Jewel
Jewel
Craig Allen Reade
“What do you mean it’s nice? It’s beautiful!” the dirty vendor exclaimed. “You will never see another like it!” I tried to push past the man, annoyed at the interruption. Vendors like this lined the streets everyday, usually pawning stolen or knockoff goods. Tourists would shop there, or sometimes women in the market for some cheap but nice looking baubles, but the street vendors just got in my way. This one was insistent, though, and blocked my path.
“I’m sure you are right, but I don’t-”
“No buts,” said the man, as he thrust the small ring into my hand. “Take it!”
The ring was beautiful, as he said. A thin gold band, with a very modest setting, elegant in its simplicity. The stone didn’t need any frills to stand out. I’d never seen its like. The stone was a very soft blue, with a very relaxing almost-glow. I had no idea what the stone was, but it had to be valuable.
“What do you want for it?” I asked the man, resigned to buying the enigmatic band. I may not have had anyone to give it to, but I felt somehow compelled to own it. For some strange reason, I felt like I would never see another one like it.
The vendor turned at me with a look of annoyance. The happy, assertive merchant’s look had become a gnarled, defensive pose.
“This is my corner, young man. Go hassle someone else.”
“But you just-”
“I did nothing! I didn’t take anything of yours!” The vendor slammed his case shut vengefully. “You have no right to accuse me! I haven’t done anything wrong!”
I stuttered for a moment in his angry glare, and then turned to leave before he could finish admonishing me for the imagined accusation. How could he forget?
I wandered down the street, and looked at the ring, for a moment forgetting where I was going. The ring was enchanting. I tried to slip it into my pocket, but I could not take my eyes off of it. The sunlight seemed to dance on its carefully cut corners. I walked slowly foreword; eyes fixed on the jewel, not particularly mindful of my shortening time until I had to return to work. Then I bumped into her, literally.
“Excuse me!” I blurted out politely, stooping down to retrieve her fallen attaché, knocking my head against hers as she reached for the same case. The woman stumbled back and fell down.
I helped her to her feet, and handed her the case, apologizing profusely for my clumsiness. She smiled sweetly and stared with the bluest eyes I have ever seen right into my soul.
“No really, it’s ok,” she smiled, pushing a stray flaxen curl behind her ear. “I should watch where I am going.”
I grinned like an idiot. I realized I had not yet released her hand and dropped it abruptly. The only thing I could bring myself to say was another mumbled apology before I took my leave of the woman and made my way back to the office. I never was very good at talking to beautiful women.
I sat the rest of the day at my desk, unable to complete the most menial of tasks without thinking about a woman whose name I didn’t even know. What was wrong with me? I chastised myself for close to an hour for my ridiculous romantic thoughts. Finally accepting that I wouldn’t finish any meaningful work that day, I left for home an hour early.
I followed her in the house. I was very tired, but I really couldn’t remember why. Maybe I had just gotten off of work, maybe I’d had a busy day, but I couldn’t remember for the life of me what I had done earlier in the day. I looked up at Jewel and suddenly it didn’t matter. She was as radiant as she was that day I met her on the street, and her smile was just as sweet as I had remembered it.
She was so excited about the house, and couldn’t wait to show me every detail: the wooden door, the different shades of blue in the paint, the blue flowers in the small garden that lined the front, the enormous kitchen (just how I liked it!). Everything that she pointed out was perfect. The beautiful smile on her face as she excitedly walked me through every room was so radiant that I just couldn’t think of anything else.
Jewel took my hand in hers and guided me though the house. The front door lead into a large furnished living room, both spacious and comfortable. She guided me through each of the three bedrooms, full kitchen, two bathrooms, and even the walk-in closets. As I walked through, I just couldn’t imagine a better place to spend the rest of my life with Jewel. This place exuded her; I felt her presence in every room, it was almost as if the house was built for her - built for us to share.
