The Convenient Wife

The plane hits the runway , and jostles Starla awake. Sitting herself up, she wipes her lips and looks at my arm.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” A flutter of embarrassment skips across her face as she spots the small circle of drool on my sleeve. With quick movements, she tries to brush it off. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“It’s all right, don’t worry about it.”

Grimacing, her lips crinkle. “I really am sorry.”

Smiling, I look down at my arm and back up at her. “It’s fine, I have all weekend to get you back.” Standing up, I reach out and grab her hand. “Let’s go have some fun, Wifey.” The word slips through my lips on playful notes, causing her to giggle.

“I’m ready, Hubby.”

Walking through the terminal, I spot a jewelry store. “Hey, I’ve got an idea.”

“What’s that?”

Taking her hand, I grin and pull her toward the store. “We need to get something before we go to the hotel.”

Her eyes follow mine. “Seriously?”

“We need to make this look real, so let’s do it right.”

Entering the store, a sales rep is on us like a vulture on a carcass. “Hello, can I help you?”

Wearing a fitted black, two piece dress, the woman has short gray hair that curls up under her ears and an obnoxiously large pearl necklace wrapping her throat. She’s holding her hands in front of her, letting them dangle awkwardly in the air, positioned so I can see the rings she was designated to show off today.

“Yes actually, my fiancée and I are looking for the perfect ring. Something that matches her beauty.” Squinting, I read her name tag. “If you even have anything that beautiful, Jennifer.”

“Well, you’ve come to the right place. Do we have a price range to keep in mind?” Shaking my head no, the woman’s eyes light up. “I’ve got a few I think you’re going to love.”

I just wrote her a blank check and there’s no way she isn’t going to cash it. There are a few things people can understand easily, one of those things is no cash cap. I’m curious what she’s going to show us.

She walks over to a counter and tells us to have a seat, before disappearing into the back. Starla doesn’t sit, she starts walking around, looking into the brightly lit cases.

Pressing her face against the glass, she sets her fingertips down gently. “This one is pretty.”

Walking up beside her, I look into the case. “Which one?”

“That one, with the red stone in the center.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty. I like this one better,” I say, pointing at an all diamond princess cut. “It would sparkle on you.”

“I’ve got a few here that will blow anything else out of the water.” The woman is back, lining up a buffet of different rings.

We both sit at the counter while Jennifer sets up the small stands. Each stand has a single ring, perfectly positioned so the light reflects in all directions off the different angles.

“This is from our Elite collection.” Touching the stone, she points at it like a hand model from QVC. “It’s two carats, oval cut, with a diamond from Canada.” The woman removes the ring from the stand and takes Starla’s hand, slipping it over her ring finger. “Gorgeous, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it’s nice.” Starla holds out her hand and peers down at the ring. “But it just doesn’t feel like me.”

“Sure, no worries, let’s try this one.” Pulling off the ring, the saleswoman replaces it with another. “This is two carats from Argyle mine in Australia. A baguette cut gives this diamond such a sophisticated feel.”

Scrunching her face, Starla doesn’t look impressed. I expected her to put on the ring and light up having something so amazing on her finger. But she looks almost bored, as if it’s not enough.

“Have anything bigger?” I ask, flicking one of the rings with my finger so it flips on the stand. “These are nice, but I think we need more, something that really stands out against all the rest. I want my future wife to shine.”

“More?” Starla asks, then looks over her shoulder. “What about the ring in that case, the one with the red stone I like?”

“The red stone?” The woman arches a brow and lets out a laugh. “Oh, sweetie, that’s a lab created ruby, you don’t want that.” Holding up her finger, she slips free from her seat and moves to a case against the wall. “Your fiancé, now he knows what a woman likes. The bigger the better, they say.” Winking, she smirks at me as she opens the back door and takes out a huge rock.

Walking back to us, she sets the small holder on the table. “Cushion cut, six carats, mined from Russia. There are six stones set around the center, each one is half a carat. The center stone is two carats, and there’s another carat set in the band. It’s a one of a kind.” The woman slips it over Starla’s finger and holds it up in the light. “This will make all the other girls jealous.”