Men Of Courage Part 2

"It's not the same thing with us," Alex said quietly. "If it was the other way around... if Maria had to ask you to marry her... don't you think that she'd be a little worried that you might say no?"

"Probably," he admitted. "But..."

"I'm Maria and Isabel is you," Alex said.

Michael nodded slowly. The logic was a bit convoluted, but he got the gist of it. "So, you're willing to risk asking her even if you don't know for sure how she'll answer?"

"I have to. If I don't ask I'll never know."

Michael looked at him for a long moment. "She does love you."

Alex stared at him.

"If you can't see that," Michael said, "then you're dumber than I am."

"So, you think...?"

"That you're dumb?"

"No." Alex rolled his eyes. "You really think she'll say yes?"

"If Maria asked me I'd say yes," he said, again surprised by his own words. "Does that help?"

"More than you know," Alex said with a grateful smile. "And now, based on the assumption that Ms. Evans will say yes to my proposal of marriage, I have a proposal for you."

Michael lifted one eyebrow skeptically.

"Relax," Alex grinned. "All I need is a best man."

Michael nodded. Then he stopped. And he stared. "Me?"

Alex laughed. "Who else is there?" he asked.

Both of them smiled at the echo of an old conversation. It seemed like so long ago when they had sat in a high school cafeteria trying to figure out how to impress their almost-girlfriends.

"If Izzy says yes... and I know she will," Michael said. "Then so will I."

"Thank you. This means a lot."

"Don't go gettin' mushy on me, Whitman."

Alex shook his head and grinned. "You do realize this means that you'll have to wear a tuxedo?"

The End