I knew her name, and I knew that I truly loved her in a way that I could never explain. Her very presence uplifted my soul. She was to me the most familiar person to me in the entire world. But I realized that I didn’t know anything else. Despite my feelings for this woman, she was a perfect stranger to me.
Jewel reached out and grabbed my hand. Her smile and touch erased all doubts in my mind. I felt as if everything was the way it should be.
“Do your parents know we are going to be moving in together?” I suddenly thought to ask. Suddenly everything was clear again. Why had they gotten so hazy?
“Oh God no!” Jewel gasped. As if sensing my unspoken uncertainty, Jewel eased my concerns.
“I am going to tell them, soon, don’t worry! You know how they are; I do not want them to overreact! I think I am going to ease them into it. I am just waiting for the right time.”
I nodded, and relaxed. I did know how her parents were: deeply religious. They probably wouldn’t take too kindly to their oldest daughter ‘living in sin,’ and that was a black mark I was not looking foreword to bearing.
When did I ever meet her parents?
I knew their names- Michael and Rebecca. I could even tell you what they looked like, every single detail. Michael was tall and lanky, very boyish for his age. His angular face contrasted with his mop of brown, tussled hair in which not a single gray could be found. Rebecca was regal, not unlike her daughter, but where youth was missing, poise and wisdom filled her visage. But I couldn’t remember a single instance of ever meeting them. How could I forget something so important?
Jewel kissed me softly on the lips, and pulled me closer. She lifted her head and looked at me in the way that made me melt, and suddenly, all I could think was ‘Content.’ My failing memory was unimportant, all that mattered was her. My hand stroked her long, blonde hair, and traced the gentle curves of her skin as our cloths fell from our bodies.
We don’t even live here yet! My mind ranged at the reckless abandon of this. I was confused, distracted. Everything that was happening to me had this undercurrent of doubt, forgetfulness. But everything seemed so right-
You make me so happy…
The phone rang.
I darted up in my chair, the remote control falling from my lap and cluttering across the floor. When had I fallen asleep? As I slowly regained consciousness, I felt somewhat disoriented. I for a moment didn’t know where I was. My eyes locked with the ring I had gotten earlier in the day and the details of the dream washed over me.
A dream- that was all it was. I struggled for a moment with the realization. It was so real! I even felt the pang of loss as I realized I would never see my imaginary love again. The silliness of my fantasizing bore down on me. I never thought I was that much of a romantic.
But still, a part of me wished that it were real. The loss I felt was real enough. I suddenly felt very lonely.
The phone rang again, almost like a reminder, and I raced to answer it. I didn’t make it in time, whoever it was hung up before I could reach the phone. If it were important, they would call back.
The dream’s effects soon wore off, and I busied myself with more mundane affairs. Like other flights of fancy, the dream was quickly forgotten. At least, until the next one.
For weeks these dreams haunted me, each night dreaming of Jewel. The dreams were always the same- peaceful and full of love, and incredibly powerful. I started to look forward to sleeping for reasons other than rest. The dreams became something of an obsession- a fantasy life I was leading as I slept. At first I questioned my sanity, but even those doubts fell by the wayside as I fell deeper and deeper into the dream. I was so wrapped up in it that I barley noticed when the dream started to bleed into reality.
One morning when I woke up, she was there lying next to me. It didn’t even occur to me that there was something amiss. The peace of sleep suited her; she was just as radiant asleep as she was awake. She didn’t stir except to pull the sheet closer to her chest when I slipped out of the bed. I just showered, dressed for work, had a cup of coffee, kissed her forehead gently, and left. It didn’t feel wrong until after I was already in my car on my way to work.
For a moment it felt like reality was starting to unwind for me. Was that part of the dream? Was there something wrong with me? Why did I believe that she was so real? I tried to make sense of what was happening, and tried to insist to myself that she was nothing but a dream. I just couldn’t struggle against it though. Whenever I would try and push the dream away, my mind would haze, and my thoughts would become unfocused. But then her smile would creep into my mind, and everything would become clear again. Sometimes I would fondle the ring I got the day I met her, and remember the touch of her soft hand, and feel peace. Soon I started to wear it on a chain around my neck, keeping it close to my heart. I found its weight reassuring.
