A diamond necklace

Jonelle is a small clerk with a meager income. She just got divorced not long ago, and she has two children by herself. One day, she was going to the supermarket to buy some discounted fruit, and when she passed a jewelry store, she couldn't help but stop.

　　In the middle of the jewelry store's showroom, there is a diamond necklace, which lies on black velvet and shines brightly. The diamonds are worn by a thin chain, connected to the buckle, the largest diamond in the middle, and the two diamonds next to the buckle are the smallest. The workmanship of the necklace is so delicate that the designer seems to have figured out the woman's mind. Jonelle thought: If you wear it around your neck, the effect must be suffocating.

　　As a married woman, Jonelle naturally has a few pieces of jewelry, but she has never worn such a luxurious necklace, and maybe she will never have the opportunity to wear it in the future. Between this thought, Jonelle stepped forward, pointed to the necklace, and asked the clerk, "Can I see that necklace in the window?"

　　The necklace was put on Jonelle's neck. She turned around in the mirror and took a deep breath: It's so beautiful! Her whole body became radiant because of this necklace. Jonelle couldn't help but ask, "How much?"

　　"$37,000," the clerk replied politely.

　　Jonelle gasped, $37,000! Who but the rich would buy such a necklace? Jonelle returned the necklace and walked quickly out of the store. That night, she couldn't sleep at all, and the words of the clerk were still lingering in her ears: "There are 118 natural diamonds on this necklace, finely polished, and the total weight is 15.24 carats." Jonelle thought gloomily: If I live like this, I will never be able to afford such a good thing.

　　A few days later, Jonelle and her mother went shopping at the supermarket. Passing by the jewelry store, she found that the necklace was still in the same place, but it had been discounted, from $37,000 to $22,000. Jonelle couldn't help but drag her mother into the store, ask the clerk to take out the necklace, and wear it around her neck again.

　　"How is it?" Jonelle turned around and asked her mother with a smile.

　　"Beautiful! So beautiful, dear." The old lady nodded with satisfaction, but when Jonelle turned her back to her mother, she clearly heard her mother's clear sigh.

　　After leaving the supermarket, the mother said to Jonelle: "This necklace is really good. But under what circumstances is such a precious jewelry suitable for wearing? It's only a few days all year round." The old man said this. He wanted to comfort his daughter, but Jonelle's eyes lit up when he heard this: Yes, working-class people, who would wear a diamond necklace all day long? It will only be worn at important moments of the year, so as to show the preciousness of that day. I can't come up with more than 20,000 US dollars, but I still have 1,000 US dollars. If I can find eleven more people and pay 1,000 US dollars each, that is 12,000 US dollars, and then go to the jewelry store to cut the price, it should be about the same. They can drop $15,000 at a time, why can't they drop another $10,000? Jonelle couldn't help but get excited when she thought of this: Okay, let's do it! She rushed back to the jewelry store, took out $1,000, and ordered the necklace.

　　When she got home, Jonelle called her college classmates, friends, and colleagues one by one, inviting them to co-finance the necklace with her. However, the vast majority of people said no, some said they had no money, and some said they had no interest. Despite all the trouble, Jonelle found seven partners, and before the bill from the jewelry store arrived, she found four more, and now, according to her original idea, twelve people can go together to buy the necklace.

　　The eleven companions came to the jewelry store under the leadership of Jonel, and they were greeted by the owner of the jewelry store, Paul. Jonel took out the order, handed over the other $11,000, and said firmly, "How about another discount, $12,000?"

　　Paul stared blankly at the pile of cash on the table and the dozen or so women who were no longer young, and suddenly a burst of emotion rose in his heart: For these women, this necklace represented a dream - a dream of life. Dreams of good things.

　　Paul hesitated for a moment, then said to Jonell and the others, "Please wait a moment, I'm not the only one who has the final say in this shop." After speaking, Paul walked into the room and called his wife Morris., this jewelry store is actually his wife's property, and Paul cannot make any claims without authorization.

　　After listening to Paul's explanation, Morris was very surprised. She pondered for a moment and replied, "Dear, you have to know that if the price is reduced to 12,000 US dollars, the profit is too low, which means that we did not enter this goods."

