More Than Us by Renee Ericson

A THOUSAND CRANES
    Foster
    Folded once, corner to corner, and then again, with the opposite corners.
    So much paper…and to think, I will need so much more.
    Next, I fold the blue square sheet in half and then half again, always making sure to get the creases sharp. I’m demanding perfection on this project, more so than I have with any other. Evelyn’s worth the effort.
    I continue to bend the blue paper into itself until it finally resembles a proper crane, like the ones I’ve made time and time before, and then I toss it into the box at my feet.
    Grabbing the next sheet, I start the process all over again, folding and bending, crafting the decorated squares into bird shapes. In the middle of about the twentieth crane for the night, someone knocks at the door of my new office within the family business. It was given to me not long after I got my master’s degree and moved back to the city. Considering the late hour, I assume it’s one of the cleaning staff, collecting the trash.
    “Come in,” I call, concentrating on the final steps of my current origami project. Not looking up, I bend underneath my desk, pull out the small wastebasket for the janitor, and set it aside for better access.
    “Working late?” my mother asks. Her voice is not the one I was anticipating. “We can’t have you that busy already, can we? You just got here.”
    I finish a final fold of the bird and set it aside. “No, I’m working on a personal project.”
    “What kind of project?” She drops her briefcase to the ground and then approaches my desk, eyeing the stack of square papers on one side and the folded bird on the other. “Is this something for your Evelyn? You’ve never been known for arts and crafts.”
    “I’m still not.” I lean back in my chair, shuffling the hair over my ear. “And, yes, it’s for Evelyn.”
    “Oh. Are you helping her with something?”
    “No…I meant to tell you and Dad about it at dinner tonight since Evelyn will be out with her friends, but…” I reach into the briefcase resting at my feet and pull out the small blue box that has taken up so much space in my mind since the moment I decided to purchase it. Setting it on the desk between us, I slide it closer to Mother and then stand up to continue the conversation at eye-level. “Open it.”
    “Is this…” She reaches for the box in question with shaky fingertips.
    “It is.”
    She flips the lid of the velvet container, revealing the ring I plan to present to Evelyn.
    “I’m going to ask Evelyn to marry me.”
    My mother nods, and her eyes begin to water. “She’s really the one for you, isn’t she?”
    “Yes. She’s…everything to me, Mother.”
    Sniffling, she attempts to contain her tears, but one falls down her cheek. I offer her a tissue, and she wipes the moisture from her eyes.
    “I hope those are happy tears,” I comment.
    “They are.” She breaks into a blissful grin. “Oh, Foster.”
    “Don’t get too excited. I haven’t asked her yet. In all honesty, I don’t know what she’ll say. She’s not very traditional.”
    Mother angles the box in my direction, displaying a brilliant blue diamond with facets of perfection, catching and reflecting even the lowest of lights.
    Picking the right ring was a challenge for such a vibrant woman, but the moment I saw this one, I knew it was meant for my Evelyn.
    “How could she say no with a ring like this?”
    “We shall see.” I collect the ring from my mother, close the box, and return it to my briefcase. “Like I said, she’s a little unconventional.”
    “She is, but I think that’s why you two work so well together.”
    “That still doesn’t mean that she’ll want to get married.”
    “Have you talked about it with her? Even in theory?”
    “A little but…not a lot. All theory.”
    She beams. “I have a good feeling, Foster. Anyone can see how much she loves you. Your father and I were just talking about that the other day. She follows you. First, to