THE ENGAGEMENT RING

FORWARD WITH THE LOVE STORY! AFTER MARTIN TRICKED ME INTO PROPOSING TO HIM, THE TIME WENT QUICKLY UNTIL GRADUATION. BUT BEFORE I GET TO THAT LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY ENGAGEMENT RING. WHEN I WAS BORN, I WAS THE FIRST GIRL TO BE BORN INTO THE FAMILY IN 50 YEARS. MY GRANDPARENTS WERE SO INCREDIBLY HAPPY, AND MY GRANDFATHER FORREST, (HEREAFTER KNOWN AS POP) BOUGHT A TINY LITTLE DIAMOND RING FOR ME. ALL MY LIFE I KEPT THAT LITTLE RING, IT WAS THE MOST PRECIOUS ITEM I OWNED. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENED TO ME OR WHERE I WENT, THAT LITTLE RING WAS WITH ME, I GUESS IT WAS A PART OF POP TO ME. I TOLD MARTIN THAT I HAD THIS LITTLE DIAMOND RING AND WANTED IT TO BE A PART OF MY WEDDING SET. THE LITTLE DIAMOND WAS REALLY ONLY A LITTLE CHIP, BUT STILL IT WAS SPECIAL. THE SETTING OF THE RING HAD BEEN BADLY BENT AND WORN AFTER ALL THE YEARS. I TOLD MARTIN THAT I DID NOT KNOW HOW, BUT PLEASE MAKE IT PART OF MY WEDDING SET. HE TOOK IT AND AFTER A WEEK HE SAID HE HAD A SURPRISE FOR ME. HE TOOK ME TO THE PARK WE LOVED TO GO TO AND WE SAT DOWN ON A BRIDGE OVER A LITTLE STREAM. THIS WAS OUR SPECIAL PLACE, AS WE WOULD GO TO TALK, MAKE PLANS OR JUST BE TOGETHER. AS WE SAT ON THE LITTLE WOODEN BRIDGE, HE TOOK MY HAND AND TOLD ME TO CLOSE MY EYES. HE THEN SAID, "YOU CAN PEEK NOW", AND THERE WAS A LITTLE BLACK VELVET BOX IN HIS HAND. MY HEART THUMPING, I TOOK THE BOX AND OPENED IT. THERE, NESTLED IN SATIN, WAS A LOVELY ENGAGEMENT RING. IT LOOKED LIKE IT HAD A LARGER DIAMOND, AND AT FIRST I WAS DISAPOINTED BECAUSE HE DID NOT USE MY LITTLE DIAMOND AS I HAD ASKED. IT WAS DARK, AND SO IT WAS HARDER TO SEE. I SWALLOWED, AND LOOKED AT HIM, SAYING, "IT IS PERFECT. THANK YOU SO MUCH!" MARTIN TOOK MY CHIN GENTLY IN HIS HAND AND SAID, "I KNOW YOU ARE NOT HAPPY WITH IT, I KNOW YOU. WHAT IS WRONG?" I SAID, "REMEMBER MY LITTLE DIAMOND? I REALLY WANTED THAT TO BE IN MY RING." HE SAID, "BUT LOOK! IT IS!" THEN, I LOOKED CLOSELY, AND TO MY SURPRISE, I SAW WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT. THE RING WAS MADE TO LOOK LIKE A LARGER DIAMOND, BUT WAS REALLY A WHITE GOLD SETTING WITH A TINY LITTLE DIAMOND IN THE MIDDLE. I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT. HE DID JUST AS I ASKED. I THREW MY ARMS AROUND HIM AND SQUEALED WITH JOY. HE SAID, "THE JEWLER HAD A HARD TIME FINDING A SETTING FOR SUCH A SMALL DIAMOND, BUT HE DID FIND ONE. ANYWAY, I HAVE NEVER KNOW A WOMAN THAT WAS DISSAPOINTED OVER NOT GETTING A SMALL DIAMOND! I WAS WORRIED