Tony and Cassie are at jewelry store shopping for Jill’s engagement ring. “You should buy pink gold,” Cassie says. “It’s her favorite. She keeps that a secret because white gold is so popular now, but I know she would want her engagement ring to be made of pink gold.”

Tony feels a sense of relief when Cassie says that. He knows Jill prefers pink gold because she mentions it every time they see a jewelry commercial on TV. This morning Tony had felt apprehensive about asking Jill to marry him. He began to have second thoughts when Jill said bye to him without looking at him first, and then walking out the door before she could hear his reply. However, now that he realized he knew something about Jill that her best friend considered a secret, it made him think that perhaps the apprehension he had felt all day was just cold feet. He felt slightly grateful to Cassie for alleviating his fear.

“Is it strange for you to be proposing while your brother is in the middle of a divorce?” Cassie asks absent-mindedly.

“Not really,” Tony replies. “Liz and Mark are, well Liz and Mark…The thing is their relationship had always been very bipolar.” Tony uses the word bipolar because he lacks a better word. Mark and Liz always fought, and even though they tried to hide it, their fighting was evident  because of the snide remarks they made to each other in public. It was also evident by the screaming that was heard outside their doorway, that would cease as soon as someone rang their doorbell. But there had always been such passion in their arguments. Jill never got mad at Tony, although this was not always the case. When they started living together she was constantly irritated by him, but now it seemed that she did not care enough about him to get angry. Tony decides that he is being silly. After all Mark and Liz are divorcing, while him and Jill are about to start a new chapter of their life. Jill had gotten used to living with him, and he should view their lack of fights as proof their relationship was growing stronger, not weaker. Tony wishes he was not so introverted. He realizes he needs a distraction so he asks Cassie, “How was your date with the painter guy?”