Alison was folding a pile of white t-shirts while she was watching the evening news.  She sat on her grey micro-suede sectional and placed each carelessly folded t-shirt on her brass coffee table, with the enthusiasm of a conveyor belt worker doing their third overtime shift.  Gary stared at her for a moment from the kitchen doorway.  He most admired her in her purest form: no makeup ,leggings  one of his t-shirts, and her sun-kissed caramel brown hair thrown up in a messy pony tail.  He approached her as if he were on his tip toes, but he was actually flat on his feet.  He sat down beside her, forcing her to readjust herself on what was a perfect position on the couch.  He wrapped his arms around her athletic shoulders and whispered,  “Happy anniversary baby”, as he kissed her cheek.  “Thanks”, said Alison, as she tossed another white t-shirt on top of the pile. Just then, Gary grabbed her right hand an placed a small, black velvet box in her palm.  “You deserved this ten years ago, but deserve this, and so much more today”.  Alison quickly opened the lid to the box which revealed a two carat, cushion-cut solitaire diamond, atop a yellow gold band.  “It’s nice”, she said, as she laid the box down on the coffee table.  “Come on”, said Gary quietly, “put it on your finger”.  “I know whose finger this would look great on’, she snapped.  “Face-time your mom and show it to her”, whined Gary, in a soft voice.  “She’s at work”, snapped Allison.   After a brief moment of awkward silence, “I worked on that ring for a long time.  It was either that or my head in a box.  I hope I got it right for you” he said, as he pursed his lips and laughed out of his nose.  Alison moved the ring to the side to make room to form another t-shirt pile on the table.  “Come on, try your mom.  She can take a minute to answer the phone.  She will love this ring”.   “What she would really love is your fucking head in a box”, snarled Allison, without taking her eyes off of the television.  “I can’t believe you would say something that is so hurtful”.  “Well I did”.  With that, Allison stood up and furiously looked around at both end tables and a console table.  “Where the fuck are my keys?’ “I put them on the door hook for you”.  “Please, do not do me any favors!”, said Allison, as she slid her feet into her slides and then slammed the front door behind her.

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