The Secret

“ Tell me a secret," the tall brown skinned girl said in a lazy voice. She was huddled up against her boyfriend, as the two waited for the 4 train at Yankee Stadium to arrive. It was frigid outside, almost dangerously so. The weather forecast has called for an inch of snow, but the driving precipitation suggested that much more was set to fall.

“The fuck is this train at " wondered the young man under his breath.

“Baby? You hear what I said?" The young woman peered up at him beyond the scarf that she wore. She was so beautiful.

“Huh?" Asked the man, craning his neck in the direction the train was supposed to arrive from as though doing so would magically make it get there sooner. 

“I just need this damn train to come." he called absently.

A sudden gust of wind blasted them and, the young man could feel his anxiety reach a fever pitch. They had to get downtown by 8, they just had to.

“Tell me a secret, " the girl whined, playfully punching him in the stomach. She seemed inured to the obscene cold.

“ Tell me tell me tell me."

She had taken on a 4 year old's tone and manner that she thought was really cute. He found it plain annoying.

“ Stop it," the man said in a distant voice, taking out his phone and checking the time for  the umpteenth time. The train needed to GET here.

Suddenly, without warning, his girlfriend was striding away at a great speed.

“ Woah! Monica! HEY!"

She was already halfway down the stairs, moving with a swiftness that caught him off guard.

“ WAIT!" he cried. He groaned when he saw the lights of the incoming five train.

Taking the stairs two at a time, he sprinted after his girl. She was already stomping down grand concourse toward her apartment at 154th street. Soon he caught up with her.

“ Monica, we're gonna miss the reservation," he huffed angrily.

“ Don't care," she said laconically, pressing onward through the driving snow.

“ But it's your favorite spot, I thought.... Hey, WAIT!"

He sputtered as she broke into a run. After a few steps though, she slowed, and when he caught her, she stopped altogether. She was bawling.

He embraced her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. He didn't know what to make of this crying. His toes throbbed in the numbing cold.

“ You don't listen to me," she said, “ What I have to say is never important to you."

“ That's not true," the man said through gritted teeth. The howling wind was overwhelming.

“ You won't tell me a secret," she sobbed.

He had wanted for it to be perfect. At that seafood place she loved downtown. With the ambience and the jazz trio he had hired.  With the bottle of champagne to follow. He saw all of that was meaningless.

He kneeled down on one knee on the frozen ground, and removed his glove. Trembling, he reached into his pocket and produced a box with the most glorious secret she could have ever desired.