Golden Ring
Myra stroked
her bare ring finger on her left hand where her wedding band used to sit. She
never thought things would change so dramatically in the space of a year. She
had worked as a paralegal for a small law firm, her military husband had been home
on leave, and her two boys had enjoyed their fifth and second Christmas.
This
Christmas was dreary in comparison. She lost her job due to budget cuts and
Aaron had been declared MIA in Afghanistan for the past three months. Her
unemployment benefits were about to expire, but she had a part-time job in
sight. Now, she had to pawn the last item that tied her with her husband, a
simple, gold ring.
The tears
sprung to her eyes, but she smacked them away. She wouldn’t cry. No more. It
was Christmas, and William and Mark deserved a happy one.
Taking the
$150 she’d gotten from the ring, she bought her children clothes, toys, and a
few sweets. If things didn’t improve, it might be their last good Christmas for
a few years.
Things had to
improve.
Laden with
gifts on that Christmas Eve, she entered their home, silently thanking his
parents for giving it to them as a wedding gift, and readied the living room
for Christmas. The small, artificial tree sat in the corner. Presents in
brightly wrapped paper sat underneath. The room twinkled in red, green, and
blue lights. It almost felt warm and cozy, like Christmas, in here.
The telephone
rang, and she winced. She couldn’t stand ringing phones and knocking on doors
since Aaron’s disappearance. She, also, hope it didn’t wake the kids. Answering
the phone on the fourth ring, she said, “Hello.”
“Mrs. Laraby?”
The voice
sounded official, and her heart sped up. “Yes, this is she. How may I help you?”
“This is
Colonel Ruthering, ma’am. We wanted to notify you that we’ve located your
husband, Sergeant Aaron Laraby.”
His voice
sounded far away and yet all too loud. Not
on Christmas Eve. Please, don’t let him be dead on Christmas Eve. She
rubbed her thumb across her naked ring finger.
“He’s being
transported from Afghanistan to a hospital in Germany before he’ll be flown
back to the States. He has sustained injury, but they are expecting a clean
bill of health. He’ll be contacting you once he is briefed, ma’am.”
At first, the
Colonel’s words didn’t register. She’d feared the worst. Then, a pleasant
tingling giddiness entered her. She smiled a genuine smile for the first time
in three months. “He’s alive, right?”
“Yes, ma’am.
He’s alive.”
“Thank you,
Colonel.”
“You’re
welcome, ma’am. Your husband will be contacting you soon. Have a good
Christmas.”
“Merry
Christmas too.” She hung up the phone. Everything appeared brighter, more
cheery. She’d find a way to get the golden ring back too.
6 comments:
When I first began reading, I wondered if the marriage had deteriorated within the space of the year. Then, when I discovered he was MIA and she had to pawn her wedding ring... So sad! I'm glad it was a happy ending.
I was hoping it would end up like this. She'll get the ring back. Yup!
Aw yay! I'm glad that you gave this story a happy ending. :-)
Awww. So sweet.
such a sweet story, sometimes a happy ending can be satisfying :)
Lovely story! The ending made me smile.
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