“No! No! No,” I cried while reaching under the water in hopes of grabbing the silver wedding band that just slipped off my finger. “This can’t be happening. Shit.”
The world ceased to exist. All I could focus on was the fact that I just lost my wedding ring. Submerging my face, I watched as the ring floated left and then right with the current getting closer and closer to the sea bottom. I couldn’t move; I didn’t think.
“Russell” I cried. “My wedding ring, it slipped off.”
He didn’t hear a word I said. Flapping my arms to get his attention, he turned and lifting his mask finned in my direction. “What’s the matter hun?”
Nothing came out. My mouth wouldn’t work. Russell noticed my lip quivering and asked more forcefully, “What’s the matter? What happened?”
Still unable to say much of anything I raised my left hand and it dawned on Russell why I was so upset, I’d lost my ring.
“Okay, where did it fall? Don’t worry. I’ll be right back.”
The next twenty minutes were slow going. Russell looked like a bouncing ball, diving and popping back up for air only to dive again. While he was scouring the sandy bottom, I was in the midst of an anxiety attack and sitting on the edge of the boat.
“Great Melissa,” I said to myself, “now’s not the time to panic; now’s the time to jump in and help your husband.” But I couldn’t.
Before leaving the cruise ship, Russell said, “You’ll regret not taking the time to enjoy the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean. Come on; let’s sign up for the snorkeling excursion. You’ll see stuff you’ve never seen before. The water’s beautiful. I promise you’ll love it.”
So, I did, but Russell didn’t think my teenage experience with the school of jellyfish would have had such a hold on me as an adult. He quickly changed his mind after seeing me bug eyed, panicked, and with a death grip on his forearm. It wasn’t soon before he agreed I’d have more fun watching than participating.
What felt like an eternity was but a few minutes. Suddenly, Russell’s head bobbed on the surface, and finning towards the edge of the boat pressed my one-of-a-kind Native American wedding ring into the palm of my hand saying, “Until we get back on the cruise ship, wear it on your middle finger.”
Raising my head up and down, I tried to speak but all that came out was a squeaky “Thank you.”
Russell traded his snorkel for a tank and dove until he ran out of air while I sat soaking up the Caribbean sun with my eyes shut and a Mimosa at my lips.
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