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| Wear Me! |
There is a woman I know
named Winnie who owns an antique shop. She’s just a wee thing but she’s got a
big personality, and may or may not have been born into Chinese royalty.
Occasionally she lets slip
something that happened in her youth, (like being chauffeured or carried) but
she breezes over those details and always returns to things that matter: My dog, her dog, family, and Peking duck. Recently she lost her dear
friend Patricia, a quiet and elegant lady who occasionally worked in
the store. Earlier this year
Patricia was diagnosed with cancer, and went home to her family, and died.
During this year, Winnie
stayed close to Patricia’s side. She took her to doctor’s appointments
and brought her food. They lived just a few doors apart and spent a lot of time
together. Winnie did everything a thoughtful person would do to make sure a beloved friend as comfortable and safe.
But as much as they were
similar, they were also quite different. Winnie has the energy of a teenager
and loves to chat, then fling herself into your arms for a hug. Patricia was
more of a dignified observer, but enjoyed a good joke. Winnie liked to buy fun
stylish clothes, and go out for dinner. Patricia, apparently, was more
frugal - though Winnie kept trying
to shake her up.
Last time I was in Winnie’s
shop she was up a ladder, acting nothing like the grandmother she is. She came
sliding down like a fireman, landing squarely at my feet. Along with the small woman came a flash of light. ‘What the heck?’ I said, squinting my eyes.
‘Are you wearing diamonds?’
Winnie was accessorized like
Mr T. She grinned and held up her hand. On her middle finger was a diamond rind
that was the size of a chiclet. I have one almost like it, only mine was $7.00
at Old Navy, and hers was real. ‘Where the heck did that come from?’ I said.
Winnie told me that after
Patricia went home, she went into her friend’s safety deposit box, ostensibly
to get some documents and the ‘good’ necklace. What she found instead was a mother
lode of jewels. Gold bracelets, emerald earrings, money, and diamond rings.
There was a ton of it.
Winnie said her first
reaction was shock. She had no idea that Patricia had such valuable items. Then
she wondered why Patricia had saved so carefully right into her 70’s. She had
no kids, and nobody depending on her. She could have been having a ball.
Eating, traveling, and buying cute sweater sets from J – Crew.
‘So that’s Patricia’s ring?’
I asked.
‘No?’ laughed Winnie. ‘It’s
mine!’
She told me that when she
was getting dressed that morning she noticed her own box of jewels – the ones
that are too expensive to wear.
The massive gem she had on her tiny finger was a gift from her husband
and she only wore it at home. But that day she thought, ‘What am I waiting for?'
A good lesson I thought.
That night I went home for some roast chicken with the wingman. We wanted a
glass of wine, and I open the fridge and reached for some plonk. Then I heard
Winnie’s voice. ‘Don’t be a Patricia,’ it said, ‘It makes no sense to wait.’
So I put back the everyday
wine, and opened something sparkling instead.
