Life is full of unexpected surprises. Most have a twist — generally hopeful or depressing. The real surprise is when the one that was wished for unexpectedly comes true.
Years ago, in the village of Westmeath where there was rarely anything unusual to report – for once, there was. Two women who lived across the street from each other discovered a scheme to get what they both wanted. Very good friends, both were raising families at this point. One was my mother and the other was my partner Sheila’s mother. This pair really appreciated nice duds and liked to dress up; a flowery outfit for Christmas, a modest one for Easter and pretty ones for socializing. But nothing felt so girlish as fancy jewellery.
One spotted a pair of diamond earrings, so perfectly suitable and undeniably noticeable. She just had to have them but the price was out of range. Diamond earrings were like a little black dress — suitable for just about any formal or semi-formal occasion but about as scarce as a Tasmanian devil in that neck of the woods. That’s when a plan was hatched between the two women.
They pooled their money and bought the earrings — to be shared forever. When forever was nearing the end, it was decided to bethrow the earrings to Sheila and she would in time pass them over to my mother’s first granddaughter when her end came. Sheila knew the story and hung onto them for years, the memory of them tucked away in her jewelry box.
Worried about losing them, she wore then only twice. Both times someone made an offer to buy them. Now overfilled with curiosity at their worth she hesitantly went to have them appraised. It turned out they weren’t genuine diamonds at all, but zirconium. When life doesn’t turn out the way it is expected, there is usually disappointment, but in this case, it didn’t really matter as those bogus earrings had brought much pleasure to our mothers.
Why do some smart people make stupid mistakes? Who knows. One woman a few years ago, sold a Demin jacket at a yard sale for $20. Later she realized her $8,000 diamond earrings were in one the pockets for safekeeping. Another in Pittsburg locked herself out of her house so she phoned the fire department figuring they would put out the fire and open the door. The police came as well and charged her with reckless endangerment. As my boss once said, “It’s diamonds in your pockets one week, macaroni and cheese the next.”
Call me a dreamer or silly, but every spring when the snow started to melt, whatever street I was on, I would notice if the exposed ground had any unspoken for bills, hopefully a twenty or larger. After so many years of this idle pursuit I have only come across dog poop or tossed wrappers. Not able to abandon this obsession and why should I? A nice surprise might be well worth the wait.
One time when I was young and restless, my honesty sort of crossed the line. It happened when following a potato chip van on Storyland Road. The back door somehow flew open dislodging a cardboard box. The van didn’t stop but I did. The contents of the almost weightless but sealed box were more than 200 small bags of potato chips which found its way into the back seat of my car.
I thought about this treasure trove over the years, far longer than the tasty chips lasted. Then one time at the tail-end of a Canada Day celebration I noticed the man who had driven the van so many years before sitting at a table. On a whim, I went to him and related the whole story, even though I could have returned the box. I said, “I had wanted to confess to you about it for so many years. What can I do to make it up?” His stern face seemed uninterested and he hadn’t displayed a whisper of a smile during my tale. What he said was not a lecture about my behaviour, anything but, “Put an extra buck on the collection plate Sunday morning.”
I can’t predict what surprises are in store for me like finding money or running across an old acquaintance, but if I could I would like to avoid the ones that might jam up my lifestyle any more than it is.
