The ring was too big.
Eleanor woke the morning after the proposal and found the gold band loose on her finger. She twisted it. It spun easily. She would need to get it sized.
She lay in bed, holding her hand up to the light. The small diamond caught the morning sun. She had never owned anything so beautiful.
Her mother called at 8 AM.
"Eleanor? You're still in bed?"
"I'm awake."
"Your voice sounds strange. Are you sick?"
"No."
"Then what?"
Eleanor looked at the ring. "I'm engaged."
A pause. "Engaged? To whom?"
"Henry. The mailman."
Another pause. Longer this time. "The one you've been seeing for two months?"
"Yes."
"You barely know him."
"I know enough."
Her mother sighed. "Eleanor, you're twenty-three. You have time."
"I don't want time. I want him."
The line was quiet. Eleanor could hear her mother breathing.
"Does he treat you well?" her mother asked.
"Yes."
"Does he work?"
"He's a mailman. He has a steady job."
"Does he love you?"
"He says he does."
"Do you believe him?"
Eleanor looked at the ring again. "Yes."
Her mother was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "Then bring him to dinner. Sunday. I'll make pot roast."
"Thank you, Mama."
"Don't thank me yet. I haven't met him."
---
Sunday came.
Henry wore his best shirt. It was white. Slightly wrinkled. His hair was combed.
Eleanor's mother lived in a small apartment in Bensonhurst. The building was old. The stairs were narrow. The door was green.
Henry knocked.
The door opened. Eleanor's mother stood in the doorway. She was short. Grey hair. A floral apron.
"You must be Henry," she said.
"Yes, ma'am."
She looked him up and down. Then she stepped aside. "Come in."
The apartment smelled of pot roast and onions. The table was set for three. The plates were mismatched.
They sat down.
Eleanor's mother served the food. The portions were large. The gravy was thick.
"So," her mother said. "You're a mailman."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Do you like it?"
"It's steady work."
"That's not what I asked."
Henry set down his fork. "No, ma'am. I don't like it. But it pays the bills."
Her mother nodded. "Honest. Good."
She looked at Eleanor. "He's honest."
"I know."
"He's not handsome."
"Mama."
"But he's honest." Her mother looked at Henry. "What are your intentions?"
Henry looked at Eleanor. Then back at her mother. "I want to marry her. I want to take care of her. I want to grow old with her."
Her mother was quiet for a long moment. Then she reached across the table and took Henry's hand.
"You're strange," she said.
"Yes, ma'am."
"But you're good." She squeezed his fingers. "Welcome to the family."
---
After dinner, Eleanor and Henry walked to the subway.
"Your mother is terrifying," he said.
"She likes you."
"How do you know?"
"She didn't throw you out."
He almost smiled. "That's a low bar."
"It's the only bar that matters."
He took her hand. The ring was still loose. He felt it move.
"We need to get that sized," he said.
"Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow."
They stood on the platform. The train arrived. The doors opened.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you too."
She got on the train. The doors closed. He watched her go.