People around me did start to notice that something was amiss. Some commented that I looked tired, or lost, most often that I probably should get some rest. I stopped seeing my friends, instead rushing home after work to eat dinner with her, or to watch a movie together. Most of my friends stopped asking why I couldn’t come, which was a relief to me because I could never give them a straight answer. Some days I would take lunch in the office, eating a meal that I swore she made for me. Soon I began to forget all together that she was not real.
“Hey buddy!” Manny exclaimed as he walked into my office. I looked up from the diagram I was studying to nod in greeting. I hadn’t seen Manny in weeks, except in passing.
“What’s going on, Manny?”
“Probably a silly question, but are you up for a round at the bar after work tonight?”
“I can’t. I am supposed to cook dinner for Jewel tonight. Maybe tomorrow?”
Manny didn’t respond for a second. I looked back up at him, and I saw the biggest ‘I know a secret’ grin on his face that I had seen since I was a kid.
“I knew it!” Manny laughed. “It had to be a woman. Who is Jewel? When do we get to meet her?”
My mind struggled for a second. They hadn’t met her because she wasn’t real, obviously. But that seemed like the most absurd idea in the world! I felt at the ring on my chest hoping for inspiration. I stuttered, trying to blurt something out that felt right.
“Oh, well, you see-” I was saved by the phone’s timely ring. I froze. I was relieved at the distraction but was momentarily uncertain what I was supposed to do. I stared at my desk, confused.
“Uh, are you going to answer the phone?” Manny finally asked after the third ring.
“Right!” I smiled, picking up the phone, and heard the voice of the receptionist at the other end.
“A Jewel is here to see you.”
“I’ll be right down.”
“Good news Manny. She’s here. You can meet her now!” Wait, what? My mind resisted, but something pushed all doubt out of my head.
“Fantastic!” Manny replied as he followed me out of my office. “Tell me about her! Where did you meet? What’s she like?”
“Actually, we met on the street. Some guy that was on the street selling jewelry was giving me a hard time. I turned around and bumped right into her. I took her out for a drink as an apology, and well, now she is here.”
“Why didn’t you mention her before?”
I thought for a moment. “I don’t really know. Never came up, I guess.”
We crossed into the lobby and sure enough, there she was. She saw me and strode towards me. The smile she wore as soon as she saw me warmed my heart. I was struck dumb a second by how beautiful she looked.
“There she is!”
Manny followed me as I moved to meet her. She looked amazing, as always, in her blue suit with a skirt that hung just above her knees. She greeted me with a small kiss on the lips, put her arm around my waist, and extended her hand to Manny.
“I’m Jewel,” she smiled.
“Manny,” he replied, taking her hand. “I’ve heard so much about you!”
Thankfully, Manny could be counted on to be tactful.
“Is that so!” Jewel blushed. “It better have all been good!” She patted her hand on my chest and smiled up at me.
“Manny and a few other people from the office are going across the street for a drink after work. Would you mind if we skipped dinner at home tonight, and went with them?”"
Jewel smiled. “Of course not! It’s about time I met your friends anyway. We can have dinner another night.”
“In that case,” Manny said, “I will see you guys there. I have to go back up and finish a few things up. See you later?”
Manny shook Jewel’s hand, snuck a wink of approval in my direction, and disappeared into the office.
“He seemed nice,” Jewel commented.
“Yeah, he’s a good person. They all are.”
“Why didn’t you introduce me sooner?” Jewel asked, innocently.
“I have no idea.”
We got home late that night. Jewel was a hit with all of my friends, and I was thoroughly admonished by everyone there for not introducing her to them all sooner. I agreed with their mocking protests, and apologized. Jewel had dazzled them all.
I stripped off my shirt and tossed it on the bed. Then I lifted the chain that held the ring over my neck and set in on the small table near the bed.
