Sister Golden Hair Delight Ch. 21

More importantly, the nurses had suddenly acted as if there was something different about me but just couldn't place it. I walked down the hallway to the nurses' station.

"Sammi! You didn't... oh, yes you did!" said the desk nurse. "Who was it?" Then she saw the ring. "Oh, let me see!" she exclaimed.

Stupidly, I held out my hand, expecting congratulations from the one person I had thought was a friend.

"It... it looks different..." The her voice dropped down, sounding disappointed.

"It's an antique from Italy. They cut the diamonds differently back then." I naively waved my hand up and down.

"I don't know; it doesn't look real."

As the nurses passed by, each was drawn into the ever-widening circle.

"Who is he?"

"Where did you meet, Sammi?"

Question after question filled the air.

"OK... OK..." I said, "he's that lieutenant who was in here all last week after the plane crash at the beach. We had dinner last night."

"Uh-huh... sure you did... what else did you have last night?"

Several women high-fived each other, smacking their hands together with a loud 'pop'.

I blushed. "Oh, no! You don't understand."

More laughter filled the nurses' area, reinforcing several passing doctors' low opinion of the nursing staff.

"THAT lieutenant??? Oooooo... wasn't he the one that was yelling at you? That doesn't make any sense, you... you!""

The blonde nurse, Blance, angrily walked away.

'What was that all about? What a bitch!' I simply couldn't ignore the woman's actions and it bothered me. Even with the hospital air-conditioning, I was boiling mad and humiliated they would dare treat me that way.

The group finally broke up, some laughing and smiling, some confused and angry that I could have the young lieutenant at my age; most were jealous.

"I don't see how she was able to get that guy? He's gorgeous and she's so... so..."

"Old?"

"Yah... that's it. So old. What is she, anyway? Like fifty or something? She's like my mother's age or something. I'll bet she gave it up right away."

"Ahhhh... you never can tell with some of these..." she looked around the hallway and whispered, "these Asians. They'll do anything that a man tells them to."

"You're right, that must be it... he's just getting sex."

"But, what about the ring?"

"Didn't you see it? A piece of junk, that's costume jewelry, that's all. Probably bought it herself."

The two nurses cruelly laughed and walked away with their self-delusions not realizing I had heard every word spilling out of their malevolent hearts.

After arranging a two-week personal leave, I started to drive home but then turned around and headed into downtown Honolulu. As much as I had hated to admit it, doubt was rapidly creeping through my subconscious demanding to know... to know if the engagement ring was real or not.

'This is bad karma' I had kept telling myself as I kept driving into downtown, 'but I have to know if what he told me is true, or thanks to those... Those damn women! If what he told me is true...'

I had been so stupid, undeserving of his passion and caring.

I refused to entertain what might happen if it wasn't, especially after our incredible night together. My ass was still sore.

Finding a jewelry store isn't as easy as it looks, especially when you want one. Eventually, I saw one, parked on a side street and walked back to the store. I waited to be 'buzzed' in.

"Good morning. How may we help you?" said the pleasant old man behind the counter.

"If I may, I'd like to get this ring appraised." I cautiously slipped it off my finger, hoping it would be for the only time. I so hesitated, knowing what a lack of trust I had already committed and the longer I stayed there the worse it was going to be.

Then it was too late for the old jeweler had already taken the ring from my hand and was looking at it with his loupe.

"Is it... is it real?" I asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

He looked at her over the rims of his glasses. "For insurance purposes?"

"Uh... yes, for that." 'Bad karma... bad karma...' was shattering through my head.

"Do you want a full report or just a general idea?"

The whole time, he was moving the ring in the light, looking at it closely through his lens.

"Uh... general idea for right now, if you don't mind." I had become nervous and starting looking around the store to see if there was anyone else there.

"It's a little dirty... looks like someone went swimming with it and didn't get all the saltwater off it. I'll clean it up. Just a second."

He disappeared for a moment behind some drapes and before I could become even more anxious, returned carrying a small container of solution, my ring sitting at the bottom.

He fished the ring out and held it up to the light. His other hand pushed his yamika to the back of his head. "Mein Gott," he muttered, looking at it closely. He adjusted his loupe and slowly moved the jewelry closer to his lens.

