Dear Annie:

My girlfriend and I have been together for three years. When we first started dating, "Mary" unexpectedly became pregnant and we now have a beautiful child who is our life's joy. I would like to ask Mary to become my wife. Here's the problem: Money is pretty tight with a toddler, so buying an expensive engagement ring will be difficult. Is cubic zirconium worth looking into? I thought I'd get a nice-looking CZ ring and, when things settle down, maybe replace it with a real diamond.
我和女友在一起已經3年了，當我面剛開始約會時，"Mary"意外地懷孕了，我們現在有了一個漂亮的小孩，孩子給我們生活帶來了很多樂趣。我想向Mary求婚。問題在于:要養一個小孩錢很拮據，所以買一個昂貴的訂婚戒指是很難的。能考慮買鋁合金戒指嗎？我愿想買一個漂亮的鋁合金戒指，當事情定下來后，用真的磚石戒指來替換。

My initial thought is to be upfront with Mary and tell her. Do you think that's a good idea? We have a joint checking account, so she'll know all about my purchases. Is there a good way to mask how much the ring costs? － Perplexed in the Midwest
我最開始想和Mary直說。你認為這樣做好嗎？我們的賬戶是2人共有的，她會知道我買什么東西了，有好辦法來掩飾戒指的花銷嗎？

Dear Perplexed:

Don't lie to Mary about the value of the ring. Women can be very understanding about not getting a diamond, but they don't like being fooled. And if you are serious about replacing the ring later, it doesn't matter what the original is made from. As for hiding the cost, you can put aside small amounts of cash until you have enough to purchase the ring and Mary will never know what you paid for it. P.S.: Best wishes on your upcoming engagement.
戒指的價值不要和Mary撒謊。女人們對不買磚石戒指是可以理解的，但是她們不喜歡被欺騙。如果你真的想事后換下了，那最先的戒指是什么材料都不重要。至于隱藏花銷，你可以先卻出小筆錢知道你有足夠的錢來購買戒指，Mary從不會知道你用這些錢買什么了。祝福你們婚禮。

【生詞注釋】
unexpectedly (adv.) 意外地；突然地

toddler (n.) 幼兒；剛學步的小孩

engagement (n.) 訂婚；約會

look into 研究；考慮

to settle down 穩定；安身

to be upfront 直接；坦白

purchase (n.) 購買；採購

perplexed (adj.) 令人困惑的；麻煩的

to be fooled 被欺騙；遭愚弄

upcoming (adj.) 接近的；即將來臨的