つづく (To Be Continued)

Dearest Rachel –

Well, honey, I did say I was going to have to continue the story I began telling you about on Tuesday, as I wasn’t able to get you over to the jewelers’ that day. It’s a fairly short story, though – at least, for now.

But first, I think I need to fill you in on the significance of this particular jeweler. After all, there are places here in town I could go – indeed, there’s one in particular that we have some history with – why go up to the next town to take care of this bit of business?

Well, part of this has to do with the connection we have to the local jeweler. You see, when I went to order an engagement ring for you, I went to the local place in my hometown (rather, I should point out, than one of those big name jewelry chain stores you might have seen in this mall or that). The salesman was a relatively young fellow – albeit older than myself – who guided me through the process of picking something out for you, including the possibility that the band could also be made into the center of a wedding band in case you said “yes,” which of course you did. Given your frugal upbringing (and the fact that, while I was employed and making a decent living already for the time, this was a large commitment in terms of expenditure), I thought you might appreciate that option, and so I went for it. Meanwhile, my folks relied on this same salesman for items both personal and business-related (Dad often would have awards made for dealers who accomplished a particularly high volume of sales, for example), so our family loyalty was with this salesman as well as the jewelry store. When he eventually opened his own store, their business went with him, as opposed to staying in town. And so, now that I have one last piece of jewelry to be made for you, I’m bringing things full circle by going to the same exact person who created the ring that brought you here in the first place.

To be fair, I’m not as much into store or brand loyalty as my parents are, when it comes to making purchases. I wouldn’t always buy the same make of auto (in their case, Ford); whatever used vehicle I can get is fine with me (“It’s transportation,” as Detective Colombo shrugged). And while we have (had) our favorite places, the idea of walking into a restaurant, and having the maître d’ or waiter greet us by name seems a bit like we’re too stuck in a rut. There are so many other options to experience, after all.

But when it comes to something like this, where I’m only going to do this once on either end of the relationship (and who saw this end of it coming?), there’s a certain sense of poetic closure to bookending things with the very same jeweler making a keepsake to both begin and commemorate the end of our time together. And so, here we are.

***

To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to make it over to the jeweler’s place in Palatine, after walking and lunching with Lars out in Wilmette until well into the middle of the afternoon as we tend to do. I brought you along in case it was possible – as well as to show you off to one more person before handing you over to be set – but I wasn’t at all confident that I would be able to get all the way across the county before the place closed for the day. Ironically, the place would be open later today (until 7) than yesterday (closing at 5), but since Daniel and I have a standing dinner arrangement with the folks tonight that’s much earlier than last night’s Bible study, going yesterday was still my best bet.

And while Lars and I didn’t focus too much on the time, the fact that he was seeing you in gem form (although I did have to explain that this wasn’t just any lab-grown diamond, but one made from your very own ashes) meant that we were both aware of my planned errand. So, while we tried not to be too rushed about things, we still managed to wrap lunch up with what appeared to be time to spare.

It probably helps that over the past year-plus of walking together, we’ve gotten to the point that we’ve shaved a fair amount of time off of our usual route; an early start and a brisk pace has us at lunch at a more standard hour, rather than long after the typical lunch crowd has come and gone. True, service is slightly slower as a result, but it’s nothing we can’t deal with, and it’s not as if we’re trying to be in a hurry.

The point is, while I admit to being a poor judge of the passage of time if I’m not actively looking at a clock, I realized that, once in the midst of things, I needn’t have worried. Not that I ever was; after nearly a year and a half (and over two years since having been to see Tim in the first place, when he advised me to come back when I had your gem in hand), if I were to wait for another day or two to consult with him at this point, what difference would it make?

But I got there with plenty of time – and even managed to call the place while on my way, in order to let them know I was coming, and what I had in mind – and had his full attention throughout. He took measurements of the both of us (seven millimeters for you, and a size 10½ for my right ring finger – I can’t wear it on my left hand, since it’s not meant to be a wedding band), and sifted through several catalogues of potential settings.

And that was pretty much it, as far as things go. You’re in Tim’s hands now, which are as good as I can ask for. If anyone can do you justice, it’s him; and not just because they’re the same hands that crafted the ring you said “yes” over, although there is that folded into this whole thing as well. Hopefully, you’ll be pleased with the result. But for now, this is still nowhere near the end of the journey, so you understand that I have to affix the title that I have to this brief segment of the story; there will be more to relate as I hear back from him about the progress.

Until then, though, keep an eye on both of us, honey, and wish us luck. We’re going to need it.