09 March 2023
Story #1093
R. Linda:
I meant to inform you that I had run over to the local jewellery store in a more populated town on Valentine's Day. While I was there, this older gent hadn't ever bought a piece of jewellery for his wife. Not even a wedding ring! So he decided to buy her a pin because she was not well and he was at the end of his "golden years" (his verbiage, not mine), he decided to buy her a pin! Yes, a pin R. Linda. If I bought my wife, a PIN I'd be sent back to return it. Not many pins are being sold these days, but back in HIS day, well, pins were the thing.
So, I bought Tonya another charm for her bracelet to commemorate her completing her doctorate in Education Specialties—at least, I think that's what it is. Anyway, while I was waiting for the gift wrapping to be done, this old fellow came up next to me and started chatting while he was waiting for a tray of pins to come out. He told me his sorry story, but hey, better late than never, right?
The tray came and there were scant pins, but he looked at the dazzling display and had no clue what she'd like, though they had been married 50 years. He turned to me just as I got me purchase and said, "If it were your wife, which one would you pick?"
Well, none. But I didn't say that. I looked for the smallest, plainest pin and pointed to this little gold heart pin with no adornment, just a gold heart with a stylised arrow through it. And I shrugged. He thanked me and told the salesgirl to wrap it up. That was the one.
I went on me merry way across the street to the pet store to buy treats for the dog when it hit me that he never asked the price. Well, I am sure the girl at the counter told him, and I shrugged and went to buy the dog treats. I saw the ambulance pulling into the jewellery store lot when I came out.
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Do you see the red ambulance on the right? It was pulling in as I was waiting for the light to change.
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Better shot for you
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Well, it turns out the next day, there was a small blurb in the newspaper about an older gentleman who was in the local jewellery store buying an 18-karat solid gold pin for his wife when suddenly he suffered a heart attack. I mentioned this to Mam, who said casually, "Wheel now, da mon probably had a heart attack when he saw the price of da pin dare, Gabriel."
How to make me feel terrible. I gaped at her, thinking she could be right and it was all me fault!
"Ya, noo pins are expensive dunt ya dare, Gabe? Dats why noon buys 'em."
"Uh, I did not know that." I blabbered.
Well, I read on, and sure enough, as soon as he got the bill for $5,014, his face turned purple. He held his hand to his heart as he clutched his wallet tightly, and then, well, he collapsed, and the ambulance took him to the hospital. I KNOW it was the reaction to that price tag. I do. It didn't say that; it just described what occurred. But you and I KNOW it was the hefty price tag.
"Who knew pins cost that much?" I stammered feeling so very guilty.
"Any eejit who buys 18 karat gold designer pin has got to noo dat." Me Mam shook her head as if men were all fools.
I explained to her what happened and how it was my fault, and she said trying to make me feel better, which she didn't, "Dem pins back in da day as dae say here were like $5.00 and if he'd been married 50 years ago, he shoulda realised prices are oop and designer pins are all ya kin buy!"
"He does now," I said.
She took the paper and read the story.
"Says here, the store never finalised the sale, so he's home free."
All I can say be, this is not the first time I've been in a jewellery store where someone had screwed up a purchase. I learned me lesson this time, never engage in conversation with another customer. I swear to you R. Linda, I will never, never, never do that again!
P.S. The old gent is going to be okay, I understand. Just had a shock to his system, said he in a follow-up article. He, the salesgirl, and I know what that shock was. Oi!
Gabe
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