did, but the look on her face…
“Of course he didn’t know,” I snapped. “Bob would never give me a fake diamond ring!”
“ Yeah, he probably didn’t know,” Susie murmured half-heartedly.
But I could tell what she was really thinking. My friends had never accepted Bob. They thought he was after me for all the wrong reasons. I knew most of them, including Susie, didn’t like him. I had to admit, he could be overbearing at times, but he loved me and that’s what was most important.
“Bob loves me. He would never try to trick me! It makes me angry that you think he would!”
“Whoa, calm down,” Susie’s eyes widened.
I wasn’t feeling very calm right now. It was upsetting enough to find out that my ring was a fake, and even more upsetting to see the ‘I always knew Bob was a jerk’ look in Susie’s eyes.
“You think he did it on purpose?” I accused Susie.
“Well…I...” Susie voice trailed off as she glanced away.
“I’m going to have a talk with him,” I stated firmly. I’ll just have to tell him that someone ripped him off royally!” Poor Bob. Here he’d spent thousands of dollars on this ring trying to please me, and he’d been duped.
“ Yeah, I think you need to talk with him for sure,” Susie replied gently. She handed my ring back to me and put the other diamond jewel back into the display case.
“I will,” I said, feeling a little calmer. I would get the receipt from him and slap it in Susie’s face, proving he paid the price of a real one but had been cheated.
“Good. I’m sorry this happened.”
“ It is shocking. I just feel so bad for Bob. Anyway, I guess I won’t need that diamond ring appraisal after all.”
Susie winced. “Well, it is a lovely CZ.”
“ What’s a CZ?” I asked.
“A CZ is a cubic zirconia,” Anne Williamson, a friend of mine who also worked at the store, said as she walked up towards us. She had just entered the room from the back stock area and must have heard the tail end of our conversation.
“ Bob was tricked into buying me a fake diamond. My ring’s a fake,” I told her. “I’ll have to tell him about it and see if he plans to press charges.”
“ I am so sorry to hear that,” Anne replied. “You say he was tricked into buying it?” she questioned.
“ Yeah, I mean Bob would never buy me a fake diamond and try to pass it off as real. I don’t wear fakes. He knows that and he would never do that anyway!”
“ There’s nothing wrong with a CZ, Janet. A lot of people can’t afford real diamonds. Look at those ads that tell a man to spend a few months’ salary on a ring! That’s ludicrous. If you’re going to buy a diamond, you should spend what you can afford—not what you think you’re supposed to spend. I mean, it’s pretty impractical to spend a lot of money on a diamond when there are more important things in life to pay for.”
“ Like food and rent,” Susie chirped. “I know all about being barely able to pay for that.”
“ And,” Anne continued, “some people think that diamonds are mined in conditions that are unfavorable to the workers, so they prefer other stones, or a CZ instead.”
“ Okay,” I waved my hand in the air, “I get all that. CZ’s are fine, but not when you try to pass them off as real diamonds. I will tell him he got ripped off.”
“ Maybe you should,” Anne said, “but before you do, tell him you plan to bring the ring in to get it appraised—then see how he reacts!”
CHAPTER TWO
“ Hilda, is everything ready? It smells great!” I sniffed the air as the delicious aroma of green onions and garlic wafted by my nostrils. Hilda, my housekeeper, was a good cook when it came to simple fare, but when I asked her to make something special she usually screwed up.
“ Yes, ma’am, let me know when you would like it served.”
I glanced over Hilda’s shoulder to the large frying pan on the stove. “What’s in it?”
“ Olive oil, tomatoes, black olives,
“Of course he didn’t know,” I snapped. “Bob would never give me a fake diamond ring!”
“ Yeah, he probably didn’t know,” Susie murmured half-heartedly.
But I could tell what she was really thinking. My friends had never accepted Bob. They thought he was after me for all the wrong reasons. I knew most of them, including Susie, didn’t like him. I had to admit, he could be overbearing at times, but he loved me and that’s what was most important.
“Bob loves me. He would never try to trick me! It makes me angry that you think he would!”
“Whoa, calm down,” Susie’s eyes widened.
I wasn’t feeling very calm right now. It was upsetting enough to find out that my ring was a fake, and even more upsetting to see the ‘I always knew Bob was a jerk’ look in Susie’s eyes.
“You think he did it on purpose?” I accused Susie.
“Well…I...” Susie voice trailed off as she glanced away.
“I’m going to have a talk with him,” I stated firmly. I’ll just have to tell him that someone ripped him off royally!” Poor Bob. Here he’d spent thousands of dollars on this ring trying to please me, and he’d been duped.
“ Yeah, I think you need to talk with him for sure,” Susie replied gently. She handed my ring back to me and put the other diamond jewel back into the display case.
“I will,” I said, feeling a little calmer. I would get the receipt from him and slap it in Susie’s face, proving he paid the price of a real one but had been cheated.
“Good. I’m sorry this happened.”
“ It is shocking. I just feel so bad for Bob. Anyway, I guess I won’t need that diamond ring appraisal after all.”
Susie winced. “Well, it is a lovely CZ.”
“ What’s a CZ?” I asked.
“A CZ is a cubic zirconia,” Anne Williamson, a friend of mine who also worked at the store, said as she walked up towards us. She had just entered the room from the back stock area and must have heard the tail end of our conversation.
“ Bob was tricked into buying me a fake diamond. My ring’s a fake,” I told her. “I’ll have to tell him about it and see if he plans to press charges.”
“ I am so sorry to hear that,” Anne replied. “You say he was tricked into buying it?” she questioned.
“ Yeah, I mean Bob would never buy me a fake diamond and try to pass it off as real. I don’t wear fakes. He knows that and he would never do that anyway!”
“ There’s nothing wrong with a CZ, Janet. A lot of people can’t afford real diamonds. Look at those ads that tell a man to spend a few months’ salary on a ring! That’s ludicrous. If you’re going to buy a diamond, you should spend what you can afford—not what you think you’re supposed to spend. I mean, it’s pretty impractical to spend a lot of money on a diamond when there are more important things in life to pay for.”
“ Like food and rent,” Susie chirped. “I know all about being barely able to pay for that.”
“ And,” Anne continued, “some people think that diamonds are mined in conditions that are unfavorable to the workers, so they prefer other stones, or a CZ instead.”
“ Okay,” I waved my hand in the air, “I get all that. CZ’s are fine, but not when you try to pass them off as real diamonds. I will tell him he got ripped off.”
“ Maybe you should,” Anne said, “but before you do, tell him you plan to bring the ring in to get it appraised—then see how he reacts!”
CHAPTER TWO
“ Hilda, is everything ready? It smells great!” I sniffed the air as the delicious aroma of green onions and garlic wafted by my nostrils. Hilda, my housekeeper, was a good cook when it came to simple fare, but when I asked her to make something special she usually screwed up.
“ Yes, ma’am, let me know when you would like it served.”
I glanced over Hilda’s shoulder to the large frying pan on the stove. “What’s in it?”
“ Olive oil, tomatoes, black olives,
Similar Books
