Work Text:
"Oh Ms. Balash!"
Georg's voice echoed into the workroom where Amalia had been filling tubes of Mona Lisa, correctly this time. She sighed and set down the current tube. Georg had confessed to being Dear Friend almost two years before, but he still insisted that they refer to each other by their last names at Maraczek's, something to do with professionalism.
"What is it, Mr. Nowack?" She asked, as she emerged into the main store.
"Mr. Laszlo brought in a new shipment of the musical candy boxes, as you call them, and I would like you to bring me a box, so I can set up an arrangement, here in the center of the floor." He answered, his voice slightly shakey.
Amalia nodded and started towards the back door, looking around the beautiful shop as she walked. After Mr. Kodaly had left, Arpad has quickly taken over his counter, making fast sales to the young girls that came through. He was growing into a dashing man of 20, and Amalia felt a small rush of maternal pride towards him as he made a large sale to a girl about two years his junior, who blushed when he passed her the bag.
Ilona, her large diamond wedding ring glittering in the light, was checking over the receipt for the day, checking it against the pervious day's. It was barely after lunch, and today's receipt appeared at least two inches longer.
Mr. Maraczek, though not working at the shop every day, was sitting up by his office, which no one had tried to take, and therefore left empty for him to use as he pleased. He caught Amalia's eye and smiled, which she returned and continued on.
Mr. Sipos was between customers and rearranging his counter so the bottles were a rainbow of glass, the colors reflecting onto his jacket. Amalia knew he'd been working on the project for a while, after one of his daughters had come into the shop, a little girl of 8. She remarked how all the rainbows being mixed up. Mr. Sipos had immediately decided to rearrange his counter.
Amalia returned to Georg with the container of boxes and handed it to him.
"Here you are, Mr. Nowack, the musical candy boxes you asked for," she said with a quick smile as she turned to walk back to her counter she shared with Georg.
"Thank you so much, Ms. Balash," he responded taking the container.
"You know, I don't think i like the name Ms. Balash," he remarked. "Doesn't really suit you."
Amalia chuckled quietly. "Then what do you think my name should be?" she asked, a light, joking tone in her voice.
"What about Mrs. Nowack?" Georg asked, his question accompanied by the soft chimes of the candy box's music.
Amalia whipped around to see Georg kneeling, a small ring box in his hand. She quickly looked around the shop to see that at some point, everyone had quietly climbed the staircase and was watching from Mr. Maraczek's balcony.
"Of course I'll marry you, Dear Friend!" she answered, tears coming to her eyes as she sprang onto Georg, causing him to fall flat on his back.
"See guys, she loves me!" He called up to their coworkers on the balcony.
"Yes I do," she whispered to him, before her caught her lips with his and tucked and arm around her waist.