Marilyn's old engagement ring didn't fit my tubby fingers, as I had suspected. Still, I felt bound to that ring and wanted to keep it close. So, I did the next best thing: I strung it on the gold necklace that my special locket hung from.
The locket was given to me by Colleen years ago in high school. She gave it to me the day after we trudged through a winter storm to get home. We lived on the same street, and had decided, upon the school closing down for a snow day, that since everyone was working, it was up to us to walk home. Of course, she didn't have boots and in trying to be a typical independent teenager, I decided that I didn't need my coat that day.
In the midst of our walk, we traded the boots for sneakers and the coat for no coat, in an effort to share our situation totally. She gave me the locket the next day. "Just because," she told me.
My sense of organization is pretty sad sometimes. I think my cat knows where her things are better than I keep track of my belongings. Of course, that doesn't explain the felt mouse I found buried in one of my favorite comfortable socks. I found it after I pulled it on, still sleepy, not noticing at first the pointy lump that smelled like catnip. Off went the sock, and then I had to dig the mouse out, and lecture the cat, who is used to my parents' lectures but not mine. She slinked off, annoyed, while I decided, this is not starting off to be a good day. I reached over to the nightstand, to pick up my locket from the top where I typically left it. But it was nowhere to be seen. I searched the floor, the drawers, lectured my cat, Lucy, once again, thinking she had decided to get even with me. Then I tore apart my apartment searching for it. But, unfortunately, I had no luck. If it was the cordless phone, at least I had a locator button I could rely on. However, this could be a challenge. Maybe the dumpster, I decided, cringing at the thought. Well, that's where the cordless phone went that one time.
I tried to retrace my last steps, frustrated at how I could lose something so important to me. Wasn't Colleen's new boyfriend just telling me yesterday I should be careful putting that ring on a necklace. Well, now I had gone and lost both.
Colleen had found herself a new Mr. Wonderful. I don't know how she does it so quickly. His name is Matt and he seems great. I told her, "If you don't want to keep him, I'll take him."
At that, she laughed and said, "You're always trying to keep my guys."
