A Mate for Christmas

It was Wednesday, a day before Thanksgiving; Black Friday would arrive after. Also, preparation for Christmas was slowly coming to light in the city of Long Beach. People were excited about the holidays and preparing for decorations, party ideas, shopping, and other surprises.

Some surprises included proposals.

One of many people who hoped to get a proposal was Maeve Connor, who was in her early thirties and worked as a special education teacher in the Long Beach School District. Maeve stood at five feet and six inches tall, with light skin and some light freckles on parts of her nose and cheeks. Her eyes were hazel with green flecks; her long, wavy red hair touched the upper part of her waist. Maeve had an average body with a slightly big waist and long legs. Although she had a natural average beauty, what drew people to her was her smile and her pacifism.

Her pacifism attracted her now boyfriend, Stephen.

Stephen was five years older than her; they met at a coffee shop. They had a small conversation at the beginning, which became long and enjoyable. Eventually, Stephen asked her out, which Maeve accepted since she felt attracted to his outgoing personality. They dated for a year until Stephen asked her to be his girlfriend, and they continued being a couple for five years. Maeve wanted to marry Stephen but didn’t want to pressure him to ask her for marriage.

Her mother always said one shouldn’t wait long to be proposed to, but Maeve disagreed.

Stephen called her yesterday, telling her he wanted to take her to a nice restaurant where they went on special occasions. She believed her boyfriend would finally propose, so she called her best friend, Patrisha, to help her find the best dress. Maeve also called her mother about the possibility of a proposal; her mother wished her the best of luck but didn’t sound enthusiastic. Maeve didn’t let her mother’s lack of enthusiasm ruin her excitement; she and Patrisha went shopping to find the perfect dress for dinner.

The dress was finally found.

The day for the dinner date arrived, and it was almost time for her date. Maeve had finished applying makeup and straightening her hair, which reached past her waist. She wore an elegant black Lurex knit corset top high slit gown; the lower section had an opening that showed her left leg. She wore black heels that were decorated in fake black crystals. The perfume was eminent from her skin. When looking at her reflection, she knew that she was ready. Stephen said he would meet her at the restaurant since he worked far away and couldn’t pick her up; it suited her fine.

They agreed to meet at the Queens Steakhouse at 6 p.m. She looked at her phone for the time; it was 5 p.m., but traffic was difficult near the restaurant, so she wanted to go early to find parking. It took twenty minutes to get to her destination, and luckily, the traffic was better than Maeve thought. She found parking without trouble, waited inside the car for another twenty minutes, and went toward the restaurant. The cool air from the nearby ocean made her feel at ease and excited. “He will finally propose!”she thought.

Once inside, two nice bars were on each side of the building. Elegant chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and many tables were draped in beautiful white tablecloths with a couple of candles in the center. Different food aromas surrounded the restaurant, giving it a heavenly feeling.

Maeve stood before the podium until a hostess arrived. “Hello and welcome to Queens Steakhouse! Did you make a reservation?”

“My boyfriend did. His name is Stephen Valencia.”

“Ah, I found it! I will take you to your table!” The hostess led Maeve to a table outside, far from the rest of the nearby tables. Maeve discovered that Stephen had reserved a VIP table, making her believe her prediction was coming true. “While you wait, would you like me to bring anything to drink?”

“Mmm, could you bring me a raspberry tea and a bottle of red wine?” The hostess nodded and left Maeve alone. While the young woman sat and waited, she could not help but enjoy the ocean view. From afar, she could see the seashore village and Queen Mary. Maeve remembered when she and Stephen went there for a date; they did a paranormal tour. The Queen Mary was used for wedding venues; Maeve thought it was a beautiful place to hold a wedding.

Ten minutes later, Stephen arrived.

When Maeve laid eyes on him, she couldn’t look away. Stephen stood at five feet and nine inches tall, being well-built. He wore a dark blue long-sleeved buttoned shirt with a black undershirt beneath. His skin was light tan and slightly shiny; his eyes were light brown. Stephen had shoulder-length raven hair nicely combed, gelled, and tied. To Maeve, he looked like the Prince from Beauty and the Beast. “Stephen, you’re here.” The young woman was about to stand, but Stephen motioned her not to.

As he sat down, the hostess brought the drinks and the menus. “Hello, I’m Gigi and I will be your hostess this evening. Can I start you off with an appetizer?”

“No, thanks. I will get the salmon with mashed potatoes.”

Maeve was surprised by Stephen’s sudden order. She noticed he looked nervous and believed he needed food to help calm his nerves. “I will have a well-cooked steak with mashed potatoes and green beans, please.” The menus were taken, and the couple was left alone. Stephen got the bottle of wine and poured himself a cup; he drank it in one gulp. “So, Stephen. I was surprised that you wanted to come here. We only come here for special occasions.”

“Yeah, we do. So how was work?” Stephen asked almost too quickly.

“Very good. My students are progressing with their goals and behaviors. I also got through some parents to try helping out with their child’s progress.” Maeve took a sip of her drink. “I have a feeling that this year will end off prosperous. Do you think so?” Stephen gave her a quick look as he gulped another cup of wine. It was noticed that Stephen was getting more nervous by the moment, and Maeve felt that something was bugging him.“It’s best to make him say it.” She then motioned out her hand and gently patted his hand. “Stephen, what’s on your mind?”

Stephen got his hand out of her touch and roughly massaged the back of his neck. “Maeve, I-I’m sure you’re wondering why I wanted you here. This was where I asked you to be my girlfriend, remember?”

Her heart skipped a beat. “Y-Yes. I can never forget that. This place brings so many wonderful memories. I can’t believe we’ve been together for five years!”

“Y-Yeah. It has been that long. Maeve...” He let out a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. “What do you want out of this relationship?”

His question surprised her.“Maybe he wants to see if we have the same goals," Maeve thought. “Well, I want to have a family in the future. I-I want us to be happy.”

The young man bit his quivering lower lip. “I-I see. Well, M-Maeve...”

“This is it! This is it!”Maeve was mentally prepared for the question, but her excitement was getting too much.

“I-”

“Yes, Stephen!?”

“I want to break up.”