"Where did you get this?" he said, almost demanding an answer.

I moved back, scared by his sudden change of mood.

He rotated the newly cleaned ring around as it scintillated with bursts of light.

I began to worry... 'Was the ring stolen? Is that why he's acting strangely, angrily? What have I gotten myself into? I knew it would be bad karma...'

"I've, uh, changed my mind, please. I'd like to go now."

I held out my hand, expecting him to return the ring to me so I could walk out. Instead, he called out in German to someone in the back.

The drapes opened, revealing a short, white haired woman that looked like Mrs. Claus.

"Fraulein, you must be patient," he said. "Do you know what you have here?"

"It was a gift... an engagement ring... is something wrong?"

I was about to cry, sure he was going to call the police. He made no move, however, to either leave his place behind the counter or give my back the ring.

My mind was screaming at me; I was sure I was in a hole I couldn't climb out of. I couldn't leave without it! What had I done? I shouldn't have gone there...I damned those nurses for making me doubt my Bobby with their jealousy and I damned myself for being so easily swayed... I was sure I was going to jail... that we were both going to jail.

"Why are you crying, fraulein?"

"Because you've frightened her, you... Du spinnst! (You are crazy!) You dumbkoff! What's the matter with you, scaring this young girl like that! Young woman, please sit down. I apologize for mine idiot of a husband. I'm sure that whatever you brought in has him very excited. What is it?"

Between sobs, I said, "Just a ring, an engagement ring."

The stress of all the events of the last two days finally took their toll on me.

"Here, wipe your tears."

The old woman began speaking rapidly in German with the old man.

Chagrined, he started to speak. "Fraulein... I am sorry. Let me begin again... here, look at this... here... and here." He pulled out a large magnifying glass from a drawer and handed it to me.

I looked but didn't understand what I was looking at.

"I'm sorry, I really don't understand."

"This ring is as perfect as it can be. True, it is an antique cut, I believe early 1920s, I will have to look it up later... see these three stones? They are perfect... and the size! Easily three carets each! Magnificent! A ring fit for a princess!"

I was so mortified I didn't believe him, those damn nurses! Ahhhh, I knew it was my fault, I didn't have enough faith in him. I felt I had to beg his forgiveness...but that was such a BAD idea! I vowed he would never know!

"He said something about his grandmother being a countess in Italy."

The old man turned to his wife. "That would make sense. Why don't you get some strudel for our guest? I have to write this report. Don't worry; no charge for you! This is an incredible find!"

I followed the woman through the drapes, turning my head in time to see him lock the door and put up a 'closed' sign. I sat down at the kitchen table. 'Well, I thought, 'I'm either having lunch or going to jail. Might as well eat..'

"My husband... sometimes... he just gets so excited! Look at you, you're such a pretty little thing! I will fix that right now. Here, have some strudel, I will get some schnitzel and some blintzes from this morning. I will warm them up for you."

"I really appreciate the hospitality, but I..."

"Listen to me, little girl. You are going to have many babies and need to be ready. You visit me every week and I will give you enough for the week. We will work together on this. You watch; I'll have you fat and happy in no time."

Oh, great! Here was another mother, this one trying to fatten me up... yet, it was cute... sorta.

"You'll have to tell me what all this is, please."

"You've never had a chocolate brownie before? I am shocked!"

I looked down at the plate. My fork was resting against the chocolatiest brownie I had ever seen. I stared at the sweet... and finally began to laugh, a laughter from the bottom of my soul, knowing my karma was good.

"Let me get you something to drink." The old woman turned to the refrigerator and pulled out several pitchers, put them on the table and identified each one. As she explained what each treat was, I happily ate the desserts. I reasoned I could worry about the weight gain the next day or the day after that. Those sweets were good... I definitely promised to keep coming back every week...

The jeweler stood in the doorway holding his appraisal. As I continued eating, he went down the form, explaining each section until I understood what he was saying. As he finished, I knew he was holding something back.

What was missing?

"And now, aside from the fact you are engaged and have the ring... which, of course, is a most important part, but I have to tell you..."

