "But instead, they asked me if I was only marrying you as a way to get Brianna back and they told me that marriage is a commitment and an even bigger change than graduation."

"Well, Roger, it is," Melanie said. "But I love you and you love me. It's all we have left to do. It was our original plan."

Roger sighed, images of Brianna running through his head again. "I know, I remember," he said.

"I just wish they would just let us do what we want," Melanie said.

"Well, baby, only two more months," Roger said, "then we can do what we want, OK?"

"OK," Melanie said. "So, since Friday night's dinner with both our families and you're going to ask my mom for consent, shouldn't we start planning the wedding?"

"I don't know, baby, I guess so," Roger said. "I'm just as lost as you."

Melanie almost laughed. "We can be lost together," she said.

"Oh yes, we can," Roger said softly, a seductive tone to his voice.

"Roger!" Melanie squealed. She laughed. Roger laughed, too. "I'm going to go, but I'll see you tomorrow, OK?"

"OK," Roger said. "I love you, baby."

"I love you, too, baby," Melanie said, and then she hung up.

Roger hung up the phone and walked over to his bed. Flopping down onto it, his mind blanked out. The only thing he thought about was how badly he wanted to be married to Melanie. That was the only thing on Earth he wanted right now.

"Roger, she knows," Melanie said, when she saw Roger at school the following Monday.

"Who, Mel? Who knows what?" Roger asked, confused.

"My mom saw the ring," Melanie said. "She knows you proposed."

"Oh, she does?" Roger asked. "Why's that bad?" He looked down at her.

"I don't know, maybe because she expects you to get her consent and that makes me nervous?" Melanie said.

Roger looked surprised, but he smiled nevertheless. "Baby, I don't know why you're worried," he said. "I'm not afraid of your mom or anything. I'll get consent from her, it won't be a problem."

Melanie looked up at him as he pulled her close to him. "Are you really sure?" she asked.

"Yeah, baby, I'm sure," Roger said, kissing the top of her head. "Don't you worry your pretty little head over it, OK? My parents are probably more difficult than your mom."

Melanie nodded, inhaling the sweet scent of his cologne. "OK, I won't," she said. She gave him a swift kiss. Then Roger walked her to her next class and they parted ways.

"Mom, can I ask you something?" Melanie asked Mrs. Schwartz that evening.

"Sure, honey, what is it?" Mrs. Schwartz asked.

"Can the Davis's have dinner with us on Friday night? I think that would be a good way for Roger to be able to ask you for consent and be comfortable with it, since his parents will be there," Melanie asked.

"Sure, honey, if you want," Mrs. Schwartz said.

Melanie was surprised. "Really?" she asked.

Mrs. Schwartz smiled. "Really," she said.

"OK, great," Melanie said, hugging her. "So what should we make? Can you make meatloaf or something?"

"Sure, I can," Mrs. Schwartz said. She looked up at her daughter. "You're really excited about this, aren't you?"

"Yes, Mom, I am. Why wouldn't I be?" Melanie asked.

"You're right, honey," Mrs. Schwartz said. "I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Mom. Roger makes me so happy. I really want this to work. We've waited so long for this."

Mrs. Schwartz nodded. "So you have," she said. "Friday night, it is."

"Thanks, Mom. I love you."

"I love you, too, Melanie," Mrs. Schwartz said, smiling as Melanie hugged her again and kissed her on the cheek.

The next day, Melanie ran up to Roger to tell him the good news.

"Hey, baby," he said, smiling happily and kissing her. "Is your mom still giving you trouble?"

"No, not at all; in fact, I asked her if you and your parents could have dinner with us on Friday, and then you could ask her," Melanie replied. "Isn't that great?"

"It's awesome," Roger said, smiling at her. "I'm really excited for the dinner with our families. Are you?"

"I'm more nervous than anything," Melanie admitted, "but yes, I'm excited."

"I don't think you have any reason to be nervous, baby," Roger said. "It's just your parents and my parents and you and me. It's not like we both haven't met each other's parents yet. What's to worry about?"

Melanie considered that for a moment and then she nodded. "Yeah, you're right, Roger," she said. "I'm sorry. I'm just nervous, even though I shouldn't be."

Roger leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "It'll be fine, Mel, you'll see," he said.

Melanie smiled. She could hardly wait.

Friday night arrived and Melanie waited anxiously for Roger to arrive at her house with his parents. Her mom was just putting the last of the napkins onto the table when the doorbell rang. Melanie immediately reached for the doorknob, but froze, pulled back, waited another couple of seconds, not wanting to seem too eager, and then opened the door.

"Hi, Roger. Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Davis," Melanie said, smiling at them.

"Hi, Melanie," Mr. and Mrs. Davis said. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Melanie said. "I'm nervous, but fine."

Mrs. Davis nodded and hugged her. "It'll be fine," she said. "You guys have waited a long time for this and you're almost graduated. It'll be easier since you've waited."

Melanie nodded as all three of them took off their coats. "I hope so," she said. "Come in, please." She turned around, took Roger's hand, and walked into the dining room with his parents. "Mom, they're here."

"Wow," Mrs. Davis said, looking at the food on the table. There was meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn, peas, rolls, and two pitchers for water and milk. "It looks wonderful, Kali."

"Thank you, Kristin," Mrs. Schwartz said, smiling. She looked at Roger and Mr. and Mrs. Davis. "Well, let's all dig in, shall we?"

