This is also the first time I've removed anything from what I've written before putting it online, I just don't want that particular section of text read by people. Yet anyway.
Words today: 3490
Total for the month so far: 25,718
Over the next month or so I was present at three more tests, each of them resulting in bigger and bigger wormholes as, it seemed, the nearby area was cleared of other equipment and the warehouse set aside for the experiment was opened and started getting used. The changes brought about in the mood of the researchers was astonishing, practically all of them wanted to be coming in each weekend to try again but Kevin put that possibility under wraps quickly, there just wasn't enough new to justify it. The third of those tests that I was present at was routine enough that a couple of the higher ups were attending and though they must have known what was going to happen and the growth was constrained, I heard gasps from each of them and saw one of them step back. I couldn't see faces then but I did later get to see the record of their reactions, the grins when they calmed down were almost worrying. With the explanation I'd been given being one of a desire for cheaper travel I'd given no more thought to other potential uses of the technology. Having decided to try and research the field, even with me being confident no-one else had achieved anything I came across a lot of speculation, and most of it was warfare related. Kevin had reassured me there wasn't any intention of that being the case but he did confide that he had no real power to prevent his superiors doing anything they chose to.
During that same period of time Veronika had made the changes she wanted to in her room and was using some of her free time to use the computer to draw up plans of the other two rooms that she thought needed changing. With how I was picturing the changes she wanted to make I felt sure I would be happy with them but we couldn't quite agree on the type of lounge suite. I thought that one with couches and an L bend would fit better in the space, she wanted one with two separate couches and no bend. I was going to be 'allowed' to keep my recliner though, so I figured I'd probably just let her get what she wanted. Keeping that chair was going to have been my biggest sticking point.
Veronika and I had talked about marriage a number of times in the time since she had first moved in and a few times before that but it was after she had got her room sorted out that I begun to truly realise how much she meant to me. I did want to be with her for the rest of my life, start a family of our own and grow old with her (although actually getting old didn't appeal at all apart from the "Get off my lawn" jokes).
When I finally had another Saturday free, without any need to go into the research area at work, I made arrangements with Veronika to go to the nearby park we'd spent a lot of time at during the previous summer. She had obviously picked up that there was something out of the ordinary as she kept looking at me and opening her mouth but she didn't actually ask anything then. I was glad of whatever held her tongue that day, even if she had figured out my intentions I was going to want to ask the question without prompting. Over the prior week I had been trying to come up with a grand romantic gesture but everything that came to mind was clichéd, dangerous or both; like putting the ring in a glass of champagne, which would then likely end up ingested. In the end I decided to just make her a nice picnic and ask the question afterwards. To all appearances I did a good job of the food and drink preparation, most of it was gone when we decided to head away and I'd barely eaten because of how nervous I was. I remembered a pool with tiny waterfalls that Veronika said was pretty that we could get to easily, and it wouldn't raise suspicions at all.
Because I hadn't manage to work out exactly what I wanted to say any more than I'd managed to come up with a grand gesture I was stammering as I initially tried to ask the question. Having Veronika realise I was uncomfortable and just go with it, telling me to take my time, was quite helpful and I did manage to 'pop' the question.
Even immediately after the asking I wasn't able to remember the specifics of what I had said or how I had actually asked. I do know that I mentioned having been happier with her in my life as a friend and then happier still after we started dating but I don't know any of what I said as I actually proposed. The look in her eyes as she saw the ring and heard the question though, that I'll remember until the day I die. I also remember her trying to pull me up so I was standing and the way she wrapped her arms around me. The words "yes" "of course" and "how could you doubt my answer" came from her lips a few times as she had her head by mine.
The plans for rearranging and replacing the furniture in the lounge and dining room took an unsurprising back seat after that weekend, we'd been together long enough that neither of us wanted a long engagement. The first people that she called after we got home were her parents, who happened to be very pleased, largely because they hadn't been happy about her moving into my house when she changed jobs. The second call was to her brother, who was also happy but after talking with Veronika for a while he decided that there was a need for him and I to have a chat. He told me that while he was confident I would be treating Veronika right he wasn't above hurting me if I hurt her. I knew that it was mostly in jest but reassured him that the last thing I was intending was to hurt his sister.
