Penelope was in her pajamas, sitting on a chair with her legs crossed. In front of her were colorful papers with corrections.
She appeared to be studying very diligently. Warren placed the coffee on the table and observed her as she recited a lesson from memory with her eyes closed. “Warren, you’re back early?” Penelope finished reciting and opened her eyes, noticing he was sitting across from her.
“Early? Do you know what time it is now?” he asked.
Penelope checked the wall clock. “It’s only ten o’clock.”
“It’s late, and you should get some sleep now.”
“No, I have an exam this week. I’m not ready yet.” She lowered her head to review a set of challenging questions. “Since you’re here, I have a question to ask you. Can you please help me with it?”
Warren walked over to where Penelope was pointing.
“What does it mean?” Penelope looked up at him. “What’s the problem here?”
Warren frowned, and Penelope scratched her head. “Use the process of elimination, and you’ll find the answer,” he advised. “You don’t know exactly what the options mean?”
Penelope replied, “I’m not studying literature. How could I know?”
He smiled and gently patted her head. “If you want to find out, just go online and Google it.” Then Warren casually asked, “Where did you get this paper from?”
“A senior in the same department gave it to me. His handwriting is really neat, isn’t it?” Penelope smiled and held the paper up for him to see.
“Why did he give it to you?” Warren asked, slightly frowning.
“He said it would be helpful for me, so it must cover the material for the midterm exam.”
Warren casually asked, “Does anyone else have a copy of it?”
“Anyone else? I don’t know. I met him in the library, and he just gave it to me,” Penelope replied directly.
“He just gave it to you?” Warren asked again.
Penelope hesitated, “Yes.”
Warren noticed her bare fingers and asked, “Where’s your engagement ring?”
“It’s in my bag. It’s too big, flashy, and looks too extravagant,” Penelope answered while glancing down at her phone.
Warren nodded and said, “What time does your class end tomorrow? I’ll pick you up.”
Penelope finally looked up with a smile. “You’ll pick me up? That’s so sweet, but aren’t you busy with work?”
“No, I’m not. Let’s go to the Registrar’s Office together,” he said, smiling and touching her hair.
Penelope’s eyes sparkled. “Are we getting married?”
“I’ve taken care of everything for you this time,” Warren assured her.
Penelope stood up and planted a kiss on his cheek. She said excitedly, “Thank you for still wanting to marry me.”
Warren replied, “You want to show your appreciation?”
Penelope nodded and told him, “Yes.”
Warren held her close and said, “Stay with me for the rest of your life.”
Penelope grinned and nodded vigorously.
He playfully tweaked her nose and led her to the bedroom.
“Wait!” She grabbed the papers on the table and hugged them to her chest. “I have to read these before going to bed.”
Warren couldn’t help but feel a bit exasperated by his wife’s love for learning, especially at such a crucial time in the evening. He felt a headache coming on. He almost wished he could just burn those papers, especially since they were from an unknown senior.
****
The next day, in the afternoon, Warren arrived at the front door of X University on time. After waiting for twenty minutes, he spotted Penelope rushing towards him, carrying a bunch of daisies. She was wearing a white shirt and a black skirt. “Look, aren’t they beautiful?” She placed the flowers in front of him and smiled. “I’m so lucky. I met a senior when I was walking out, and he gave them to me!”
“The senior who gave you those wrong questions?” Warren opened the car door for her to get in.
Penelope held the flowers and leaned in to smell them.
“No, he’s a senior from the foreign language department.”
“Why did he give them to you?” He glanced at her and started the car.
“He said a girl gave them to him, but he didn’t like them, so he gave them to me. I think that girl must like him, but he didn’t want to throw the flowers away,” Penelope explained seriously.
“Do you know if that senior likes you?” He chuckled and looked at her.
“No!” Penelope was surprised and looked down at the flowers. “These aren’t roses.”
“Who said only roses symbolize love?” he remarked.
“He doesn’t like daisies? That’s a lousy excuse,” he said with a hint of disdain.
Penelope looked at him suspiciously. “Really? That senior seems very sincere, not like a player.”
Warren was left speechless. “I thought you were quite clever, but I guess I was mistaken.”
Penelope pouted and played with the flowers. She said, “You’re underestimating our genuine friendship. You’re overthinking things.”
“Whether you believe it or not, I’ll just throw those flowers away,” he said.
Penelope clung to the bouquet. “No, these are mine.”
“Throw them away, and I’ll buy you as many as you want,” he said, growing impatient.
Penelope turned her back to him, holding the flowers, and stared out the window, unyielding. She could be quite stubborn at times. They remained in a standoff all the way to the Registrar’s Office. The staff sensed the tension between them. “Ma’am, are you really willing to marry the man beside you?”
“Yes,” Penelope nodded. The staff had to put aside their doubts and handed forms to the two of them. A clerk instructed, “Please fill out the forms according to the provided instructions.”
Warren bowed to write down his information, and Penelope followed suit. If she didn’t understand something, she copied Warren’s answers and eventually signed her name seriously.
Once they had finished and returned the forms to the clerk, the clerk raised an eyebrow. ‘This girl may be pretty, but her handwriting!’
Warren said, “Let’s go,” and he put his arm around her waist as they left the Registrar’s Office.
Penelope immediately asked, “Are you still mad? It’s not worth it.”
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the chin. “Today, we’re married.”