I want to be attached

It would have to work out this way. Ravi didn't have the time off from his new job to go see his parents. Granted, the winter advisory weather wasn't much help. Of course, his parents were excited for him. He worked at the police station now. Those criminal justice classes were already paying off. It didn't matter how dull and boring he could tell them it was. He was still their police officer. Which he wasn't. Ravi was only a clerk. He worked in the evidence room. It was kind of like a library of lost and found. Well, maybe it was more than that. Ravi got to wear a gray polo shirt that said EVIDENCE TEAM on the back. Not that they were out doing much. He spent a lot of time on the computer, or the phone. Maybe it was a good thing his parents weren't coming.

At least, he had Christmas eve and Christmas day off. It would be the perfect time to give Olivia the engagement ring she'd been eying at mall. Ravi thought he had it all ready for a very simple celebration. Some time, just for the two of them. Except, when he got home, Steve was there, who had decided to go through the canned goods to make sure nothing was out dated.

"At least its keeping him busy." Olivia just smiled as if he did this all the time.

"How did he get here?" Ravi winced. He knew Steve didn't drive.

"By bus, I hope." She sighed. As it was she was trying to have some snacks ready.

Just then her Mom, Sophie, dropped in. Suddenly, Ravi wasn't sure what was happening. She brought egg nog.

"Did you make it?" Olivia looked at her seriously. It was in a glass jug with snowflakes on it. Some neighbor had dropped her off. She had her own little apartment.

"Goodness no." She giggled.

"Thank God." Olivia said under her breath, walking off to the kitchen with it. As Ravi passed by her mother, she grabbed him, giving him a dip and quite a kiss to endure. Ravi gracefully pulled away and looked to see if Olivia noticed her mother was already drunk. He took a deep breath and went to the kitchen. He was more than puzzled. It didn't seem possible to have this many crazy people in the house.

Naturally, Steve was in the floor counting as loud as possible. Ravi stared at him then Olivia, wondering if he were in the Twilight zone.

"I don't think we really want to drink that, do we?" He took a whiff of it.

"We may have to, if we want to get through this night." He knew she knew it was sauced. She got out glass punch cups and started pouring it out. Setting it by the little feast she'd put together of fudge, cheeseballs and crackers.

"You know, she's drunk, don't you?" He was still licking rum from his lips, he thought.

"Is she?" Olivia gave him a cynical look.

"No sister, huh?" Ravi knew Olivia was still a bit upset about not meeting Penelope yet. He looked at Steve thinking, maybe this really wasn't a good time to meet Penelope. "It'll be OK, you'll see." He touched her shoulders and gave her a smile as if  this was the perfect moment for the ring, but Steve's voice kept getting louder.

Olivia, looked over at Steve.

"Steve, you need to check on my Mom. Can you do that?" She asked. He looked at her, gave her a nod and went to see about her in the livingroom.

"How did you do that?" Ravi winced.

"Don't question it." She looked beat, already. Ravi grabbed the ring from his pocket.

"I hope this is the one." He sighed with a smile, as he held it out to her. Olivia nodded with a big smile.

"Well, then, without asking anyone's permission, but yours, will you marry me?" He didn't get on his knees.

"It'll have to be next year are even the year after." She nodded.

"Well, then." He slipped the ring on and they kissed as if maybe they'd already had the ceremony. She looked happily at the little diamond in the ring. It wasn't much, but enough. She kept insisting that he didn't need to pay a fortune. "I have little hands, anyway."

They went into the livingroom to tell her mother about the happy engagement, but to their surprise...someone was having their own little moment on the couch. So they went back to the kitchen to drink up on that eggnog her mother had brought. By the looks of it, Steve and her mother were pretty occupied on the couch and didn't want to be bothered.