Instead of me calling my parents and sisters like Veronika expected me to after she was finished talking to her brother I asked if she would mind us surprising them the next day at the family get together that was happening at my parents new place. Veronika wanted reassurance that it wouldn't cause any trouble that we'd not let them know as soon as possible. I had decided that by telling them all at once we would prevent any accusations of favouritism or keeping someone in the dark.
Walking into my parents place that Sunday afternoon I must have had a huge grin upon my face but I think everyone else was more concerned with Veronika and the nervousness she was obviously feeling at that point. My mother took things into her own hands after a moment or two of questions from everyone about what was wrong. Everyone besides Veronika and I were told to go sit in the lounge and chat among themselves, while the two of us were pulled through to the kitchen and told to sit upon the stools that were by the bench. I don't think I would ever have guessed at the first question to come from my mother's mouth that afternoon, she wanted to know if Veronika was pregnant. When both of us immediately denied that was the issue my mother got a sceptical look in her eye and was about to ask another question. The question died on her lips when Veronika raised her left hand so mum could see the back of it. I started reaching out intending to catch her as she fell and instead felt myself pushed aside a little as my mother brushed past me to envelop Veronika in a big hug. After a moment she disengaged and hugged me as well.
We weren't given any time to explain anything to her, my mother simply dragged the two of through to the lounge where everyone was waiting expectantly and told them that Veronika and I had an announcement. I was again surprised to hear pregnancy as the first possibility, I had thought that my family at least realised I was waiting for that aspect of my relationship. Veronika on the other hand just raised her hand as she had to let mum know and was almost immediately overrun by my sisters, a couple of them squealing a little. My dad and brother-in-law both came over and congratulated me, nowhere near as quick as the girls had rushed Veronika but it still seemed quick for Dad especially.
Bryan (Charlize's friend) was unsure what to do with his girlfriend suddenly looking at an engagement ring and pretty much everyone else in the room occupied as well. I prodded my father towards where Bryan was sitting and he looked at me with a combination of gratitude and envy when I sat beside him. I knew from the first time we'd met that he wasn't a big talker so I wasn't expecting much from him but he did congratulate me and tell me that Veronika seemed like a very nice woman.
The ladies started calming down about then and after we all got settled on the couches Veronika and I got the whole "20 questions" bit. Had we set a date? Was there anything sorted as far as a honeymoon? Did Veronika know who she wanted as bridesmaids? (all the better for one or more of my sisters to get a free dress) Did I know who I was going to have as my best man and grooms men? Did we know where we wanted to have the wedding? Church, gardens or somewhere else? How many people were we going to ask?
And the questions kept coming even though we only had a few answers. Veronika's Maid of Honour was going to be Laura and we weren't interested in a typical church wedding. I wasn't sure who I wanted as my best man, I didn't really have a best mate, and in many respects it was father that I talked to the most about 'guy' stuff but it would seem to weird to have him as my best man. The one thing we had easily agreed on was the size of the wedding, neither of us wanted more than 30 or so people each at the ceremony, our respective immediate families were going to take up about 15 of that.
After a while more of that it became apparent to everyone that we really hadn't sorted much out yet so there wasn't much point in continuing to ask questions. The ladies all took off to the kitchen to get the last of the food sorted after mum told dad that he needed to start the BBQ up. With that the four of us guys made our way outside to the BBQ. I'd never really understood that segregation before that afternoon, as a child I'd always been more inclined to want to help in the kitchen than with the BBQ but when I got to my teens I was forcibly ejected each time until I got it on my own. That day had been a weird one for me but I moved on until I understood more of it. It was a chance for each group to talk about the other with some semblance of peace. It took a bit of effort to get the BBQ going that day, after not being used for several months and transported between houses I wasn't surprised. Once it was going I was allowed back into the house and the kitchen to start collecting meat, and a quick hug from Veronika which also gave her the opportunity to tell me she was enjoying the stories my mother was sharing with her.
