Vignette 8: When I Grow Up…
It's nine o'clock at night and all the kids of Edea Kramer's Orphanage are tucked into bed.
That is, every kid but Quistis and Seifer.
Quistis has planted a bundle of clothes and a book reading light beneath her bed covers to give the appearance that she is still in her room.
Seifer, of course, is the one who has convinced her to sneak out past bedtime. At last, he is fulfilling the long-anticipated promise of…
The List!
Why her list of books has to be revealed at night is beyond her, but if Seifer insists, then she can't do much to change his mind.
With light feet and an eager heart, she meets Seifer outside of the second-floor family room.
When he opens the door for her, she gasps at the enchanting display.
A miniature library has been set up in the center of the family room with wooden bookshelves and string lights and flower vases.
"It's not just a list!" she exclaims in delight.
"Obviously not," he says proudly. "Don'tcha know? I'm not just a man of my word—I'm a visionary!"
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Quistis clasps her hands and twirls around the books with a radiant smile as she marvels at the fine literature that Seifer has selected for her. She blushes at the sight of her favorite romance series—she secretly indulges in these novels while hiding the slim paperbacks behind large textbooks.
A bit dizzy from the dreamy twirling, she loses her balance and tumbles right into Seifer's strong, waiting arms. She blinks up at his eyes—have they always been this pretty?—and finds herself at a loss for words.
"Marry me, Quisty."
She has never seen him more serious than now.
Her eyes double in size and she hastily wiggles out of his arms. "S-Seifer! What are you talking about!? We're only eleven years old. We have our whole lives ahead of us! How can you even ask such a question…?"
"I didn't mean marry me NOW, silly," he laughs. "Heck, that's probably illegal!"
She is so flustered, yet strangely excited, that she begins speed-talking:
"When I grow up I want to be a professor and a researcher in order to do that I have to get accepted into a top college maintain a perfect GPA and find a relevant internship to get my foot in the door I also need a mentor or two who can give me letters of recommendation because I need to move onto graduate school to earn my doctorate degree and become a pioneer in my field of study!"
He raises a brow in mirth. "So what you're saying is that you'll have zero time for me in your life. From now until you're forty."
"Forty!?" she protests. "That sounds SO old."
He waits for her to go on.
"I'd like to be married someday," she says softly. "The idea of it has always sounded lovely to me. But I don't want my entire existence to revolve around you. I need to have my own life first!"
Quistis is suddenly aware of the fact that she has indirectly accepted Seifer's marriage proposal (!).
Seifer is gazing at her again with those serious, earnest eyes.
He moves closer to her.
Oh, oh, oh!
She is certain that she is about to be kissed.
Will the experience be as romantic as the scenes from her favorite novels?
But then they are interrupted by voices in the hallway.
Selphie, Irvine, and Zell march right into the family room, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed despite the late hour.
"Leavin' us out of the party!?" accuses Zell.
Seifer scowls. "This is a party of two."
"I made those bookshelves in woodshop!" Selphie ecstatically points to Quistis' personal library. "You like?"
"They're beautiful," says Quistis, trying not to be disappointed that her First Kiss has been indefinitely postponed.
Irvine has wheeled in a wagon filled with sleeping bags, pillows, and snacks. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm having trouble falling asleep tonight…"
"Me too," sighs Zell. "What a week, huh?"
Seifer shrugs. "Sure, I could use a snack."
"Yeah!" Selphie jumps up and down. "Slumber party at the library!"
Irvine prepares the snack station while Quistis sets up the sleeping bags.
In the background, she can hear Selphie and Zell ooh and ahh over the books.
There's a tap on her shoulder.
Future Husband Seifer is grinning at her.
Without breaking eye contact, he nods in the direction of their friends: They're all distracted right now…
Quistis' breath hitches as his lips meet hers.