I was so frustrated. He was killing me with all that; just get to it... grrrrrr....

"David, will you get on with it? I must," she said, staring at him as he stood there, munching on a brownie, "apologize. Put that brownie down, it is for our guest." She kissed the old man on the cheek. "Will you just tell her, please?"

"All right, you take all the fun out of it. Seriously," he asked me, "what do you think it's worth?"

What? $1500, maybe... I didn't know...

Before I could answer, there was a shout. "David!"

"All right, all right... The ring itself has a few nicks on it, I don't know what happened to it, but anyway... the ring is platinum, very pure, so be careful with it. I reset one of the small stones, it was a little loose, probably from the same thing that caused the nicks. The stones, the large stones... are each three carets; I think I told you that.

The antique cut is both a good thing and a bad thing. Historically, the cut is an exquisite example of the type, which makes it very valuable. The cut also, though, does not make them sparkle as much as they would if cut in today's style. Therefore, you have three large diamonds and twelve smaller diamonds surrounding, all told. From a just modern commercial standpoint, it's worth around eighty."

My stomach sank. "Eighty dollars?" I can't believe how ignorant I was then.

"Oh, no! Mein Gott, girl! Eighty thousand dollars... these are quite nice gems that could be re-cut easily into some very large modern jewels."

"Eighty thousand?" I was getting faint and reached for the table edge to catch my balance. Those damn girls, they caused me to lose faith in Bobby with just a few words. How stupid of me... how easily I lost trust in him, my husband... I am so ashamed...

"However, from a purely historical, museum quality value, this ring is priceless. A ring like this seldom comes on the market and when one does it usually goes for more than a million."

"I'm going to be sick... where's the bathroom?"

The man's wife helped me into the bathroom where I knelt on the floor resting my head on the lid of the toilet. She got a clean washcloth and wet it, putting it on my neck and then wiped my face.

"There, there... your fiancé must worship the ground you walk on to give you this ring. You might want to talk to my husband about making a copy for everyday and lock this one into a safe deposit box."

Eventually, I felt better and returned with the old woman to the kitchen.

"Dear... I need your name and address for the forms."

"Sayomi Nakamura... Osborne. Sayomi Nakamura Osborne. I'm not used to saying it, yet. Do you think he knows? He told me he had been wearing it ever since his mother died." I pulled out my wallet and gave the man my driver's license.

"I don't know. A ring of this value... what was he doing?"

"He's a Marine Corps fighter pilot. He was involved with that crash the other day on the beach."

"Amazing that it still exists at all! No wonder there was salt and nicks. I don't know how you can ask him, that's something you're going to have to figure out on your own. If you do, do you think he'll be angry?"

"I don't know. I took a chance coming here today because the nurses I work with thought it was fake."

"Well, you've got two choices: you can stay quiet because I don't think they're worth having as friends or you can tell them and have them get sick but they probably wouldn't believe you... of course, then you might get it stolen."

"They're not my friends..." Not any more, they weren't, and they probably weren't ever to begin with.

"Then, just leave it alone. However, Fraulein, I wouldn't wear that ring around, it's too valuable. I will make you a substitute ring, no charge... it's a wedding gift, OK?"

"You don't have to do that."

"I made you cry... I am ashamed; sometimes I do things without thinking... You would think I would know better at my age. You bring it in sometime and I'll photograph the ring and make some casts since the original cuts are hard to match."

He handed me the ring and the report, walked me to my car and said 'goodbye.' I drove slowly home, wondering what to do.

**********

Afternoon, Sunday, August 5th

In the heart of a Mother, you will always find forgiveness

Misaki, Sayomiko's mother....

My daughter came into the kitchen. "Mama, I must speak with you... I'll wait for you outside." Sayomi's aggressive manner was asserting itself again, much to my fear. She only acted that way when she was extremely agitated and I had never seen her so fidgety.

I was mystified. Ever since she brought home that flier, Bobby, she had been acting oddly.

It was one thing to have a man over to dinner, which she had never done before.

It was another thing, completely, to sleep with him on what was, apparently, their first date and to do it here at the family home! I really don't know whether it would have been better for them to go to a hotel or not.

