DIAMONDS

I enjoy diamonds.....most girls do, I guess. I got it from my mom, I assume, as diamond jewelry was often her gift of choice for holidays and anniversaries. I received my first diamond when I was 6 years old. It was a thin, gold band with a single diamond...a small chip of one, I'm sure, but for a 6 year old, it was more than enough.

There are two instances I remember happening, concerning diamonds. One is from a time when I was a child and the other, as an adult.

I was in 5th grade, I think - perhaps a year younger. I was wearing a pair of diamond earrings. Nothing so big that it drew attention, but diamonds. They were my mother's. (No, I didn't just take them. She let me wear them.)

Now there was a girl by the name of Wendy Tucker. (Do my childhood friends remember her?) Well, she, some other kids, and I were walking home after school. I remember her suddenly crying and freaking out because she had lost the back of an earring. I can remember a group of us combing the street in the area, hoping to be able to help her out. Now the backs don't often just fall off....she had been jacking with it and it fell off.

This is where my blond-ness is my problem. She was worried that she would get into trouble. Being the soft-hearted, gullible, soul I was, I decided to give her the back from one of my earrings. I put the mate-less earring into my pocket......you can probably imagine what happened after. My jeans were washed BEFORE I remembered the earring. Much like a lone penny in a pocket, the earring came out of its place. UNlike a penny, it went down the drain. I was in a bit of trouble after that.

Now to more recent times. This happened in my very first year of teaching. I had a child....well, I could write a few posts on this child alone...anyway, for my birthday, I received a few gifts from some kids: handmade cards, Dr Pepper, chocolate - this child came and handed me a small, unwrapped gift....a pair of earrings. USED earring. EWWWW!

I thanked him, thinking it was some cheap pair of earrings from a dollar store or his sister or something. Nope...they were diamonds. DIAMONDS! I had an 11 year old give me diamonds! SO, I called the mom - it was a very uncomfortable conversation, I might add. Here is how it went:

Me - Hello, Mrs. T. I needed to tell you that Danny gave me a gift for my birthday today.

mom - Well, he IS very fond of you. I didn't know it was your birthday. Happy Birthday.

me - Uh.....thank you. I was curious about the gift as it appeared to be quite expensive...something that I really can't accept from a student.

mom - Well, what was it?

me - It was a pair of mismatched diamond earrings.

mom - *stomp stomp stomp* as she headed up stairs. At that point I hear some words that shan't be typed....imagine what you would say if.......

mom - He STOLE his dad's earrings!

me - (in thought only) WHAT? EWWWW!!!! THAT IS NASTY!!!

(in words) OK. Well, I have them here. When you come to get Danny today, come find me and I will return them to you.

It is almost laughable to think that I had to flunk that poor child for the year. Perhaps if he had cleaned up a pair of MATCHING earrings.......hmmmmmmmm.......