Nothing Gold Can Stay

By Sheila Janet Skinner

Over six years ago they struggled at the Hospital to remove my gold wedding band, I was in Intensive Care and completely unaware. But it is Hospital policy to remove all jewellery, safely stored till my release. Across the many years of my marriage there were rare occasions that it wasn’t on my third finger, left hand, together with my single diamond engagement ring, that worn for even more years.

 Although priceless to us, neither were of any great value after all they’re just symbols of a promise, aren’t they? I’ve certainly seen far more impressive lumps of gold and precious stones, sadly though how often they don’t seem to guarantee that the promises they represent are lasting do they?

For us, in the late 60’s, our priorities were to scrimp and save the money we would need for a deposit, to ensure we could get a mortgage and buy our first house, we were determined to start off on our own and we got on the property ladder just before our budget registry office wedding.

Alan had a simple gold band too and until his emergency admittance to hospital late 2020, his first time ever in hospital, that had never left his finger.  Indeed, like mine, it seemed impossible to remove.  He did come back home with him wearing it, but as the months went by it got too big and we decided to keep it safer.  Mine too was slipping, so it came off, I decided that we would keep them together. 

His ring stayed, he sadly didn’t and after his cremation I put mine back on and as the months went by it settled back into the groove just under the knuckle, as I put back lost weight, it again seems to be set for life, but it is destined to come off.  I plan to have both our wedding rings reworked into one, together with the engagement ring and the stone set into this new ring.  This will be a combination of 3 rings into one, maybe in this case…nothing gold can stay….the same.

Ends

SHEILA JANET SKINNER

PARCENT, ALICANTE, SPAIN. 

APRIL 10TH, 2022.