The Lone Gold Post

The very first gift my

husband gave me, barely a

month into dating, was an

expensive pair of diamond

stud earrings. Beautiful and

simple, the kind I’d actually

wear. I don’t wear much

jewelry, but these became

natural everyday wear.

And I did just that. I wore

them everyday for the last

twenty years.

Today my best friend took

off work and we had a girl’s

day. Somewhere between

breakfast, shopping and

dinner, I somehow lost one. I

have no idea when, where, or

how. But I know I touched

them and checked the posts

in my ears at some point

during my day, as I often do.

My left ear felt odd and

empty.

My stomach dropped and I

felt a flush of panic. My

friend, the restaurant staff,

and I checked the floors in

case it was pulled out when

I removed my scarf. All we

found was a lone gold post,

but no diamond earring.

The disappointment settled

as the reality set in. The

earring was gone.

I sat there calculating: the

monetary value, the

sentimental weight, twenty

years of memories in my

ear. Then I thought about a

a phone call. A phone call

saying I’d lost him.

My chest tightened. My

breath caught. Heart

crushing. Dizzying.

Everything shifted.

Losing the earring was

nothing compared to what

that call would have been.

I chose what mattered more.

The money, the memory it

carried, none of it

compared to him. What

truly mattered was I still

had him, still had the

stories.Those carry more

weight in my heart than

they ever would have in my

ear.

When I got home and told

my husband, he wasn’t the

slightest bit upset.

He said: “I’m sorry honey, I

guess I’ll have to buy you

another pair.”

Not upset. Not worried

about the cost. Just wanting

me to be okay. The same

love he showed when he

originally bought the

earrings, still there,

unchanged.

—FromTenderGround🧡