Page 88 of Ghost

Ghost

George sat down across from me and looked at me like I’d forgotten to bring the turkey to the Thanksgiving dinner. “Where’s your better half?”

“She’s not feeling good. It’s either a bad piece of sushi, or a rotten oyster. We had seafood on Sunday and on Monday she ate raw fish with one of the girls.”

“One of what girls?”

“One of my friend’s wives.”

“She needs more women in her life.” He looked me over. “You’re not here to eat, are you?”

“Why do you ask that?”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Why are you answering a question with a question?”

I shrugged. “I planned on eating, yeah.”

“What’s troubling you?” he asked.

“Who says something’s bothering--”

He cleared his throat. “I’m like the know-it-all bartender. Except I’m not a bartender.”

I chuckled. “So, you’re just a know-it-all?”

“The all-knowing diner owner.” He leaned against the back of the booth and crossed his arms. “I know there’s something you want to talk about. I guess that leaves the only question as being what is it?”

It wasn’t going to be easy to talk about no matter how long I waited, so I decided to do what Abby often did, and just blurt my thoughts out onto the table.

I wished I was all-knowing like George, but I wasn’t. All I knew was that I loved Abby, and that the love I felt for her had me wanting to commit to spend the rest of my life with her.

I drew a long breath and spit out the entire sentence as I exhaled. “I want to ask Abby to marry me, and I don’t want to do it without talking to you about it first.”

He pressed his clenched fist into his open palm and rested his chin on top of his hands. “Marry her, huh?”

He took it better than I imagined he would. Relieved that he didn’t give argument, I continued spewing my thoughts. “Yes, Sir. I mean, yes, George. Yes, I want to marry her.”

“Why do you want to marry her?”

“Because I love her.”

“A man doesn’t marry every woman he falls in love with.” He raised both brows. “What makes her special?”

“Everything about her is special.”

“You want to marry her because of everything about her?”

“I want to marry her because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I want to spend every day of the rest of my life with her. It’s hard to explain, but I know it. Every day. Forever. I can’t imagine life any other way. And, if I know that, truly know it, asking her to marry me is the only way to express to her how I feel. We can wait as long as she wants to get married, but I want to put a ring on her finger. I want to make that commitment to her.”

He looked over his shoulder.

“Lawson!” he yelled. “Turn around the sign and lock the door. We’re closed of the rest of the night.”

“Closed?” Lawson asked.

“Closed,” George said.

“Aye-aye, Top,” Lawson said.