Zip opened the box and looked at the ring for the tenth times. He had seen dozens of other diamond rings but nothing compared to the one he was holding. He had been keeping it for nearly four months now, he got it from an antique jeweler in old England. It was a vintage sapphire diamond ring, her favorite color, that costs him half a million dollar. It represented how he felt towards Elle, the only girl he ever loved in his entire life.
It was not just a ring of love, but also trust, as he planned to tell it all to her. He wanted to think of the ring to represent not just the feeling that they had been sharing, but the amount of trust needed from her in order for him to keep what he had been doing. Last night was not the only chance blown for his planned proposal.
I guess I’ll have to wait for another. After all, she wanted it to be really special.
************
Elle was looking outside the window, her thoughts penetrating deep through the dark night clouds. This has to go well, she said to herself. She had spoken to KingKong earlier on and she was pleased that he was up to the expectation as usual. Her expectation. KingKong had been doing a tremendous job in keeping the deal closed. She knew KingKong was a reliable man, not just because he was desperate to know about his past, but Marc had well-informed her about KingKong’s credibility through the years. It took her a long time to decide whether or not she should go on with the plan, the seven year old plan.
It was not supposed to take that long, but what was planned to be a ‘five years relationship’ had been dragged to seven. There were too many hiccups along the way, something too risky to deal with if they had to proceed with the five years plan anyway. Zip was one of the hiccups, but someone who was too valuable to lose at times when he was most needed for jobs to be done.
Elle sighed upon the thought of Zip. She knew he did not deserve the position he was in at that moment, but it was the only way to keep him around, perhaps long enough until the whole thing is over. She leaned back to her seat and closed her eyes. There’s a ring, there’s not supposed to be a ring…
Three months back, Zip took Elle to fly with him to Paris by surprise. She was aware of a dinner plan, but she didn’t expect it to be at one of the finest restaurant in Champs Elysees. She was uncomfortable with his surprise because she didn’t know what to expect. When she had to excuse herself to the ladies room during the dinner, she made a call through her cell phone.
“What is he up to now, Marc?” She asked.
“I don’t know. The two guys didn’t tell me anything” Marc answered, referring to Raoul and KingKong. He seemed just as surprised to find out that Zip had taken her to Paris.
Marc was a middle person between the three guys and Elle. They reported to him all the time, he instructed the guys for jobs and he would report it back to Elle. But to Zip, Marc was ‘the’ boss. He did not know that Marc only received orders. He did not know that Marc got paid too. And he did not know that both KingKong and Raoul knew that Marc was not the boss. And lastly, Zip did not know that all of the people in the ring of trust, as he called the relationship between him, Raoul and KingKong, including Marc, he was just an outsider.
Elle was not happy. She was normally informed by Marc of what Zip had plan for her, but not that night. She needed to know his every move with her so that she wouldn’t slip anything. Once, Zip planned for a week holiday to go with her to her hometown in Santa Fe. So she had to fake a huge argument with her parents, that Zip had to cancel the holiday off and they went somewhere else. Elle did not know anything about Santa Fe. She was not even from Argentina. And I don’t have any parents.
“Maybe this is a secret that he wouldn’t want to share with either Raoul or KingKong. Something extra special,” Marc guessed before they ended the conversation on the phone. It left Elle numb. What could be so special that it had to be a secret and be brought to Paris, the city of romance?
“You know what will be great, John?” Elle asked Zip upon returning to the table.
“What’s that?”
“If we can really celebrate our seventh year this year on the seventh of July”, she said.
“Why the thought?” He asked, a bit surprised. He already planned to celebrate it that night.
“Well, I want our seventh year anniversary to be really special. Something that I want to remember for the rest of my life with you. Not just ordinary day like this. I mean, this is special but I want something extraordinary…” She said before reaching his hand and kissed him on the lips. Please say yes, she silently screamed.
Zip thought for a while. She wanted it to be really special…hmmm.
“That’s not a bad idea. Ok, we’ll celebrate it on 07.07.07 then,” Zip replied after a moment and kissed her back.
That night in the hotel, she woke up slowly from the bed, with Zip deeply asleep, and went to the wardrobe where Zip hung his suit. She searched for the pocket, found the box and opened it. An engraved six carat blue diamond ring – ‘for love and trust’. So I was right… he was going to propose. She looked at it a little longer before putting it carefully back from where she had taken it from.
She crawled back into bed, hoping that all would be over soon . I got him off the track for now, that should keep long enough before it all ends. Then she lied closer to Zip, watching him breathing deeply in his sleep.
It will all be over soon… ZIP.
*******
“Kong, it’s me. I hope everything went well”
“Yes it did. I just got off the plane half an hour ago and now in the car. The driver is taking me to the hotel before next instruction.” KingKong said before continuing, “How was it with Zip?”
“It went fine, he totally bought it.” Raoul answered with a smile.
“So where is he now?”, KingKong asked.
“I sent him back to his place. I told him we’ll contact him again in a few days time for updates.”
“Cool. So, I’ll call you once I have this folder delivered?”
“Yeah. Keep it safe. This costs us both our pasts, bro”, Raoul said.
“Will do”
“Take care now,” Raoul said before hanging up and putting the phone back on his side.
He turned his head to his right and smiled. He looked outside the same window, dark into the cloud, before leaning forward to kiss his traveling companion.
