Married for the First Time at Fifty (Week 5)
WEEK 5 (Mar 17, 2018):
It was our one-month wedding anniversary, which we acknowledged in the morning, but forgot about by evening.
I’d teased that I didn’t believe in divorce, but it was okay, someone in my family would surely get us a wood chipper for a wedding present.
One day I saw one at the bail bond office and stopped to take a picture. I texted him with, “Thinking of you.” He said he got so sick of hearing about the wood chipper. Eventually, he said, “I’m ready to go jump in it myself.”
(Dean's cousin, Keith Roberto, made this wood chipper rendering.)
One month later and we still haven’t had to resort to the wood chipper. Small victories.
We finally found wedding bands for either side of my engagement ring.Costco, because he needs to get a deal.
We got two bands, because I can relate to the television character Monk and need things to be even, like bookends. The bands are platinum gold like the engagement ring and have small diamonds in a channel setting, but not on the back side.
His sister-in-law Karen found them for us. She knows jewelry. I do not. All I know is diamonds are shiny.
(Engagement photo from December 24, 2017.)
The engagement ring was his grandmother’s from the early 1920’s. Dean’s mother Jean received it decades ago because she’s the oldest of her siblings. He expressed he couldn’t believe it remained unclaimed after all these years, since he has three older siblings, two of them women.
The jeweler’s appraisal stated the ring is ‘loop clean,’ any flaws can only be seen by microscope. He said it was from back in the day when they did things right.
Dean dropped them all off to be sized and soldered together to minimize spinning on my finger. They said it would take a week or so.
Too long!
* * *
The doctor removed the three stitches on my head. Dean is still grossed out. I asked him to look at it and see how angry it is, but he refused, turning his head and holding me at arm’s length. There’s a reason he didn’t become a doctor or nurse; the same reason I didn’t.
* * *
Dean loves anything with treasure or gold. So much so I decided for a wedding present, I’d get him a sunken ship treasure coin. I researched the prices and popularity of certain ones we’d seen at a local dealer recently. The prices were spot on with other dealers.
When I got to the store, I had him show me what he’d shown Dean. As I hesitated between a couple, he showed me another one. He said he’d only recently acquired it. I debated between the popular Atocha coins and this other, less popular one. As I considered future value, I decided the Atocha’s might just be jacked in price due to popularity and could dive in the near future, so I went with the less known ship’s coin.
I presented it to Dean and he was shocked that I’d done it. He was very grateful I’d given him the coin. He’d been wanting one for years, but might have taken another few years to actually bite the bullet on purchasing.
Par for the course, he researched this coin, that, as expected, I had not. He found that I’d spent about twice as much as the current market value. He went back to the store, and had a talk with the owner, who cut him a check for half the amount I’d paid. Dean then presented me with the check as my wedding gift.
* * *
In the evenings I get ready for bed and crawl in to read, while Dean catches up on his recorded TV shows. He likes a lot of reality television, where I’m partial to the drama and mystery scripted shows, like Elementary and Criminal Minds.
Some of his favorites are about treasure hunting, of course. He also enjoys the programs about mining for gold in Alaska (at sea and land), and car racing. By the time I’m done reading, we’re usually ready to sleep at the same time.
I started laying out my clothes and jewelry at night to make the work mornings easier. I offered to use the guest bathroom as to not disturb him in the mornings after I realized he was not going to get up with me.
Nevertheless, he calls out to help me remember when I need to bring items with me to work, like food. Almost always I’m heading to the door without the things he mentions, so I’m grateful for his help.
And truthfully, it’s good just seeing a man in my bed, (legally, morally, and spiritually).
Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine (KJV)
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