Keeping Busy
I didn’t know how to react.
Mum was gone.
I got busy, which was exactly how my Dad was dealing with the situation too. I know many people thought and even said to me at the time, that we were doing things too soon. Sorting her belongings, but it gave us both a focus, maybe a way to hide, however, I wouldn’t change that, it did help us both, I am sure.
Plans had to be made and I went with Dad to register the death. I saw a leaflet for a Harpist and thought this would be nice at the wake, Dad agreed.
The idea was that we would go through Mum’s belongings together but the reality was that Dad would make an excuse and I did alone. That suited me fine. I laid her belonging in piles, clothes I would keep, I always had the first pick of her old clothes, so it only felt right I did the same now. Charity shop and second-hand designer shop, she had some beautiful things.
I had been handed my Mum’s wedding ring by my Dad in the hospital on that horrible day that our lives changed forever. It needed to be fixed as the nurses had to cut it off her finger. I wanted it back from the jeweller as quickly as possible, so instead of doing the sensible thing and getting it resized to fit me properly, I just had it mended. It was to lead to what now is a funny situation but at the time was devastating.
Mum’s ring was nicely sat on my little finger as I took another load of clothes from my car into the second-hand shop. As I turned around I heard ‘ping’, the ring had gone! No longer safe on my finger but now somewhere on this cobbled high street. Panic began to set in, how could I have been so stupid? How could I have lost my Mums wedding ring, especial as we hadn’t even had the funeral. I dropped to my knees and started to search.
The shop assistant came out to see what I was doing, I explained and before I knew what had happened she walked back into the shop, only to return with the four customers, they all started to look for the elusive ring. Just as the six of us were crawling around the High Street, things became even more surreal. Eight hikers complete with walking sticks and backpacks walked past, stopping to ask what was going on. Let's face it, you don’t normally see people scrabbling on the floor in the middle of a rural town! They then joined the search, it was the most bizarre thing. I am sure my Mum was watching having a good laugh at all the bums in the air. Then eureka one of the hikers found the treasured ring, I hugged him tight and then burst into tears the relief was too much for my emotional drained body to take. Through my tears, I thanked everyone for all their help and they hugged me and were gone.
Next, stop the jewellers to get the ring sized properly, I could not go through that again. I didn’t have the ring on my finger from the funeral but I did know it was safe and I have worn it every day since it came back fitting me correctly. It will stay firmly in its place between my wedding ring and my engagement ring until the day I die.