She had been fast asleep for nearly an hour now, but they have a few more hours to go before reaching the land of the rising run, the place where the end will be just the beginning for Raoul and the girl he loved, Elle.
It was not just a ring of love, but also trust, as he planned to tell it all to her. He wanted to think of the ring to represent not just the feeling that they had been sharing, but the amount of trust needed from her in order for him to keep what he had been doing. Last night was not the only chance blown for his planned proposal.
I guess I’ll have to wait for another. After all, she wanted it to be really special.
************
Elle was looking outside the window, her thoughts penetrating deep through the dark night clouds. This has to go well, she said to herself. She had spoken to KingKong earlier on and she was pleased that he was up to the expectation as usual. Her expectation. KingKong had been doing a tremendous job in keeping the deal closed. She knew KingKong was a reliable man, not just because he was desperate to know about his past, but Marc had well-informed her about KingKong’s credibility through the years. It took her a long time to decide whether or not she should go on with the plan, the seven year old plan.
It was not supposed to take that long, but what was planned to be a ‘five years relationship’ had been dragged to seven. There were too many hiccups along the way, something too risky to deal with if they had to proceed with the five years plan anyway. Zip was one of the hiccups, but someone who was too valuable to lose at times when he was most needed for jobs to be done.
Elle sighed upon the thought of Zip. She knew he did not deserve the position he was in at that moment, but it was the only way to keep him around, perhaps long enough until the whole thing is over. She leaned back to her seat and closed her eyes. There’s a ring, there’s not supposed to be a ring…
Three months back, Zip took Elle to fly with him to Paris by surprise. She was aware of a dinner plan, but she didn’t expect it to be at one of the finest restaurant in Champs Elysees. She was uncomfortable with his surprise because she didn’t know what to expect. When she had to excuse herself to the ladies room during the dinner, she made a call through her cell phone.
“What is he up to now, Marc?” She asked.
“I don’t know. The two guys didn’t tell me anything” Marc answered, referring to Raoul and KingKong. He seemed just as surprised to find out that Zip had taken her to Paris.
Marc was a middle person between the three guys and Elle. They reported to him all the time, he instructed the guys for jobs and he would report it back to Elle. But to Zip, Marc was ‘the’ boss. He did not know that Marc only received orders. He did not know that Marc got paid too. And he did not know that both KingKong and Raoul knew that Marc was not the boss. And lastly, Zip did not know that all of the people in the ring of trust, as he called the relationship between him, Raoul and KingKong, including Marc, he was just an outsider.
Elle was not happy. She was normally informed by Marc of what Zip had plan for her, but not that night. She needed to know his every move with her so that she wouldn’t slip anything. Once, Zip planned for a week holiday to go with her to her hometown in Santa Fe. So she had to fake a huge argument with her parents, that Zip had to cancel the holiday off and they went somewhere else. Elle did not know anything about Santa Fe. She was not even from Argentina. And I don’t have any parents.
“Maybe this is a secret that he wouldn’t want to share with either Raoul or KingKong. Something extra special,” Marc guessed before they ended the conversation on the phone. It left Elle numb. What could be so special that it had to be a secret and be brought to Paris, the city of romance?
“You know what will be great, John?” Elle asked Zip upon returning to the table.
“What’s that?”
“If we can really celebrate our seventh year this year on the seventh of July”, she said.
“Why the thought?” He asked, a bit surprised. He already planned to celebrate it that night.
“Well, I want our seventh year anniversary to be really special. Something that I want to remember for the rest of my life with you. Not just ordinary day like this. I mean, this is special but I want something extraordinary…” She said before reaching his hand and kissed him on the lips. Please say yes, she silently screamed.
Zip thought for a while. She wanted it to be really special…hmmm.
“That’s not a bad idea. Ok, we’ll celebrate it on 07.07.07 then,” Zip replied after a moment and kissed her back.
That night in the hotel, she woke up slowly from the bed, with Zip deeply asleep, and went to the wardrobe where Zip hung his suit. She searched for the pocket, found the box and opened it. An engraved six carat blue diamond ring – ‘for love and trust’. So I was right… he was going to propose. She looked at it a little longer before putting it carefully back from where she had taken it from.
She crawled back into bed, hoping that all would be over soon . I got him off the track for now, that should keep long enough before it all ends. Then she lied closer to Zip, watching him breathing deeply in his sleep.
It will all be over soon… ZIP.
*******
“Kong, it’s me. I hope everything went well”
“Yes it did. I just got off the plane half an hour ago and now in the car. The driver is taking me to the hotel before next instruction.” KingKong said before continuing, “How was it with Zip?”
“It went fine, he totally bought it.” Raoul answered with a smile.
“So where is he now?”, KingKong asked.
“I sent him back to his place. I told him we’ll contact him again in a few days time for updates.”
“Cool. So, I’ll call you once I have this folder delivered?”
“Yeah. Keep it safe. This costs us both our pasts, bro”, Raoul said.
“Will do”
“Take care now,” Raoul said before hanging up and putting the phone back on his side.
He turned his head to his right and smiled. He looked outside the same window, dark into the cloud, before leaning forward to kiss his traveling companion.
She had been fast asleep for nearly an hour now, but they have a few more hours to go before reaching the land of the rising run, the place where the end will be just the beginning for Raoul and the girl he loved, Elle.