"But—" Roger began, and everybody looked at him. His hands started to shake and he took a deep breath. "First, before we start eating, I'd like to ask something of you, Mrs. Schwartz."

"OK, Roger, go ahead," Mrs. Schwartz said, smiling at him.

Melanie took a deep breath as well, and looked at Roger as he stood up. He looked first at her and then at Mrs. Schwartz. "It's been a year since I first asked Melanie this, and we've been waiting for it for a long time. We've been through so much together, I just want to make it real." He paused for a second. "Mrs. Schwartz, I'm asking for your consent for me to marry Melanie after we graduate."

There was silence from everyone at the table. Roger gulped and went on. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he said, "Melanie and I figured that, if we had the wedding after graduation, she'd be 18 then, so it'd be OK with all of us. But I wanted to do it right. I gave her the real ring before, and I'm asking for your consent now, so please think about it for as long as you need to, and then please give me an answer. We know we don't have much time before June first, but we just want something small in a church... Melanie even suggested getting married on a hilltop... just the two of us, a pastor, and our family and friends." Roger looked over at Melanie and smiled lovingly at her.

Roger nodded and sat down, or else his knees might have given out in the next few long seconds. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Roger," Mrs. Schwartz said.

Roger opened his eyes and looked at her nervously, but he couldn't say anything. He was too anxious.

"Roger, I'm going to say yes," Mrs. Schwartz said. "You've proven to me, through all this, that you're strong enough and capable of standing by Melanie one hundred percent of the time. There was one time you didn't, but when you mess up, you know how to set things right. And so, I'm going to say yes."

Roger beamed at her. "Really?" he asked.

"Really," Mrs. Schwartz said, nodding and smiling at him.

Roger let out a cheer of happiness and took Melanie into his arms and kissed her. Then they both sat back down and ate, chatting animatedly to their parents. They finished eating dinner and then went to watch a movie. Once the movie finished, Roger knew he had to go home with his parents. But in due time, eventually, he would be going home with Melanie for real.

"Thanks so much, Mrs. Schwartz. How will I ever repay you?" Roger asked Mrs. Schwartz, hugging her.

"You don't have to, Roger. Just take care of my little girl," Mrs. Schwartz said.

Roger smiled. "I will, Mrs. Schwartz," he said, standing a little taller and more confidently.

"Thanks so much for the wonderful dinner, Kali," Mrs. Davis said, smiling at her.

"Oh, you are so welcome," Mrs. Schwartz said, smiling back at her. "I enjoyed every minute of it."

"Good," Mrs. Schwartz said. "Well, take care. Goodnight."

"You, too," Mrs. Schwartz said, smiling.

"Bye, Roger," Melanie said, smiling at him.

"Bye, Melanie. I love you," Roger said, smiling back at her.

"I love you, too," Melanie said, and she closed the door.

Once the door was closed, Melanie turned around and hugged her mother, squealing. "Oh, Mom, pinch me to prove that really just happened?" she said.

Mrs. Schwartz smiled. "I know you'll be happy with Roger, dear," she said. "You two have waited a long time for this. In all what could have been you two being single-minded to the point of recklessness, you two have kept your cool and your heads on your shoulders and have waited it out. For that, I couldn't say no. Besides, I want to see my little girl get married."

Melanie saw the tears forming in Mrs. Schwartz's eyes. "Oh, Mom," she said, wiping them away, "don't cry. Roger loves me and I love him. I know you want to see me get married. Why are you crying?"

"Oh, I don't know," Mrs. Schwartz said, rolling her eyes. "I guess I was just… hoping, maybe, that… that Brian would have gotten this chance, too."

Melanie nodded. She had figured that was what this was about. "Mom, he would have," she said. Mrs. Schwartz looked down at her. "He really would have. Collins told me the other day that, if Brian hadn't died in that car crash, he would have taken him up to Canada and married him. Collins wanted so badly to spend the rest of his life with Brian. I want you to know that."

Mrs. Schwartz nodded. "I know now," she said, "and I'm glad."

"Good, so stop crying," Melanie teased, smiling at her mother and wiping away her own tears as well.

Hey, guys. I'm SOOO sorry for the lack of updates. But life has been a little crazy for me lately, and in the next four weeks, it's only going to get crazier! Just in the next three months or so, I have like, 20 different things going on, and at the same time, I'm trying really hard at being a positive influence about keeping my family stable. Rosablasifann08, if there's anything you need me to edit for you, let me know. Don't be afraid to send them to me, because I will find time to edit them somehow, I promise. :)

Just to warn you guys also, two days after I get back from my, unfortunately, very short graduation trip to New York City, I will be starting working six days a week (roughly) at a stable (grooming horses and stuff.) I'm really excited and can't wait and I hope to do my very best, so I can get internship and scholarship incentive. This means, however, that I have no idea at all how much or how little time I will have to write anything or update. Sorry. But I'll still be around and I'll try my best.

That's all from me. I just wanted to let you guys know what I'd be doing in general in the next few months, in case you wait impatiently for updates. Please be understanding with me. This is a very busy time of year for me, always is, and always will be. I'll update again ASAP. Even with all these busy things I'll be doing, I'm not saying I'm quitting fan fiction writing, because frankly, I've said that before and I've always come back. It's become part of my life now for 6, almost 7 years, and I think it will continue into my adulthood. :)

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07