The Ring In The

She was wearing a red two-piece suit. I was wearing a velvety turquoise dress. I had probably bought it from the department store located down the street. Between us, we held the embossed chestnut brown jewelry box. It contained the ring. We had been talking about the ring for several months. A lady came to speak with us about it. We glared at the ring. We had our finger measurements taken. We looked at the price. I realized that I wouldn’t be able to afford this.

When she overheard me talking, she approached me and informed me that the grant would pay for it.

Now on stage, with the ring held tightly between our hands, the photographer took our picture.

I had worn the ring before for a prolonged period of time. I had probably worn it while eating breakfast, while at the library, or even while I was going out somewhere in the evening with a couple of friends. I probably wore it while at work on my babysitting job.

Another time, I had it neatly tucked away in my embossed chestnut brown jewelry box. I had forgotten exactly where I had put it. With all the packing and moving I had done over the years, I managed to keep it in one of my boxes or in my suitcase.

My roommate and I were living together at the time. I was working as a telemarketer. We were a handful who were being interviewed. The manager came in to talk to us about the position. We were required to show up on time every day, take calls, and make money. After the interview, we were asked to report to work the next day and start on the job.

We talked to people during all hours of the day.

“Hello, may I speak with Larry?”

“He’s not in. Can I take a message?”

“Good Morning, Is Ms. Brenda available?”

“She’s at work. Can you call back after five?”

“Hello, may I speak with Jim?”

“Who’s this?”

“Good Morning, is Carla available?”

“May I take a message?”

“Hello, is this Denis?”

“Click.”

“Hi, may I speak with Anthony?”

“Try back later.”

“Good morning, is this Helen?”

“Sorry, you’ve got the wrong number.”

“Hello, is this Jen?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Good Morning, Jen. How are you?”

You finally got someone to talk to, and you came in the next day to do it all over again. We had the option of coming in during morning or evening shift. I took the morning shift just as several of the other people. If you missed your shift, you had the opportunity to make it up on the evening shift. During lunch break, I walked up the hill to one of the fast-food places and ordered something for take-out. Sometimes, I ordered something that was more on the healthy side like a baked potato.

On my way to work one morning, I ran into a young lady. She looked familiar. She must have been on her way to work herself. We chatted for a little while. I informed her that I was working as a telemarketer. It all came back to me, and it occurred to me. I didn’t have my ring on my finger. Years later, I found it somewhere in the midst of my belongings. It was neatly tucked away in the embossed chestnut brown jewelry box. I opened the jewelry box, took out the ring, and placed it on my finger. The ring that I wore with my velvety, turquoise dress when she wore a red two-piece suit.