Never Two without Three

My Wedding Ring is my prized and precious possession. Never have I ever fancied another ring on any other finger of mine! The wedding ring, a simple, plain band holds my ring finger in a loving embrace – a symbol of pristine love that encompasses respect, understanding, peace, joy, trust and faithfulness – a covenant and commitment made before God, our family and friends, on our Wedding Day.

For me (and I’m sure for others too) the wedding band signifies the most beautiful and blessed relationship called Marriage! For most part of my life up until now my unpretentious wedding ring stayed on my finger. But, over time, and with not the slightest inclination to keep the unbidden calories in check, my once slender frame went all out of focus. And, there were times when slender also became thin! That brought on a very precarious problem concerning my wedding ring, which, accordingly, went from gripping my finger too tightly for comfort to simply sliding off whenever I washed my hands! You could call it the yo-yo effect. Now don’t you dare feign innocence my friend for you sure do know what I mean!

Too precious to lose, my wedding band marched with me outdoors only because it once met with a near terrible fate in the bathroom and had to be fished out with great care and effort by my best friend, who had placed it on my finger almost four decades ago!

The second time was when we had gone to the St.Paul’s Book Store. For some unknown reason, I had removed my ring and put it on my lap. I got out of the car (a good friend had lent us his driver as well that day), with my head as usual in the clouds and walked into the book store browsing around, when, to my shock and dismay I realized my priceless wedding ring wasn’t where it should be, on my finger!

Well, your guess is as good as mine. Yes, pandemonium prevailed, but my Melwin, in his calm and composed manner of voice and attitude went over to the car to look around. Agitated and upset, I too joined in the search, when, the driver, God bless the dear man, took the ring from his pocket telling us that he found it on the ground near the car door! My darling husband made sure the driver’s unequivocal honesty was handsomely recompensed.

The old proverb, “never two without three” rang true in my case too, and how! Melwin and I were returning after visiting our darling siblings in the US. Since we had a short layover at Dubai International Airport (DIA) before boarding our flight back home, I decided to complete my morning ablutions and set off to the washroom. Now please don’t ask me why I removed my wedding ring and placed it on the tissue roll counter, for, for an inveterate dreamer that I am, I really do not have an answer! But that is precisely what I did, foolish as it is!

Out in a trice, I was half way up to joining my husband who was patiently waiting for me, when to my horror, it dawned on me that I had left my ring behind, in the washroom. If it were any other ring, I probably would not have bothered so much, but this one being our ring of timeless commitment, I ran back as fast as my legs could carry me (as if I were being chased by a mad dog), unashamedly crying out loudly that I left my wedding ring in the washroom.  

One of the busiest aviation hubs in the world, the DIA, is, at any given point of time, an ocean of passengers from every conceivable continent. Shocked into a stupor, the dear women in the washroom corridor, every single one of them, stood transfixed while I peeped into a couple of unoccupied cubicles, in vain. Thoroughly flustered and at my wits end, I threw open another to find my precious, priceless Wedding Ring sitting pretty atop the counter exactly where I left it as if it knew I would surely be back to claim it!

My joy knew no bounds as I rushed in and put my ring on, all the while, unconsciously, praising and thanking God aloud for this Miracle he wrought. I thanked all those dear ladies who simply stood, statuesque till I found my ring. That was their cue as it were, to resume their going in and coming out. It was as if the spell had been broken and they were released from their stupor and the washroom section was restored to its normal, natural hustle and bustle!

Can you imagine, I found my Wedding Ring (that I am so sentimental about), the third time round, and where? Why, of course, in the exact same spot where I had left it, in the washroom! If that isn’t Providence, then I do not know what else is!   

(Betty D’Couto is the former Head, PG & Research Centre of English, Lady Doak College. She taught there for 35 years.)