Into the Woods (DeBeers 4)

She was sitting up, a smile on her lips, her blue eyes gleaming. "Good morning," I said. "Where were you last night?"

"I was in a chariot." she said. laughing. "Made of gold and sparkling with diamonds. If you had looked out, you would have seen me crossing the night sky."

"What?" I held my confused smile,

"I have a surprise far you." she said, and extended her hand. At first I actually didn't see it. Maybe I didn't want to see it. She was obviously w

aiting for some big reaction on my part, but I just stared.

"What?" I said.

"Look, silly!" she cried, and held up her hand. Now, in the morning light, the large diamond twinkled so brightly even a blind person would see it I stepped closer.

"What is it?" I asked. full knowing what it was.

"This is an engagement ring," she said. "He had it especially designed for me. It is a six-carat clear marquis. With the work that went into it, the quality, the color." she continued, turning her hand every which way to look at her ring, "it wouldn't surprise me to know this is worth a quarter of a million dollars."

"You're engaged to Winston?"

"Yes. Sit and let me tell you all about it." she said.

I backed away. "I've got to get to school."

"Forget school for a moment."

"I can't do that. I have a math final today."

"Well, you have time. I'll call you a cab and get you there faster," she added with annoyance. "This is important, Grace. C'mon." she urged. "Stop wrinkling your forehead and sit.'

I did as she asked. A laud humming started at the base of my stomach and moved up to my chest. It was so loud I almost didn't hear her begin.

"From the first moment I met Winston I had the sense that he was sent to us."

"Sent to us? By wham?"

"By our good angel, of course. I could see it in the way he looked at me, spoke to me, smiled at me from across the restaurant. I knew who he was beforehand. Dallas had filled me in. She was doing that from the moment I arrived, 'It's not that I don't think a woman and her teenage daughter can't make it alone in this world.' she said. 'but why try?"'

Mommy laughed. "Dallas was always like that, looking for the easier way out. I never blamed her, now especially. Anyway. I didn't really expect anything would come of my conversations with Winston, but he was obviously determined to get to know me. and I let him." she said.

What does that mean? I wondered.

"As we became closer I realized he was a very nice man as well as being very rich. They don't go hand in hand all the time, you know. Not that I ever knew anyone as wealthy as Winston." she footnoted.

She looked at me. and I guess I was smirking, "I'm no gold-digger. Grace. I don't like using people or taking advantage of people, and we're not exactly destitute," she said. "We have what we need to live as we're living."

"So why did you accept the ring?" I countered quickly.

"I said to live as we're living. I have decided we deserve better. As I said. I didn't go after Winston like some gold-digger. You saw how I even told him off one night and made him take me home."

But you said that was to train him."

"Whatever. I was willing to lose him when it came to my self-respect, and gold-diggers have no self-respect. He courted me, lavished gifts upon me and you. and I never felt I owed him anything for that, nor did I offer anything, and, to his credit, he never asked for anything. As I have told you many times, he truly enjoys giving to those he cares about."

"Are you in love with him. Mommy?"

"He is a nice man. Grace, a kind man, and he needs me almost as much as we need him."

"You mean his money."