A prompt a week - 6. Max' Ring - Prompt 300

The first thing I noticed was the noise. It had been a long time since I had dared to enter a mall. Crowds were foreign to me now that I lived so far out in the country. I really would have run for the door if I hadn’t spotted Chrissy and Matthew standing by the food court.

“There you are,” Chrissy enthused as she wrapped her arms around me. “I thought for sure you were lost.”

“Glad you made it, Max. It’s been nearly a year since you came into town.” Matthew shook my hand and smiled.

“Well, since I inherited the house and farm land I’ve been doing a lot to get things back into shape.”

“I bet you have.” Chrissy shook her head and looked at me. “I really wanted to pick something nice out for your place, but the drive down there would kill me.”

I smiled and tried not to let her know that drive up here was no thrill for me either. However, we still were waiting on Robbie and then the old gang would be back together. Every year we all gathered at one area or another for a day together of shopping, movies, and dinner where we just played catch up. This year Chrissy was playing hostess so she chose the shopping area which was this damn mall.

“Max, Robbie just texted me and asked that we meet him over near Sears. Evidently, he said if he was being forced into shopping at the mall he might as well get some new tools for his shop.” Matthew smiled as he pointed toward Sears.

“Is he still making furniture out of his house?” Chrissy seemed flabbergasted at the idea.

I shook my head as Matthew answered her. “No. He opened a furniture store with a couple of people he met at one of the artist colonies up there in Maine. Two women and three men I think he said. They all build and sell their crafts. He says he is doing quite well.”

We wandered to down to Sears and soon found Robbie loaded down with various tools. That began our day of shopping. Once Robbie was done and we had followed him out to his car to unload his mountain of purchases, then we headed back in to begin again.

Chrissy took us through four different furniture stores looking for “the perfect ottoman” which she claimed not to find anywhere.

“I swear, I just want a nice little ottoman that I can store stuff in. Mel has been asking to get one and I figured I could locate one in this mall.” Chrissy complained as we left the fourth store, but before she could march us across the mall to another it was Matthew who took over our shopping direction.

“Wait!” Matthew stopped and his eyes grew wide. “Is that a Disney store? Oh, hell we are going in there.”

Matthew was more concerned with finding something for his daughter who was due to turn nine next month. I was surprised that Eileen, Matthew’s wife, let him come to these things every year, but Matthew explained it to us last year.

“You know why she lets me come, don’t you? She goes out with the two harpies that she calls sorority sisters three or four times a year and I watch Megan. Last time one of the harpies ended up getting too drunk at lunch, so they came back home, and she threw up all over Megan on her way to the bathroom. Knowing I only see you three once a year, she knows she can’t open her mouth and say a single word. Besides which, we don’t really even drink because we know we have a distance to drive to get home.”

Robbie had laughed so hard he nearly choked on the soda he’d been drinking.

Chrissy shook her head. “Trust me not all sorority sisters are harpies, dear heart. I should know, I’m married to one.”

I could only keep my mouth shut.

In the years since we had graduated we all just became more of ourselves. Robbie still was an artist, and didn’t know who would capture and keep his heart. I was always afraid to ask who he was dating, because some lasted years, others just a date or two. I am not even going to look at the various nationalities he dated, never mind of which sex. Chrissy had met and married Melinda. While she worked hard at making herself seem an airhead, the woman held four degrees and fifteen patens already and she was barely forty. Then there was Matthew, our calm cool father figure. The man was old at twenty and the years just helped to make him into the perfect father for Megan. Finally, there was me, Maximilian Mikos. Yeah, I was the oddball in our group. When the rest somehow made good on their degrees, mine went south. If it hadn’t been for the passing of a great aunt I never knew, hell I might have been homeless. However the group bonds we had made in our first class together kept us together.

“Maxie, you look bored out of your mind,” Robbie whispered as we watched Matthew picking out things for his daughter.

“That obvious am I?”

Robbie just chuckled as we watched Chrissy collect into a basket the various things Matt found for his daughter and basically threw at her.

It seemed to be a short time later that Matt headed toward us, followed by Chrissy, carrying armfuls of Disney bags.