　　Paul hung up the phone, thought for a while, and wrote down the pros and cons of not selling the jewelry on paper: not selling means pressing the goods, and now the goods have been pressed for four months; selling, there are still some The profit is still earned compared to pressing the goods. Then he called his wife Morris again based on this meaning. After listening to her husband's opinion, Morris answered firmly: "Honey, the minimum is 13,000 US dollars, we can't let it go any further."

Paul came out and told Jonelle and her companions the final offer. He considered his words and said, "13,000 dollars is only 1,000 dollars away from your price. If you want, I will pay for the 1,000 dollars, and I will find a collaborator for you. Before she herself is present, you have to tell me how to arrange the use of this necklace."

　　Jonelle listened to Paul and readily agreed. She really bought the precious necklace of her own accord! Although some of the eleven companions were just friends of friends, and some she didn't even know, they all believed in their pursuits, and that was enough. She felt that her life had been sublimated because of this necklace: what difficulties could not be overcome? As long as you tell others what you want, and others happen to agree with your needs, the ups and downs will become smooth.

　　The twelve women, including Jonel, were between the ages of 45 and 60. Their occupations were nurses, teachers, and ordinary clerks like Jonel. After buying the necklace, they sat down in a cafe and discussed when to wear the necklace, and quickly reached an agreement:

　　Each person can apply to wear the necklace for one month per year, which is the month of the wearer's birthday. In addition, partners can apply to wear necklaces according to their own temporary needs, but only if no one has a birthday that month, or the person who has a birthday no longer wants to wear the necklace. Regardless of the application, twelve people must participate in the approval of the application together, and everyone has to get together and have a small party.

　　Coincidentally, their birthdays didn't happen to be in the same month. In the first month, it was Kaina's turn to wear the necklace. Kaina was careless on weekdays, and she had caused a lot of trouble when she was careless. The night she got the necklace, she almost stayed up all night. She had to let such a precious thing be handed over to the next companion safely! Don't let the thief steal it. When Kaina returned the necklace to the custodian Jonelle a month later, she couldn't help but cry with joy, and she said to the eleven companions who attended the party: "Because of this necklace, for the first time in my life, I realized Responsibility, oddly enough, I'm so old, I've never known what worry is before." Saying that, Kaina embraced the others warmly.

　　The second person to apply for a necklace was Lisa, because next month is her birthday. Lisa is a little autistic on weekdays, and she is afraid of dealing with people. However, during this month, she wore the necklace and generously thanked relatives and friends who came to congratulate her on her birthday. Lisa's husband said that his wife seemed to have changed, and she now has unprecedented confidence.

　　In this way, according to the month, the necklace was passed on in the hands of one companion after another. Tess has no college degree and has always had low self-esteem, but with the necklace around her neck, she has found a good job; Deanna is an empty nester, and her life has always been lonely. She inadvertently participated in the purchase of necklaces because of the introduction of her friend Kaina. During the activities, I regularly participated in the parties of these twelve people and became cheerful and lively...

　　In the blink of an eye, a year will pass, and the lives of twelve people have actually undergone positive changes because of this necklace. Their stories also spread in this small town: at first, people thought that buying necklaces together was just a last resort for women who love stinky things, but now, the whole city's views have changed. People think that this 10,000 more than $, maintaining the purest things between people.

　　Only Jonelle still muttered in her heart, because she remembered that one of the people who bought the necklace did not show up. Until the spring of the following year, Jonelle suddenly received a call, and the other party said clearly: "Ms. Jonelle? I'm Paul, do you remember? The one who sold you the necklace, yes, I took a stake, and now I apply to you to wear that necklace."

　　When Jonelle asked who the thirteenth partner was, Paul said unreservedly: "I took a stake for my wife. Last month, our jewelry store was forced to sell because of the financial crisis. Now Morris and I are penniless. Next month is her birthday, and I know she's frustrated, and I need your help and yours."

　　Morris was led to the party by Paul in a trance, and her eyes were still very blurred. Seeing Morris enter the room, Jonelle and the other twelve stood up together and applauded enthusiastically to welcome the last partner. Jonelle announced that Morris would wear the necklace next month. Morris was stunned for a while, and gradually, her eyes flashed with surprise. She quietly asked Paul to put the necklace on her, and said to her husband tearfully, "I finally know why you insisted on selling the necklace to them in the first place. You left me love when I became nothing. Thank you, thank you so much! "