一枚鑽戒

                                     余國英

    二十多年前，如玉收到老公台生的遠房堂弟廣生來的一通電話。

   「四嫂，這次我到美國，在紐約長島你家去住一個週末，不知方便不方便？」 廣生公司平常的任務就是將中國生產的貨品由東莞運到美國邁阿密去。雖然常常到美國來，但卻因為忙碌的關係不曾到堂哥台生家住過。

   「歡迎，歡迎！」如玉非常高興的回答。

    果然那個週末，他們由甘納地機場，將廣生接到長島他家。來了之後才知道原來廣生因為退休的年紀快到了，不知什麼時候才會再到美國來,想來長島看看台生夫婦退休以後的生活情況，另外，他想在退休以前買一枚鑽石戒指送給他的太太白麗。

   「結婚這麼多年，白麗因為要照顧我的媽媽也就是她的婆婆以及要照顧她自己的媽媽，加上三個孩子都在香港讀書，就一直住在香港，她為了我們這些老老少少，一天到晚忙個不停，真是難為她了！所以我想將這麼多年來我儲存的零用錢替她買一枚鑽石戒指！聽說在美國購買比較貨真價實一些, 所以想請你们幫忙。」廣生非常動情地告訴台生夫婦。

    廣生與白麗俩人是在當年知青上山下鄉時代在雲南鄉下相識而結婚的，白麗長得像她白族的媽媽，非常漂亮。性格卻像她漢族的爸爸，吃苦耐勞，溫順而安靜。

    如玉和台生雖然對鑽石戒指也不怎麼內行，但卻義不容辭地帶了廣生到紐約長島一家比較有名氣的珠寶行選購了一枚價值約一萬元美金的鑽戒，然後護送堂弟廣生歡歡喜喜地坐上回香港的飛機。

    不料大約一個月以後，竟然收到了一通白麗由香港打來的緊急長途電話，說要要趁廣生到東莞去處裡公司事務的那個週末，到美國如玉家來一趟。神情非常慌張的白麗來長島之後，立刻 要求台生夫婦帶她到廣生買鑽戒的同一家珠寶行去再買一枚一模一樣的鑽戒。

    怎麼一回事呢？原來白麗為了顯擺老公廣生送她的戒指，與她的閨蜜們在香港酒樓飲茶的時候，不合把鑽戒由手指上摘下來讓閨蜜們傳觀， 那知傳出去之後就沒有再傳回來，這一下白麗魂飛天外，幾乎不想活了，思前想後終於找出了自己一輩子存下來約一萬元美金的零用錢，想出這一招。

    風塵僕僕的白麗一夜沒有睡好，第二天台生夫婦帶她到珠寶行，不意那家店員卻告訴他們說她要的那一款戒指已經賣光了, 如玉一聽, 一顆心立刻沈入谷底。

   「這一枚，這一枚有點像！」白麗一眼看見玻璃櫃檯裡面的另一枚鑽戒，歡呼了起來。

   「只是像而已嗎？不是完全一樣？萬一被廣生認出來了呢？」如玉真的不放心。

   「不要緊，粗心的廣生一定認不出來！」對這一點,白麗非常有信心。買了新鑽戒的當天晚上，她就急急忙忙地趕回香港去了。

    20年後，廣生帶了白麗到世界各處去旅遊，兩人特地到佛羅里達來探望退休了很久的表哥和表嫂，進門的時候, 只見廣生一隻手提着老婆的皮鞋,另一隻手摟著老婆的腰,白麗手指上帶著的那枚鑽戒安靜恬蜜地發著柔和温馨的亮光。如玉和台生見他们兩人這樣甜蜜恩愛,心裡非常安慰。

    開車送走了廣生和白麗, 事後台生夫婦两人私下討論。

   「喂, 看來廣生沒有發現白麗戴的是她用自己存儲的零用錢購買的鑽戒吧？」如玉不放心地問台生。

   「當然有！」台生笑道。

   「什麼?！」如玉吓了一跳。

   「廣生告訴我說他見到白麗梳妝台上两隻一模一樣的珠宝盒,裡面的收據卻是不同的日期, 就心存疑問了,他當初还以為是白麗請我们郵購的呢! 後來知道了是白麗親自到美國來選購的, 當然格外感動了!」

   「他不會告訴她罷?！」如玉又問。

   「白麗最近忙着筹備慶祝他们五十週年的金婚念, 廣生打算在他们金婚記念日當眾向她告白, 再加送他這次瞞着白丽又在同一家珠宝行購買的一對耳環呢!」

余國英 Gwen Li

989 Webster Street, Apt450,

Oakland, California, 94607

415-871-8862

www.amazon.com/author/gwen.li

A Diamond Ring, by Gwo-ying Li

Edited by Descartes Li

   More than 20 years ago, Jade received a phone call from her husband Tyson’s distant cousin Guangson; "Jade, I am in the United States on business for this weekend. Is it ok for me to stay at your house?" Guangson asked.

