Connie Almony – Truth or Fiction – Part 3 of 3

Shannon here: Connie Almony shares a partially fictionalized tale of her proposal. Answer the question at the bottom of any post dated August 18 – 20 to enter the drawing for a $5.00 Amazon gift card and a copy of my latest, Rodeo Song. Deadline: August 30th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Connie:

This story was inspired by how my husband proposed to me over two decades ago … and yet it is fiction. Leave a comment with your guess at which parts are true and which are solely from this author’s imagination.
With This Ring, I … What?
Something gave Jenna a chill. It couldn’t have been the weather, because the high that day had been 90 degrees. It had to be the way Dustin trembled from the moment he picked her up in that beat-up Dodge truck. Was he cold? Couldn’t be. He’d just pulled at his collar like it strangled him.
Jenna took in the smell of onion rings as Dustin gave his name to the maître d who seated them right away. Strange. At least ten other groups hovered around the waiting area. And the Blue Lizard didn’t take reservations.
The maître d sat them at Jack’s station. Dustin’s best friend. Jack approached the table with a white linen napkin draped over his arm and spoke in a terrible British accent. “May I take your order?”
Dustin quirked a grin. “The usual, Jack. Oh … and a couple of glasses of white wine.”
Huh? Their usual drinks were Diet Coke and a Root Beer.
Dustin smiled before his attention shifted to the baseball game on the television mounted over the bar. “Ooo! Struck out again.”
“Dustin, I thought we were going to talk about us tonight.”
His eyes darted to hers, then back to the game. “Come on, come on … Yeah! Homerun!”
“Here you are, Ma’am.” Jack placed a wine glass in front of Jenna. Then Jack. “Sir.” He actually bowed before trotting away. Was he fishing for a bigger tip?
Dustin rubbed his thighs like he was in pain and stared straight over Jenna’s head.
“Dustin?” Jenna tried again.
He dropped his gaze to her, expression softening. His eyes lingered on hers. His lips opened. “Drink some wine, Jenna. It’s real good.”
How did he know? He hadn’t even tasted it.
He turned the glass in his hand. “Look, it’s an interesting color.”
White wine. Usual color. Irritation brewed in her gut.
Dustin rubbed his thighs with more ferocity. He turned back to the game. “Foul ball!”
He’d never been this annoying in all the years they’d known each other. And he hadn’t rubbed his legs like that since the first time he asked her out.
Uh-oh!
Jenna scanned the restaurant for another clue and caught Jack staring from the bar wearing a grin that made the Cheshire cat look innocent. Couldn’t be.
Was Dustin going to …?
Was Jenna ready for …?
Suddenly the “special colored” white wine became most appetizing. Maybe it would relax her nerves. She snatched the glass and downed it in one gulp.
Only … it was lumpy. Hard, rounded metal kind of lumpy. With sharp edges in places.
Dustin went pale.
Jenna held her neck. “What did I just swallow?”
Dustin’s jaw hinged, but no words came out. He jumped from the chair and dragged her out of the restaurant muttering something about emergency.

###

Fear gripped Dustin. His nerves had been shot waiting for her to find that ring, then she goes and swallows it. Explaining the thing on the way to the emergency room was not how Dustin saw his proposal playing out.

Nor did he imagine the women at the nurse’s station, hands to mouths, as he explained what happened. He knew it was alarming, but they almost looked like they held back a laugh. He just wanted someone to tell him Jenna would live.
He peered at the woman he hoped would one day bare his children. She sat in the waiting room, reading People magazine. So strong. So stalwart. Even in the face of death.

Finally, Jenna’s name was called and they were led to an exam room. Another woman appeared wheeling a computer on a cart. She asked Jenna questions about her insurance.

Her insurance!

Didn’t they know she had a marquis diamond, mounted over brushed gold, in her gullet? The woman’s lacquered nails clattered along the keyboard.

Finally, a doctor appeared. The shiny scalp spoke experience. Dustin sighed, thanking God they hadn’t sent an intern.
Could this man save his Jenna?

Jenna sat on the papered table, whistling and bouncing her foot. She’d be a wonderful mother. Calm through any storm.
The doctor read the nurse’s notes. His lip curled. No doubt from concern for his patient. “I see.”

“Can you save her, doc?”

The curve of his lip almost appeared as a grin. “I think she’ll live.”

Dustin released all the air from his lungs and shook the doctor’s hand. “Thank you, sir. Thank you.”

“No problem.” The doctor tapped his pen and turned a narrowed brow on Dustin. “What possessed you to put an engagement ring in a glass of wine?”

Jenna leaned forward.

“I wanted to make the proposal memorable.” He stood. “So what happens now?”

“You get your wish. Over the next 24 to 48 hours,” the doctor peeked over his glasses at Jenna, “you and your possible fiancé, there, get to partake in a very memorable treasure hunt.” He looked down his nose at the screen. “But once you find the prize,” his face twisted in a grimace, “try the bended knee approach.”

About Connie: Connie Almony is trained as a mental health therapist and likes to mix a little fun with the serious stuff of life. She was a 2012 semi-finalist in the Genesis Contest for Women’s Fiction and was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Winter 2012 WOW Flash Fiction Contest. Her newest release, At the Edge of a Dark Forest, is a modern-day re-telling of Beauty and the Beast about a war-vet, amputee struggling with PTSD.
You can find Connie on the web, writing book reviews for Jesus Freak Hideout, and hosting the following blogs: InfiniteCharacters.com and LivingtheBodyofChrist.Blogspot.com. You can also meet her on the following social media outlets:  Twitter                Facebook                 Pinterest
About the book – At the Edge of a Dark Forest:
Cole Harrison, an Iraq war veteran, wears his disfigurement like a barrier to those who might love him, shielding them from the ugliness inside. He agrees to try and potentially invest in, a prototype prosthetic with the goal of saving a hopeless man’s dreams.
Carly Rose contracts to live with Cole and train him to use his new limbs, only to discover the darkness that wars against the man he could become.
At the Edge of a Dark Forest is a modern-day retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Only it is not her love that will make him whole.
On sale now for 99 cents!
Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/Edge-Dark-Forest-Fairwilde-Reflections/dp/1495452174/ref=la_B00IIXLWZS_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407996009&sr=1-1
Which parts of Connie’s story are true? Which parts are false?
Come back August 25th  for Deborah Piccurelli!