“What are you doing?” Jewel demanded. She was suddenly in the room. I had never seen such a fierce look in her eyes.
“What are you talking about?” I stammered back.
“Why did you take that off?”
“My shirt?”
She slapped me. “No, the ring!”
“I… well…” The question and her anger seemed so ridiculous that I was at a lack for words. She started to sob.
“I’m sorry Jewel, I just took it off! I was changing my clothing. It didn’t mean anything-” Jewel took a deep breath, and remained quiet for a moment.
“If you love me, and want me to stay, you will never take this off.” She picked up the ring and held it to my bare chest. “I want this close to your heart, always.”
“Of course, Jewel. I won’t take it off again.”
I gingerly took the chain from her fingers, and lifted it over my neck. I had no idea it meant so much to her. She rested her head on my chest. I could feel her smile.
I love you.
“I love you too, Jewel.”
She looked up and kissed me. I pulled her closer, and we forgot about my lapse. Everything would be okay.
I could feel the warmth of the sun on my face. The cool, wet breeze was invigorating. The song of hundreds of birds filled the air. I could feel the tiny itches from the blades of soft, green grass scratching my skin. I opened my eyes as I heard her footsteps.
My eyes were filled with beauty as soon as I lifted my lids. Jewel strode gently back towards me. Her modest blue bathing suit hugged her slender figure, and the sheer white sash she wore around her waist fluttered in the wind. Her long locks of blonde hair were kept in place by a wide hat. Her smile equaled the sun in radiance. She was almost painted against the brilliant blue, cloudless sky.
She kneeled next to me and offered me one of the glasses she held in her hands. I sipped it, and discovered the sweetest, smoothest juice I had ever tasted. Jewel removed her hat, allowing her hair to flow freely in the breeze. She leaned in, kissed the moisture of the juice off my lips, and slid effortlessly between my arms.
“I like it here,” I finally said out loud after some time.
“We made this place,” she replied sweetly.
“What do you mean?”
“The happiness and love we have for each other made this place. The closer we are, the more beautiful this place is.”
“I am not sure I understand.”
“Don’t even try, my love,” Jewel whispered in my ear. “It is not important that you understand it. Just accept what I have to give you. You have nothing to fear from me.”
I pulled her closer. I did trust her. And I believed her.
Quickly and without warning, dark clouds filled the sky, but not one of them covered the sun. I could feel the drops of rain start to fall. Once they built up to a steady stream, arcs of color filled the sky. Clouds beamed the most brilliant of rainbows across the sky to one another. The brilliance was overwhelming. The passion of the storm reflected in us as our soaking bodies collided, unfettered by the warm torrent that fell from the sky.
It can be like this, always.
I could hear the drops of rain pattering above the ceiling. Her warm breath teased my neck as I slowly awoke. Her eyes opened as mine did, and we looked at each other for several minutes, just waiting.
“Are you hungry?” I finally asked.
We both slowly rose from the bed and made our way out. I went into the kitchen to make our breakfast. She slipped out the front door.
“Paper?” I asked when I heard her come in. I looked up to see her shaking her head, holding up a bag that was soaked through.
“No comics this morning?” I smiled at the mock pout on her face.
“The rain seems to have stopped. I could walk across the bridge and pick up a paper from the corner store.” A grin turned the corners of her lips. She kissed me in thanks and took over the cooking, as I pulled on my shoes and headed out the door.
The sky was still overcast. The clouds covered the rising sun so it was still somewhat dim out. The streets were still damp. I walked down the road, paper under my arm, heading back to the apartment. I couldn’t wait to get back and eat! I was so focused on my hunger that I didn’t even give the strange man lingering at an alleyway a second thought, until it was too late..
The man moved like a cat, snaked my arm and pulled me violently away from the street. Before I could react, he had one arm wrapped around my neck, and a knife against my back.
“This way,” he muttered. “Face the wall. Do as you are told and you won’t get hurt.”
