If you ever asked John about his favorite memory, he would have told you that it was the day that he got engaged to the love of his life, Jane. The two were perfect for each other. They had matching brown eyes and hair, the same taste in movies, music and politics. And as if that weren’t enough, they were both avid fans of the Red Sox. It was a match made in heaven.

John and Jane met each other in college. John was in his last year and Jane was just starting her second. How they met was rather uninteresting. It was your typical they literally ran into each other and fell down type of thing just like in movies. The whole thing really is unimportant. In fact, nothing in their college years is that important. Let’s just say that they two of them both got through school fine, and that John graduating was no problem at all. There were no affairs on either end.

What matters is what happened starting from the proposal onward. Although they both loved the Red Sox, they couldn’t afford season tickets, or any tickets for that matter so early on in life. So at least they didn’t get the really cheesy, on the jumbo-tron at Fenway proposal. Still, it would be a lie to say that the Red Sox were not involved at all.

It happened a year after Jane graduated from college. She and John were watching a baseball game on the television. Who the Red Sox were playing makes no real difference. They won, which put John and Jane both in a good mood. So good of a mood, in fact, that Jane just blurted out “Let’s get married.”

Needless to say, John was a bit surprised. He had barely even though about marriage, at least this soon on after school. He didn’t even have the money for a proper ring. But apparently that wouldn’t matter because he wasn’t the one proposing here. “Are you serious?” he asked.

Jane shrugged. “Why not. It’s gonna have to happen eventually. Why not sooner than later?”

“But what about rings?”

“We’ll find something.” Jane waved the foolish question off. When she was met with only silence, she got down on one knee, only partly in jest. “What’ll it be John? Will you marry me?”

John chuckled. “Yes, of course.”

It was official. They were John and Jane soon to be Doe.

Now being a bit on the lower end of income, finding a matching pair of diamond rings was rather tough. They figured that a matching pair was the only thing that made sense, seeing as Jane proposed to John. They both agreed that cubic zirconium just wouldn’t do, and of course, after nearly a full day of searching, they came out empty handed. They had nearly given up when they saw a small jewelry shop tucked into the corner of a plaza. It was called Dust to Diamonds. They thought that it sounded promising.

They stepped inside and found what looked to be a very high-class store. Every surface was black velvet, and countless pieces of jewelry rested behind gray frosted glass. On the back wall of the jewelry cases hung numerous old, black and white Polaroid pictures of happy couples of all ages.

Although the store was empty at first, a man stepped out from the back room almost right after John and Jane soon to be Doe walked into the store. “I’ll be right with you,” he said. As John and Jane soon to be Dow waited, he put a new diamond ring behind the glass right in front of a picture of an elderly couple.

The man looked out of place in the clean environment of the store. He was small, with thin white hair. He wore beat up work clothes that were covered in dirt and soot. When the ring was safe behind glass, he quickly made his way to John and Jane soon to be Doe. “How are ya’ folks?” Name’s John O’Brian!” He shook John and Jane soon to be Doe’s hands. They each introduced themselves. After John said his name, O’Brian got a gleam in his eye and loudly proclaimed “Hey! My name’s John too! John O’Brian! Pleasure to meet you!” He almost seemed like a leprechaun.

“…Yeah. John-” John was cut off.

“Call me O’Brian.”

“Right. O’Brian. We’re looking for matching engagement rings.”

O’Brian’s face lit up. “Perfect! I promise you won’t be disappointed here!”

Jane smiled sweetly. “I’m sure that we won’t but we have… well… limited funds.”

O’Brian chuckled. “Not to worry!” He exclaimed. “I have the perfect pair in mind!” He grabbed John and Jane soon to be Doe by the wrists. His hands were rough and calloused, and covered in what appeared to be soot. He led them to the perfect pair of rings. The two silver diamond rings complemented each other more than John and Jane soon to be Doe did if that was at all possible.

“They’re beautiful…” Jane gasped.

“How much?” John asked skeptically.

“Why, whatever you can afford!” O’Brian cried with gusto.

John and Jane soon to be Dow and O’Brian worked out a price startlingly quickly. Once the check was passed from hand to calloused hand, O’Brian asked John and Jane soon to be Doe to stand in front of the photo backdrop on the wall across from the cash register. It was deep red, and the only thing in the store that wasn’t black, white or gray.

John and Jane soon to be Doe obeyed, and O’Brian produced an incredibly old Polaroid camera from under his desk. After he snapped the picture and watched it begin to develop, he thanked the couple and set the picture down on the counter top. He then reached under the lip of the counter and pressed a button. John and Jane soon to be Doe couldn’t see, but it was the same color as the photo backdrop.

As soon as that button was pressed the floor below John and Jane soon to be Doe suddenly disappeared. They fell down what seemed to be an endless smooth metal chute.

Thanks to the miracles of modern science, human ash can be compressed into diamonds. The next day, John O’Brian placed a set of rings identical to the ones that John and Jane had intended to buy directly behind the glass. Their cubic zirconium models were long gone. He turned to greet a new customer. Behind him, John and Jane Doe sat behind glass, immortalized by the black and white Polaroid photo behind them.