The Life We Lead: Ascending (38 page)

“Oh, you should do that, sorry, Love, but
good then on dinner. Talk when I get home. Love you,” she said
quickly.

“Love you, too. See you tonight.” James hung
up the phone and collapsed just as the phone rang again. It was
Risa.

Ugh
. “Hello?”

“Sorry, Love, forgot tae tell you what I
called to start. I will be a bit late tonight, have to make a stop
and check on something, but really shouldn’t be more than an hour
or so.”

“Right,” said James through a pillow.

“Sweet dreams,” Carissa said and hung up.
This time, James shut his phone off.

***

The pizza parlor was very nice indeed. The
center was the cook’s area and visible to the customers. A
doubled-sided brick oven with multiple layers cooked the pizza.
Carissa’s friend had been right about the topping selection; you
really could get just about anything you wanted.

“So can I get the small pizza, with the
variety cheese, plus blue cheese and sliced prime rib with onions
and capers too, please? Oh, but I also want this bacon pizza. Look
John, it has two cheeses and four kinds of bacon, but I really want
the other too, but ...”

“Risa, how about I get the bacon pizza and
you get the other and we can share?” The waitress looked a bit
dumbfounded as Carissa went through all this.

“Oh yes, then, good idea,” and she leaned in
to kiss him. James leaned in to meet her halfway and noticed in a
reflection in his water glass what seemed to be a very short man
staring at them. Thinking it would be rude not to finish the kiss,
he did so, but quickly looked behind him when they broke apart.

No one was there except a kid dancing in his
seat and drawing with crayons, and James dismissed what he’d seen
in the water glass. It must have been the kid.

The evening passed uneventfully, unless you
counted Carissa eating her entire pizza, of which James got one
bite, and a third of his.

Climbing into bed later, after making up for
lost time with Carissa on the couch, reminiscent of the night
before he’d left for Operation Joshua, James felt excited for the
next day, a day he would never forget, as this would be the first
day of the rest of his life with the person he loved.

The next day started just like the one
before. This was a little odd, as Carissa was never the first up.
When James awakened and came out of the bedroom, she greeted him
with a big smile and a kiss. She immediately pushed him away,
saying, “Ewww, go brush your teeth, eck,” before patting him on the
backside as he walked away.

“And don’t be coming back out with that
‘morning problem’ not sorted. We have tae be going soon and don’t
have time for that, but you know, later we can have some fun.”

James couldn’t help but laugh. After he
showered, he looked in the mirror, very happy that today would be
the last time he would have to place these fake cosmetics on his
face. Today would be the last day she called him John. Today, he
would finally let someone completely in to his life and his
heart.

While at home in the States, in addition to
seeing his parents and Todd, he had made the needed arrangements to
have everything, and he meant
everything
, settled. He was
done with any new operations, done living a crazy life. He was
going out on top. He would advise on operations for the kids with
the major and his team, but that was the end of it. All he had left
to do now was transfer the files, and that would be at the top of
the list of things he would take care of tomorrow.

Today was all about focusing on Carissa and
his marriage proposal. He felt confident that she would say yes,
but it wouldn’t hurt to wait until after she knew everything to
release that old life.

Carissa finished getting ready while James
double checked that he had the tickets and ring. He felt slightly
nervous, just like he had at the start of Operation Joshua.

No doubt, it was all the change coming. It
was a lot, even for him, and that feeling that something was coming
right at him was legitimate. Something
was
coming, and it
was going to be wonderful.

James smiled and called out, “Nearly ready
then?”

“Just a mo’,” called Carissa from the
bathroom.

They were off five minutes later, heading
toward the Celtic match. As they drove, they had a lively debate
about their anniversary date.

“You are mad. How can you claim that today is
an anniversary? You yourself say that tomorrow’s date is the date
we went to the match,” Carissa said, her hands bouncing up and
down.

“Aye, I do, but that doesn’t stop today being
an anniversary for us,” said James. He knew what she was getting
at, and he was really just having a bit of fun with her.

“What? You admit you are wrong, then?” she
said, looking at him funny. “Need to write that down as a real
event, we do.”

She dug in her bag as James laughed. She got
out her organizer and wrote down, “John finally admits he is wrong
about something.” She said the words out loud as she wrote, then
looked up and smiled. “We will have to celebrate this day,
now.”

“We have to celebrate it for a different
reason—it’s our anniversary,” James said slyly.

Carissa tapped him on the head with the
organizer. “You have gone around the twist.”

“Risa, today is the day we met. Just like
this morning, you hit my backside a year ago today. Tomorrow is
just the anniversary of our first date, my love,” James said
softly.

Carissa melted. She even began to cry a bit,
which was rather unusual for her, as she wasn’t typically overly
emotional. Then she hit him again, a bit harder this time, with the
organizer.

“Ow, what was that for, then?” James said,
taken by surprise. “Shouldn’t be hitting a driver, you know.”

“It’s for being a prat. You could have said
all that and saved the whole of that argument. Oh, and I suppose I
have tae erase the mark I put. Turns out you are right, sort of.
Prat. Go figure, I wrote it in ink, too.”

James just laughed as she scratched it out.
She looked stern, but James caught her eye and she smiled and gave
him a wink that made a tingle go through him. James thought the
wink was odd, as it was just the two of them in the car, but didn’t
dwell on it.

They parked, walked into the ticket office,
and approached the counter like the first time. James thought it
might even be the same chap who had given them their tickets last
year.

“May I help you?” said the man.

“Hi, yes, two tickets under Boyd,” said
James.

“Seems like yesterday I was getting those
tickets.” Carissa smiled at James and he smiled back.

“Right, Mr. Boyd, just a moment please, sir,”
and the man walked away.

James hoped Larry hadn’t let on that anything
special was happening with all the staff. This was supposed to be a
surprise!