     Guangson owned an import/export company which shipped merchandises from China and sold in United States. Although he came to the US very frequently, but he was so busy that he seldom had any chance to visit with Tyson and Jade.

      "You are very welcome!" Jade answered happily.

     Sure enough, that weekend, they picked up cousin Guangson at JFK airport, and then drove him to their home on Long Island, New York.

     Guangson told them that he was going to retire soon, and, did not know when he would be back to the United States again.  He wanted to come to Long Island to see how Jade and Tyson enjoyed their retired life, and, in addition to that, he also wanted to buy a diamond ring for his wife Bai Li before his retirement.

     "We have married so many years. Bai Li has been taking care of my mother, her own mother, plus our three children who are goin to school back in Hong Kong. Bai Li stays in Hong Kong where she is busy  taking care of all of us, old and young, day and night. It is really not easy for her! So I want to buy her a diamond ring with the money I've saved over the years! I heard that in the United States you can buy a better quality diamond ring with the same amount of money. Would you be willing to help me out?” Guangson said with great sincerity.

     Guangson and Bai Li were married in Yunnan where they met. They were “educated youth going to the countryside” during the Cultural Revolution. Bai Li looks like her ethnic minority Bai mother: very beautiful with light complexion. However, her personality was along the lines of her Han father: hard-working, gentle and quiet.

    Although Jade and Tyson were no diamond ring experts, they still very enthusiastically took Guangson  to a famous jewelry shop in Long Island, New York. They helped him to buy a diamond ring worth about 10,000 dollars, and then escorted a happy cousin Guangson back on to the plane to Hong Kong.

    Unexpectedly, about one month later, they received an emergency long-distance call from Bai Li in Hong Kong, she said that since Guangson was in Dongguan doing the company business that weekend, she would fly to the United States to Jade’s house.

      A very panicky Bai Li arrived Long Island, and she immediately asked Jade and Tyson to take her to the same jewelry store where her husband Guangson bought the diamond ring. She wanted to purchase an identical ring.

     What was going on?  It happened that one day, Bai Li was in the Hong Kong restaurant drinking tea with her lady friends. She could not help but show off the diamond ring that her husband had so gratefully given her. She took off the ring from her finger for the ladies to pass around to admire, but it never came back! She was so upset that she eventually she took out 10,000 dollars of her own, money that she had saved for a lifetime, flew to New York, and was now back at Jade and Tyson’s home, telling this story.

     Bai Li didn't sleep well that night. The next day Jade and Tyson took her to the very same jewelry store, but the clerk told them that the ring she wanted had been sold out.

     "This one, this one is a bit like it!" At a glance, Bai Li saw another diamond ring inside the glass counter and yelled with joy.

     "Just like it? Not exactly the same? What if it's recognized by Guangson?” Jade was unsure.

      "It doesn't matter. Guangson will never be able to recognize it!” Bai Li was very confident of Guangson’s carelessness.

    That very evening, Bai Li flew back to Hong Kong in a hurry.

    20 years later, Guangson took Bai Li to travel all over the world. As part of this trip, they went to Florida to visit their retired cousins Jade and Tyson. When they entered the door, Jade and Tyson saw Guangson was  holding his wife's leather shoes with one hand, the other hand was wrapped around his wife's waist. The diamond ring on Bai Li’s finger was quietly shining with a warm and soft light.

     Seeing the sweet couple so much in love, Jade and Tyson’s hearts beat more comfortably.

        After the lovely visit from Guangson and Bai Li left, Jade and Tyson had a little chat between themselves.

       Jade could not resist her curiosity, so she asked her husband Tyson. "Hey, it seems that Guangson didn't find out that the ring on Bai Li’s finger was bought with her own pocket money, or did he?" 

       Tyson laughed. "Of course he did!” 

       "What?!” Jade was startled.

      "Guangson told me that one day he saw two identical jewelry boxes on the Bai Li’s dresser. The receipts inside had different dates, so he had his doubts. Initially, he thought that  Bai Li had asked us mail order it. Later, he learned from me that Bai Li personally flew to the United States to purchase the new ring. Of course, Guangson was so moved by his wife’s dedication!"

     “Will he tell her?" Jade asked again.

     "Guangson intends to publicly confess to her at their 50th anniversary party. Then he’ll give Bai Li a pair of matching earrings that he bought secretly while they were visiting Long Island!"

Gwen LI

989 Webster Street, Apt 450

Oakland CA., 94607

415-871-8862

Descartes Li

444 36 Ave,

San Francisco CA., 94121