It was supposed to be the biggest night of her life.
She had been dropping hints for weeks now, both subtle and pointed. She had switched the plastic ring he had given her on their very first date to her ring finger, and had pretended not to notice when he’d smiled.
They had been ten the afternoon he had given it to her. It had been break time, and usually the boys and girls remained safely separate. But that day, he had crossed the playground to smile at her. After fumbling in his pocket for a moment, he had drawn out a plastic silver ring with a large blue jewel. It had been too big for her to wear, but she tucked it in her blouse pocket and carried it with pride.
On her sixteenth birthday, he had offered to buy her a proper ring, but she insisted that the one she had was enough.
Now, it was her twentieth birthday, and she wanted to marry him. To be his wife, forever and always.
She had put on her little black dress, the one he’d always admired because it showed off a little bit too much leg. She had tied up her hair just the way he liked it. On her neck, she wore a pendant he had given her the day she turned eighteen, with the matching earrings he had got her the year before.
The plastic ring remained on her ring finger, winking in the streetlights.
They had never made it to the restaurant. A car had veered up on the path as they were walking down the road, knocking him off his feet.
She knelt on the pavement, cradling his head in her lap as sirens screamed.
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