A moment later, the smiling young man
appeared again and handed him two tickets, saying, “Please enjoy
the match! You will find the stairs and lift to your left.”

They took the stairs as before. Each step
gave James a greater and greater sense of excitement. He did his
usual scan of the room, but only half-heartedly. Something wasn’t
right, but it didn’t fully register, and he didn’t care anyway.

They walked though the double door, and
Carissa held out her hand. Thinking she wanted to hold hands, James
took it.

“Oh, you actually took my hand! Well, this is
something, then, as you hate public displays.” Carissa grasped his
hand tightly, as he’d pulled away at her words. She held up her
other hand.

“Well, as you have a death grip on my hand
now, I’m certainly not giving you the other to crush,” James said,
squeezing back a little.

“No, John, don’t be silly. If we are
repeating our date from last year, this is the part where you give
me twenty quid.” She smiled a huge, tooth-filled grin.

“Oh, same as last year, is it?” James smiled,
knowing what was to come.

“Aye, you even got the same seats!” She stuck
her tongue out as James gave her a look of surprise.

It was true; he had gotten the same seats,
but how did she know? “And just how the bloody hell do you know
that?”

“I can read, you prat; it was on the tickets
the bloke handed you,” she said and clicked her fingers at him.

The only comeback he could muster was “Oh,
right,” before handing her the money.

She placed the bet, and as they walked away,
she said, “Oh, look!”

James looked up. He thought she was pointing
at the security camera, but she was pointing at a couple in the
distance. She began to drag him over to the couple as James now
registered what he’d seen on the steps. He paused for a moment,
unsure of why, and was pulled back to reality by Carissa’s
words.

“This is just too funny! Mary and Joseph,
fancy seeing you here!”

It took the older couple a moment to remember
them, but soon the ladies were off talking like the oldest of
friends. Scottish people often spoke to one another like this; it
was a part of their culture that James truly enjoyed.

They talked to the couple for about fifteen
minutes before venturing off to find some food. James almost
thanked Joseph for his insight on castles and exits but thought it
would just lead to odd questions.

“Can you believe they were here, then? Did
you arrange that? If you also found that wee Glassy lad and his dad
and uncle, I’m not sure what I will do. Well, I will be saying
something tae the lad and all if he still has that foul mouth. But
oh, this is turning out to be so brilliant. I am loving today, and
it has just begun. You didn’t arrange that, did you?” she asked
James.

James chuckled. “No, Risa, I didn’t. They
come to all the home games, remember?”

“Oh, right,” she said, a faraway look in her
eyes.

He smiled. “And if the lad is here, that is
also by chance.” He saw Larry waving at him from behind Carissa.
“Going to visit the toilet. Back in a second.”

“Oh, good idea,” and she got up with him. She
headed for the ladies room, and James turned to Larry, who spoke
quickly and nervously.

“Everything is set for after the end of the
match. Just have to get her to the dining room as everyone
leaves.”

“Right. I am planning on saying I dropped my
wallet as we exit so we have to go back for it,” said the hopeful
groom-to-be.

Larry returned a very brief smile and wiped
his forehead before saying “Okay, great, have to dash,” and he was
gone.

Weird gu
y.

James made his way to the bathroom, as he
actually did need to go, then returned to his seat.

***

The match was soon underway. The lad was not
here, but it was still a great game. Carissa, smiling nonstop, kept
stealing glances at James and biting her lip. James kept looking at
her sideways and smiling.

At one point, she took a deep breath, grabbed
his hand, and looked into his eyes. James didn’t pull away.

She opened her mouth to speak, then kissed
him.

He enjoyed the moment before breaking away.
He really wasn’t a fan of public displays of affection, but today
was somehow different.

The Celtic had a 2-1 lead with one minute to
go and a lot of people had started to leave. James planted his
wallet so that when they came back, he could easily find it.

They left their seats a minute later and made
it through the dining area before James stopped. He pretended to
check his pockets and then announced he’d lost his wallet, a
sheepish look on his face.

Carissa clucked her tongue at him, and they
returned the way they’d come.

By the time James retrieved the wallet, their
section was empty.

James kept his hands in his pockets as they
climbed the steps. In his right pocket, he was playing with a
ring.

They were at the end of the line of people
filing out of the dining area and about to push open the doors and
leave when James stopped again. He took two steps back, away from
the doors.

“Forget something else, Love?” Carissa smiled
at him.

James hesitated. He had worked out the words,
and now that it was time, he froze for a moment. It was so unlike
him that he became slightly annoyed.

“Well, whilst you go find it, I am heading to
the loo. Back in a jiffy,” and she headed back the way they had
just come toward the nearest bathroom.

The butterflies in his stomach were in full
swing, and James felt very alert. It was just like when he saw a
dream coming true, but now, instead of feeling dread, he felt happy
and excited.

He dug the ring out of his pocket and ran
over the words two more times. He was about halfway through his
third run, at the part where he would get down on one knee and
extend the ring to her, when he dropped it.

It rolled under a table and he bent to
retrieve it, getting down on his knees before sticking his head
under the tablecloth and extending his arm to retrieve the
ring.

He heard Carissa’s footsteps approaching. She
was coming, and he was already on his knees. He decided to change
it up, present the ring to her, and simply ask, “Will you marry
me?”

He smiled. This was the happiest he’d ever
been, and he knew in his heart she would say yes.

George is the 3rd of 6 children and grew up
in western Pennsylvania. He earned his BS in Biology from the
University of Pittsburgh, his MS in Biology and his MBA in
Marketing and Management from Duquesne University. He is also a
Master 4th degree black belt in the art of Taekwondo with Young
Brothers in Pittsburgh. He currently in a global marketing director
in specialty chemicals. He is also has one son, Matthew.