bands.
after college, phil worked at a brain bank. the salary was pitifully low. but the one upside was that if a brain came in after hours, he’d get called in to process it. and he’d get paid a flat rate per brain for those. if we were together when he got called, i’d often go with him to keep him company while he worked.
i didn’t know it at the time, but he was saving up that extra money to buy an engagement ring for me. he later told me it took twenty-three brains to buy the ring.
after we were engaged, i’d still accompany him on those late night trips to the brain bank where he’d slice brains with an electric turkey knife while i flipped through wedding magazines and planned our [very] budget wedding. que romantico, no?
anyhow, three years into our marriage, when mikey was just a few months old, ilostmyweddingring. it was winter in minnesota and we were at the mall. we were getting ready to leave and i had slipped the ring (my engagement and wedding rings had been fused together into one ring) off in order to put on my gloves and had put the ring in my pocket. i remember it was a terribly cold, windy evening with snow blowing everywhere. somewhere in the rush of trying to get all bundled up and dashing out to the car, my ring fell out of my pocket.
and i can’t think about that particular event without a pang of sadness and regret. but phil has never once gotten angry or reproachful over it. not once. instead, he ordered me a wedding band for me to wear until we can someday replace my wedding rings. that day has yet to come. but i love my wedding band. it’s a smaller version of the one he wears. i’ve had it twice as long as i had my other rings. it still serves as a reminder of the love and commitment he and i share.
assignment #14: wedding bands.
they’re both rather scratched up after years of wear and tear. but i love that the matching rings are his and hers. his and mine.
my most favorite thing about our two rings? it’s that mine fits perfectly inside his.
and that little heart inside our rings? a perfectly serendipitous moment.
7 Comments
Jenny
aw…. aside from having to read about the slicing of brains, i love this post! i'm sorry you lost your rings, but i really love that your rings match and that yours fits perfectly inside phils. so sweet!
Kate Avedissian
i had no idea you lost your rings, I remember how beautiful they were, all the diamond that surrounded the band. Love the picture that created a heart. I have a picture from a Valentine's day here, it was snowing and the tire tracks created a double heart. How perfect was that???
Sonia
Beautiful, Michelle! These are the stories that make life so interesting and rich!
joyceandnorm
Brains…totally romantic! Bummer you lost your rings. Mine are a little loose when it's cold. Yikes! Phil's not slicing more brains on the side to save up, is he? =p Great pics of the rings and you have a story to tell.
James
Agree with kate. The picture of the rings with the glare of the heart was awesome. Great shot!
Judy
beautiful post. it's those kinds of memories that you will treasure most when phil becomes a world-renown doctor making millions of dollars! 😉
Anonymous
Laura An- what a sweet story Michelle!
February 15, 2011 at 10:16pm
Jee St John- OH what a lovely story! Thanks for sharing!
February 15, 2011 at 10:19pm
Stella Lee- beautiful!
February 16, 2011 at 8:23am
Stephanie Jay Chinn- so very sweet. Thanks for sharing!
February 16, 2011 at 9:17am