He ruffled through the pockets of my trench coat and took out my wallet and the lose change in my pants. I was angry, but it was a small loss. I had little cash in my wallet and any card that I had could easily be cancelled. At least he left me the newspaper.
When he fingered the chain around my neck I began to panic. Anything but that! He tugged the chain out of my shirt and examined the ring, and grinned wide.
“What is this ‘ere? Ain’t you sweet, keepin’ your girlfriend’s ring tucked up like that! She’s probably not going to like it when she found out that you lost it.”
Don’t let them take me!
“Look,” I stammered, turning to face the man. “I can get you money- whatever you need, just leave me that!”
“Face the wall!” He bellowed, shoving me back into the wall. “We’ll take what we want, y’ere?”
I felt helpless. I wanted to fight him, but the pinch of the blade I felt before kept me from moving. I struggled to think of something, anything that would convince him to leave me with the ring. My mind raced at the futility, and my heart screamed in anguish as he tugged at the chain, breaking the cheap clasp and dropping the jewel into his hand. He patted me down one last time, and convinced I had nothing else of value to offer him, he shoved me into the wall
“Hey, tell your girlfriend I’m real sorry, but I got more need for this than she do. Just stand here for a few minutes. If you are lucky, you’ll never see me again.”
I stood there, frozen. I barely had the strength to stand. For weeks, that ring had been with me, close to my heart, as I had promised, and the weight of losing it was too much to bear. I looked down at my blue shirt and saw a stream of red slowly running down my chest. I reached up and felt the cut on my neck. The chain tore into my flesh as he yanked it away. But even that pain was nothing compared the almost inexplicable pain I felt being separated from the ring after so long.
“Jewel?” I called, timidly. No answer came. My mind fogged, awash in a confusion I hadn’t felt since I first started to dream.
The warmth was gone. All of the happiness I had felt was replaced by emptiness and doubt. My body trembled. I knew I had lost her. It was as if she was instantly ripped from me. I decided I would not lose her.
I whirled around and bounded after the man. He wandered slowly, transfixed by the ring as I was when I first saw it. Without hesitation, I rammed into his back, knocking him off his feet. The ring flew out of his grasp and skittered across the cold concrete. I scrambled after it. But I didn’t reach it in time. My heart sank as the ring tumbled into a vent and down the long shaft below.
I fell to my knees and pried at the grate in a vain effort to get at the ring. Somehow I had to get it, there must be a way-
So focused on the grate, I completely forgot about my assailant. A powerful kick to my gut knocked me over, and in a flash he was on top of me.
I didn’t even feel him stab me. A moment later he was running away, and my chest felt numb. I clenched my stomach and it was warm and sticky with blood. I tried to stand, but my strength failed me. I fell back, staring at the sky, blood pooling on my stomach and dripping down into the vent beneath me.
So many thoughts rushed through my head as darkness clouded my vision. I thought of my short time with Jewel. Now that the ring was gone, clarity returned to my mind. I knew that she wasn’t real, at least not in any physical sense. But I still felt the need for her, and the pain of losing her was far worse than the stab wound.
Jewel knew my every need. I could share things with here that I would usually never dare to admit, even to myself. She brought out a tender part in me that I thought that I buried as a boy. She exposed my secret pains, and soothed them like no balm ever could. She uplifted my soul; her mere presence could warm my heart. It was as if she taped into all these things in me that I needed, and gave more than I ever thought anyone ever could. Maybe she was taking back something too, but whatever that may have been, it was well worth it.
Jewel wasn’t waiting for me on the other side. I never saw her again. Maybe that means that she wasn’t real at all, or maybe it means that she was just using me, and my loss of life really meant nothing to her. Whatever she was, I think that she was beyond death. She could be like a genie living in that ring, just waiting for someone to find her again. Or maybe I was insane, and I really had dreamed her up in my mind. I just hope that if someone finds her again that he doesn’t end up like me. Hopefully he will have a happier ending.
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