THAT I COULD NOT AFFORD ONE TO MAKE YOU HAPPY!" WELL I WAS VERY HAPPY AND FROM THAT DAY ON, I WORE MY LITTLE RING WITH JOY. LATER, THE BAND BEGAN TO WEAR AGAIN, AND FINALLY MARTIN PAIRED IT WITH ANOTHER RING TO GIVE IT STRENGTH. YEARS WENT BY, AND AS I HAD EACH CHILD, MY FINGER BECAME CHUBBIER AND CHUBBIER. I GAVE UP AND PUT THE LITTLE RING IN MY JEWLERY BOX AND JUST WORE A GOLD BAND, THINKING THAT ONE DAY, I WOULD HAVE THE LITTLE RING SIZED AND WEAR IT ONCE AGAIN. IN 1988, OUR HOUSE BURNED. WE LOST EVERYTHING. WE WERE FORCED TO LEAVE AND RENT ANOTHER PLACE WHILE WE REBUILT. I THREW A HUGE FIT TO GO BACK INTO THE BURNED HOUSE TO FIND MY LITTLE JEWELRY BOX. I FINALLY DID FIND IT, AND TO MY HORROR, SOMEONE HAD COME INTO THE HOUSE AND TAKEN ALL THE JEWELRY IN IT. EVERYTHING WAS GONE, ALL MY JEWELRY THAT MARTIN HAD GIVEN ME OVER THE YEARS, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, MY LITTLE RING WAS MISSING. THAT WAS THE STRAW THAT BROKE ME. I STARTED SCREAMING AND AS EVERYONE CAME RUNNING TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED, THEY FOUND ME HUDDLED ON THE GROUND ROCKING BACK AND FORTH CRYING ABOUT MY LITTLE RING. FINALLY, I STOOD UP, TOOK THE EMPTY LITLE JEWELRY BOX AND DROPPED IT ON THE CEMENT. I HEARD A TINY LITTLE "TING" NOISE. I LOOKED AND SAW SOMETHING SHINING ON THE CEMENT. I BENT TO SEE WHAT IT WAS, AND TO MY INCREDIBLE SURPRISE, MY LITTLE RING HAD FALLEN OUT OF THE BOX. IT WAS THERE, RIGHT ON THE GROUND! I PICKED IT UP WITH SHAKING FINGERS AND COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT I WAS SEEING. BUT TRULY IT WAS THERE, IN MY HAND AND UNHARMED. HOW DID THE THIEF MISS IT? ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN STUFFED INTO THE LINING OF THE BOX. NOW, YOU CAN THINK WHAT YOU WANT, BUT I AM SURE THAT MY POOR OVERWORKED GUARDIAN ANGEL STUFFED MY RING IN THE LINING TO KEEP IT FOR ME. BOY HAVE I GOT SOME THANKING TO DO ONE OF THESE DAYS WHEN I GET FACE TO FACE WITH HER! ANYWAY, I CLOSED MY HAND AROUND MY RING, BOWED MY HEAD, AND NOW, WITH TEARS OF JOY, THANKED MY HEAVENLY FATHER FOR PRESERVING SOMETHING SO PRECIOUS TO ME. THAT LITTLE RING IS NOT WORTH MUCH TO ANYONE ELSE, BUT IT IS WORTH A FORTUNE TO ME. SINCE I HAVE BEEN MARRIED, MARTIN HAS MADE IT A HABIT TO BUY JEWELRY ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS, AND I HAVE SEVERAL JEWELRY BOXES TO KEEP IT ALL IN. HE EVEN BOUGHT A LITTLE SAFE FOR ALL OF IT, BUT I AM TELLING YOU THAT NONE OF IT IS AS PRECIOUS AS MY LITTLE DIAMOND RING. IT MEANS SO VERY MUCH TO ME. LOVE, NANASEE