The possibilities weren't particularly worrying to me so I didn't react as I think Veronika had hoped I would, and as I know my sisters had expected. What I'd done as a kid was sometimes stupid but I'd learnt from most of it and looking back with an impartial eye I could see the humour in most of it. I also knew that the really stupid stuff wasn't likely to get mentioned as I had better material on each of my sisters, for whatever reason I hadn't really done anything truly outrageous at the age I might have been expected to and those few things I might have had trouble because of, I'd done alone.
Excised text was here.
As I put the second lot of meat by the BBQ I motioned Bryan over and asked if he stay for a while after my sisters had left. Being given the chance to spend more time at his girlfriends place seemed like a good thing to him so he agreed rapidly and then we set down to making sure all the food stuff was taken care of.
The conversation turned to many things that afternoon, very little of it being Veronika and myself, probably because the ladies had already dealt with most of it while they were alone in the kitchen. Charlize and Bryan were getting ready for their final year of High School so there was a lot of talk about teachers they'd had and might be having again as well as the obvious question of what subjects they were taking and why. Charlize had decided that she'd eventually like to work somewhere like where I worked, just not where I worked and had taken the information I had provided months earlier to choose the right subjects. Bryan was still undecided about his career plans and had diversified his subjects because of that, figuring that learning more about less wouldn't be as good as learning less about more things and maybe finding his 'thing'.
The discussion we had with Bryan and Charlize was over quickly, Veronika just wanted to clarify a couple of things I'd managed to express poorly to Bryan, and let them know that if they were feeling pressure from anyone they could talk to either of us about it.
Getting home that night we both felt quite worn out, while it was happening the questioning and commentary hadn't been a problem but I wasn't used to it and Veronika was still not really used to my family and their way of interacting. Nothing bad, just different from hers. And it was when we checked the messages that it really sunk in that we'd be going through the same basic thing again soon. Her parents wanted us to come visit the next weekend so we could talk about the wedding, show them the ring and her father could interrogate me. And that was actually mentioned on the message, I didn't just jump to a conclusion without cause.
Neither of us felt particularly inclined to do much in the way of anything after we got done with the essentials and so we sat entwined together on the chair and relaxed with the TV on. We did manage to discuss some of what we wanted regarding the wedding but mostly we just enjoyed the time to relax and be close.
Going into work was easy the next day, I'd slept very well and for longer than was normal. I figured it had to do with how happy I was but the simple fact I was no longer stressing about what Veronika would say or how my family would react would also have helped. I envied Veronika the ring when I got to work, she would be able to just do her job and have people notice on their own, I would either have to tell people specifically or have them remain ignorant. Or perhaps have friends elsewhere in the building that would find out from Veronika, however many steps removed. Working alone in my office also made it harder to share my news so I decided to just let it go unless something came up making it easy to talk about.
I found a note on my desk when I arrived that basically confirmed what I'd been expecting about receiving a bonus. Although the size of it was well above what I'd expected, if I found another couple of things to help with the research it seemed likely that I wouldn't have to find any money for the wedding, it would all be coming to me. When I got back after lunch with Veronika, where we'd both had to answer a lot of the same questions as we'd been asked by my family the day before, I found a new note on my desk, offering congratulations upon my engagement. It also told me to go see Kevin before I left that afternoon.
The work I had to do from the first job was still taking up a little time, and so I dealt with that immediately after getting back from lunch. I thought it was easier than it had been and decided to check my previous throughput, I had improved a little as far as speed in the past three months which was surprising to me, after all I'd be doing less and less of that particular type of work.
With that out of the way I figured I should go see Kevin so I could just go home when the time came. Luckily for me he was in his office and not the research lab and I barely had to go walking at all. What he wanted to talk about was how much I'd been sharing with Veronika about the research. Understandable when he wasn't really in a position to know as much about her as he was about me. All I could really say was that I considered her trustworthy and had continued to keep as much of my work from her as I could.
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