Gift

Mr. Curry and I flew to San Jose in the months before Christmas one year, leaving behind our children with Grandma Mary. I was to have my second surgery for endometriosis, at the hands of a specialist I had found through a year of research about my disease and the latest treatments and surgeries. Dr Andrew Cook specializes in endometriosis treatment and surgery, and his center had no black marks against it, only the relieved and grateful voices of many women made free from chronic, debilitating pain through his hands and methods.

We arrrived in San Jose, took the shuttle to the car rental and drove to Dr. Cook's offices for my pre-surgical consultations. After this was over, we had two days of waiting. We stayed at a hotel right down the boutique filled mainstreet, and after eating, walked down the streets, browsing shops. I held Mr. Curry's hand tightly. I was afraid. He spent a lot of time making me laugh and like Nie's Mr. Nielson, smacking my ass. We are big butt smackers in my house. My husband smacks mine every chance he gets.

Stopping in a small boutique, I saw the above necklace and fell in object love. I don't often do this, wether from an inner boundry carved out of poverty or just my personal asthetic, is is rare that I see an object I feel I wildly want to own. This necklace was one of those. I went through each charm on it, tried it on, put it back. The minature white tag with a typewritten price tage made clear that this necklace was out of our price range, especially for a couple about to embark on the most expensive journey of their marriage: health care.

Mr. Curry let me walk out the door before pulling me back in. He knocked lightly on the glass with his large working man knuckles. ' I'd like this for my wife, please, ' he said softly.

He put it around me neck and I spent the entire day feeling it's weight on my chest, fingering the charms, marveling at how happy I felt before a major surgery. At night we lay in the hotel bed eating chicken salad and cheesecake. We fell asleep curled up together, the necklace lying on my naked chest.

It was a scary time. It was unknown what the outcome would be. And Mr. Curry turned it into a time for the two of us to work our way deeper into each other's hearts.

I wear this necklace all the time. The children at my school adore it, moving it around, the babies often grab it and stuff it in their mouths. If I ever lose it, I will be so, so sad. But I will still have the memory of that week in San Jose. And I will not lose that.

ps
In a sweet synchronicity, I went to Mrs. Moon's blog Bless Our Hearts, one of my favorite blogs ever from one of my favorite women, and found this post.