“God, I think I might have over spent but it was worth it. Megan is so going to love all this stuff. She is so a Disney princess in training.” Matt stood grinning from ear to ear and I couldn’t help but be happy for him.

“Should we take your purchases out to your car now? Or would you rather keep Chrissy as your pack mule?” Robbie stood there trying hard to keep his face composed and failing miserably.

“Keep it up Robbie, and I’ll show you just what this pack mule can do with a well placed kick!”

At that all four of us began to laugh.

“So what is you are shopping for today Max?” Chrissy asked trying to get her breath back.

“Really don’t need anything. Might just swing by Spencer’s and see if I can find a new blanket or shot glass.”

“Really spending that cash, aren’t you Maxie boy?” Robbie shot me a wink.

“Oh, knock it off. You know he barely ever buys anything.” Matt just shook his head. “Last time I think he bought a book. You know Max only shows up to spend the time with us.”

Robbie blushed and Chrissy smiled.

“Come on; let’s get this crap to your car, Matt.” Chrissy announced as she lifted the packages from the floor. “I am so not a pack mule type.”

We began to head back toward the food court when Robbie spotted the new jewelry store tucked into the side between a Cinn-a-bon and a World Food Emporium.

“Hey, I’ve never seen a jewelry shop that doesn’t have display cases outside in the mall. Let’s go take a look.”

“Yeah,” Chrissy handed Matt’s packages off to Robbie. “I might find something for Mel here.”

The shop was long and neat. There were all sorts of jewelry there but I really wasn’t looking for anything as I wandered around.

“Excuse me, Sir. If you will come over here I have exactly what you need.”

I looked up to find a very pretty woman wave me over to her display case.

“Sorry, I really wasn’t looking for anything. I’m just wasting time while my friends look down there.” I turned and pointed to Chrissy, Matt, and Rob who were busy looking at a pair of earrings.

“I’m sure you weren’t looking, but come here for just a moment.”

I’m sure it was her English accent that did it. I have always been a sucker for accents and will follow the speaker around just to hear them speak again.

“Please. I promise I just want you to see one ring is all.”

I approached her and smiled. I could see the rings in front of her were all men’s rings and with various stones and designs on them. I never wore rings so couldn’t be sure what it is she felt I needed to see.

She smiled and pulled a box out from under the counter and then opened it. Inside was a simple ring with large blue stone that captured my attention.

“It is lapis lazuli, the dark blue of the sea and royalty, which captures the heart of all who see it. I believe this was made for you.”

I couldn’t help but be fascinated with the ring, but there was no way it could have been made for me. Hell, the only ring I owned was my high school ring and I couldn’t even fit into it any more. I had no idea what size ring I wore.

“It is very pretty, but I don’t even know my ring size so I doubt it would fit.”

She smiled again and removed the ring from the box. “May I?”

Blushing I offered her my hand and she quickly slid the ring on. It fit perfectly.

She smiled. “I told you it would fit you.”

Before I could speak, Rob took my hand.

“Damn, that is an intense blue. You have to buy that thing.” Rob whistled and looked at the ring again.

“Too big for me, or Mel. I can’t believe you found that.” Chrissy crossed her arms and looked at me.

“Well to be honest, I didn’t find it. She did.” I turned to point out the English woman behind the counter only not find one.

“Who?” Matthew stood and looked back and forth across the back counter. The only other people in the store were two other sales associates.

“Hold on.” I walked down to the sales associates and paused. One was an older woman, dark hair and a crisp blue suit, the other was a shorter man, who if I had to guess, would say he was a Native American.

“Did you find something?” The woman was all smiles.

“Yes, I was trying this ring on.”

“It’s not one of ours,” stated the gentleman flatly.

“But your associate took this ring out of the case down there.”

The two looked at each other and then back at me.

“Sir, are you feeling alright? We are the owners and the only ones who work here.” The woman looked sympathetically down toward my friends. “Should I call one of them over to help you?”

“But, I …”

“Hey Max. We are going to head out to Matt’s car to drop off his stuff. Meet you at the food court.” Robbie called as they headed out the other door.

“I guess I was wrong. Um … thank you.”

The large lapis ring sat comfortably on my finger but I hadn’t paid for it and the jewelry store said it wasn’t theirs. What the hell is going on?