However, when she told us she was going to marry him if he would only have her... that worried bother her father and me... it was so unlike Sayomi to act that way, almost submissive to the man she now referred to as her husband.

I was even more surprised when Kaito, my husband, told her that if she didn't marry Bobby then she really shouldn't marry anyone. I was completely confused. I don't know whether she was feeling the passage of time and life passing her by or if my husband wanted another man in the house and I wanted grandchildren but we gave our assent to what she wanted to do.

In the back of my nervous mind lingered the small chance that Sayomi finally wanted to have sex on her terms. It had been fifteen years since what happened and I knew that she forsaken any chance of love since then. Why she changed her mind so drastically, I didn't know and could only surmise that she saw something in Bobby that excited her enough to marry him.

I put away my apron, changed into my walking shoes and went out the sliding doors to where she was waiting.

We walked away from the house and headed down the valley toward the beach. I waited, knowing that she would speak when she was ready.

"Oh, Mama, I did something so very wrong this morning. I am so ashamed..."

"What did you do, Sayomi?" I was frightened. "What did you do? Did you break up with Bob?"

"Oh, no, Mama, even though he said he would never be angry with me, I think he might be angry enough to leave me. I think I am going to have some very bad karma from what happened this morning."

I stopped walking, grabbing her by the shoulders, spinning her around and stared into her face. "Sayomi... what... have... you... done?"

"The jealous women at the hospital were making fun of my ring, saying it was fake and I got nervous and I went to a jeweler in the city and he appraised it for me and he told me..."

What had my daughter done? She was terrified about what Bob might do? She was shaking like a leaf. What did she find out? The ring can't be fake or she'd be angry, not scared.

I had only seen her like this when she was a child and her father was sick in the hospital.

"What did he tell you? Tell me, child." I could hardly hear my daughter. "What?"

She whispered into my ear. My face paled and I looked for some place to sit down, finally settling on the damp pathway itself. I sat there with my face down and my hands over my eyes for her shame was now my shame.

How was this possible? Bob was a young flier. He didn't have that kind of money... or... did he?

We didn't know anything about this man. He was sleeping with my daughter, she says they're married in their hearts and he's given her a million dollar ring.

That was insanity.

Making noise as they walked down the pathway, my husband and Bobby were approaching from the house.

"Quickly," I said, "hide over there so they won't see us." We moved off the path and headed into the jungle growth, crouching low behind the greenery. The men disappeared toward the ocean, and after waiting several minutes, we walked back to the house as quickly as possible.

Bobby....

Several hundred feet farther down the winding path, I asked my new father, "Sir?"

"Yes, Bobby."

"Did you notice anything funny a minute or so ago? Sayomiko and her mother were hiding in the bushes. I don't know what was going on and you didn't say anything, so I waited until now."

"No, Bobby, I did not, it must be your warrior's eyes; women can be mysterious. With both of them hiding, I believe the two aunts will be part of it very soon. You and I will pretend that we know nothing, which is what they think, anyways... and we shall see what happens."

I bent over and laughed. "That's the first joke I've heard from you, sir, since I've been here."

"Who's joking?" he said, and then he laughed, slapping me on the back. We continued downhill, the older man describing the property boundaries and easements to me as we went.

"This property is amazing, and so peaceful, sir." There was a deep silence as we walked toward the beach, went across the road and sat down on the sand a few feet from the water rushing in. "Would you help me learn Japanese? I know enough to be polite, I think, but... I would like to be able to speak with your family better..."

"You want to fit in better? Listen, Bob, Sayomi has told us that as far as she is concerned, you are her husband. We are Buddhists and our beliefs are different from those of Christians. Many things are the same, of course, but there's enough to notice.

"Of course, the biggest one is that we don't believe in the Christian concept of God... but, enough of that right now. I will be glad to teach you. Sayomi and Misaki will be happy. You know, 'Sayomi' means 'little night beauty'".

I blushed, thinking of our previous night's lovemaking.

"You know," Kaito said, "that we all do speak English quite well, even the two aunts."

We sat on the beach; the older man wondering aloud what life will be like now I, a Marine Corps warrior has entered his daughter's life. He said she was happier than he had seen her since she was a young girl.