Lost & Found

Hiding what’s precious, so it doesn’t, get lost, but, the downside was, you couldn’t, remember, where it was that you’d, hidden it either, translated…

Many a year ago, after my son had his wedding, my daughter went to England to study, before she graduated, my son, my daughter-in-law and I, went to meet up with her in England, on the night before we board the flight, I thought of how my daughter-in-law’s, engagement ring was so precious, cost too much, that it would not be safe, for her, to wear it abroad, and, it’s too late to get a safe at the bank to put it in, and, leaving it alone at her home that’s not watched over wouldn’t be safe either, so, she’d, given it to me for safekeep.

I’d thought of, many places to hide the diamond ring in, and finally, I’d, found a very covert place, that the burglars would, never look.  Then, we set out, happily, we’d, stayed in England to visit for half a month, my son and daughter returned back for work first, my daughter and I, trekked around in Europe, for another, a little over a month, then, we’d, come back home again.

illustration from UDN.com

After a long while, one day, my daughter-in-law suddenly inquired, “mom, where did you hide my diamond ring?”  “Your ring?”, I’d become, confused, I couldn’t, recall that she’d, given it to me for, safekeep.  Holy!  I’d, thought hard, for days on end, oh yes, she had, given it to me, for safekeep, but, where, had I, hidden it?  I’d started, rummaging through my house, all the places I can think of, I’d, looked, behind the books on the bookshelves, the closets, the coat pockets in the coats inside the closets, all corners of the drawers of the desks…I’d, searched wherever I could, find, the bedroom, the den, the kitchen, the living room, I’d tried to find it, every chance I got.  But nope, nope, still, not found!

Even if, disregarding the cost of the ring, but that was, something that my son and daughter-in-law had, picked out after carefully selecting!  Where is it?  Where is, it?  I’d, almost, flipped my house, upside down, not a clue still.

Finally, I’d, given up.  I’d, taken out a sum of money, had my son and daughter, to find another ring as a makeup for the one I’d, misplaced, but they’d, turned me down, said that the ring is, somewhere in my house, that, it’s, going to, turn up one day.

Later, my daughter-in-law got pregnant, I have, a brand new, grandson, that cherished baby had us all in laughter, and, busied us around, like, everybody forgot, about, the misplaced, engagement ring.

And, later after that, my young grandson was about to, turn two, at the age when he’s, most, curious and active, that day, as I was, making lunch in the kitchen, he’d, started, busying himself too, with a broom that’s, taller than he is, just, started, sweeping, around.

As I’d, turned my head, I saw how he was, working hard, digging, into that space between the fridge and the walls, I’d, stopped him from it, “Dirty, don’t sweep there!”, he’d, managed to, sweep up, the dusts that’s, gathered there since many a year ago already.  I’d, taken over the broom from him, was about, to sweep up what he’d, swept out, then suddenly, something shiny, I took a closer look, wow!  You’d found the treasure!  That diamond ring that my daughter gave me for safekeep many, many years ago!  I’d looked everywhere, and, my grandson wasn’t even, looking, and, voila!

I’d finally recalled it, I’m, used to, layering the torn off calendar pages to line the top of the fridge to keep the dusts from covering it, I’d, hidden the ring in-between the pages, and, as the year passed, ‘d, pull the old sheets out, lined the new in, and, don’t know when, the ring had, fallen, into the cracks between the wall and the fridge.

Ahhh!  I did, an amazing job, hiding the ring!  Not only, the burglars couldn’t find it, even I could either!

And so, this, is something interesting that happened, when you have a young child in the house, the kid is, curious, about her/his, surrounding environment, and, that young grandchild of the writer’s, is at that age where he liked to, explore his living environment, and, voila, he’s found, his mommy’s engagement ring, that his grandma hid, and misplaced!