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The Eclectic Pen - The Rock

By: IONE L. (zaneygraylady)   + 85 more  
Date Submitted: 1/12/2007
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs » Memoirs
Words: 757
Rating:

I didn't get an engagement ring before I got married. Dave, my husband-to-be would have given me anything I asked for but I knew the only way he could get me a ring would be to buy it on time. We were getting married soon and I didn't want to be making payments on a ring when what we really needed was furniture. As many years of marriage continued I found myself yearning for a rock, not a small diamond which you need to squint to see. I wanted something unique, a colored stone, and most of all it had to be big. I knew Dave would buy me anything I chose, but being the one in our marriage who paid the bills I couldn't justify such a luxury. We had many more pressing needs, having just bought a historical home. It came complete with historical plumbing, eletricity, roof and furnace. Also, we had four teenagers and three old cars to take care of. That May, our neighborhood had their annual yard sale. Dave and I agreed to take turns selling from our front porch and buying from our neighbors. It was my turn to shop. I love yard sales. They're like treasure hunts. You never know what you're going to find and it's always a bargain. I hit the jackpot that day. A few blocks from our house I found just the rock I'd been wishing for. The color was good, it had a nice shape and most important, it was huge. The price was right also. It was free! Yes, the sign said "free yard rocks". The only problem was how would I get it home? Fortunatley my daughter Kilah was with me. So as I stood guard over the rock Kilah went back to our house to get Dave. They came back with our van. Dave took one look at the rock and groaned. "There's no way we can move this," he said. "It's free and I have to have it," I insisted He agreed to try just to appease me. Well he was right, the three of us couldn't budge the rock enough to even get it off the ground, At my insisting Dave got a shovel out of the van and tried to pry it off the ground, but it only budged a couple of inches. I still wasn't willing to give up. I had and idea. I said to Dave,"why don't you get that thing you move refrigerators and other big stuf with?" "You mean the hand truck?" he laughed. "Yeah, and get some bungy cords. Then we can push it home," I answered. He rolled his eyes, but agreed to do as I asked. Dave knew it was a lost cause to argue with me. I was determined to have my rock. Dave left and came back on foot with the hand truck. After much effort we managed to pry the rock onto it. It then became apparent that the hand truck had a flat tire, In spite of Dave's complaints I couldn't be stopped. We secured the rock with the bungy cords and started on our way. We had five blocks to go. The siedwalks were crowded with people in a festive mood. We must have been a sight taking turns pushing and pulling our rock on the hand truck with the flat tire. It was like a scene from 'I Love Lucy" with me playing the wacky but determined redhead and Dave playing poor Ricky who can't help but get involved in Lucy's foolish schemes. Between Dave's pointless griping and and my prodding, people looked on with encourgament and laughter. We came down our block and the neighbors watched as we finally placed the rock in our front yard. Dave had a good time joking with them at my expense. That rock was the best present I ever got from Dave, I didn't get a diamond or even a semi-precious stone. It's not flashey, it dosen't sparkle, but it's precious to me. The rock is pink with purple streaks running through it and and it is big enough to sit on. It has a lasting solid beauty. The only cost was the joint effort by Dave and me. We had to take turns, take a rest and do alot of pushing and pulling. There were many mishaps and much laughter along the way. The rock still sits in our front yard and it's not going anywhere.

The Eclectic Pen » All Stories by IONE L. (zaneygraylady)

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