The Merman's Proposal

I scored a severely battered merman at a bargain price.

The seller said he was incredibly stubborn—he refused to sing, and he refused to cry.

I looked at the crybaby merman who currently hummed to himself all the time.He doesn’t seem like it.

Later, he kept pulling out his own scales and handing them to me. He seemed deeply anxious, looking like he didn't want to be with me at all.

Once his wounds healed, I released him back into the ocean.

The merman burst into tears: Giving scales is how mermen propose! It's a proposal!