The case of the lost necklace

It was my 53rd birthday celebration with the red hat ladies, even though we no longer wear our red hats when we have our birthday celebrations. Our group had dinner at the Elephant Bar - Lourdes, Lisa, Jodi, Sherry and I. We celebrate each other's birthdays and have done so for several years now. We usually give the birthday "girl" various gifts. Sherry presented me with a beautiful small box, saying "This is your birthday gift AND your Christmas gift." "Oooo It's something expensive" I thought. As I began to open it, whispers of "She went to Jared's" were heard - only instead of saying Jared's, we said "Gordan's". In the box was a beautiful necklace - white gold with a "C" pendant with little diamonds around it.

I put the necklace on the next day and proudly wore my birthday gift. Unfortunately, when I wanted to take it off, I struggled with the latch. I just couldn't seem to get the one side open and get the other side unhooked at the same time. Maybe it's because I'm 53. Or maybe it's my acrylic nails - or maybe my impatience. So I left it on.

Even as daughter Kim and I embarked on our journey east to see my parents, I left it on. "I'll get Kim to help me get it off" I thought at one point, but got sidetracked and forgot about it. And even as my sister Rose, Kim and I were in the backseat of my parent's car - on our way to swim at the "old folks home" - I thought about asking Kim or Rose to unlatch it for me. We discussed it in the car. We discussed it so much that we were thinking of all the "C" words that could be descriptions of "Carol." "C" for compassionate, caring, creative! I emphatically rejected "C" for critical and contemptuous, but accepted confronting and charismatic. Even after all of the "C" words, I promptly forgot to ask one of them to unlatch it for me with the excitement of getting into a pool and swimming a few laps.

I had my suit on under my jeans, so I whipped off the T shirt, got out of the jeans, threw my socks off and got in the warm water. So warm that there was steam coming up from the surface. In fact the whole "tent enclosed" facility was filling up with steam. In the hours time I swam some laps, hoisted mom's legs up so she could practice her kicking, taught Rose how to swim breast stroke - putting emphasis on the part when you're suppose to be straight like a pencil. Kim and dad froze on deck, sitting in the steamy tent watching us as we practice synchronized swimming - putting our hands in prayer position in preparation for shooting up like rockets and finishing with submersed torsos and a one leg in the air finale.

We decided it was getting too dark, dad and Kim were beginning to feel frostbitten and we figured we had burned off at least 400 of the 4000 calories we had consumed with pecan pie and pumpkin butter pecan ice cream dessert that Rose had found in the grocery store check out "75 Thanksgiving dessert" book.

I toweled off and put my jeans and T shirt on over my wet suit and got back in the car dad had been warming up for the wet T shirt beauties. On the way home someone asked if I had taken off the necklace. A sick feeling went over me when I felt around my neck for the wonderful caring "C". Now "C" stood for careless and clumsy - my old demons had come to haunt me. "Maybe its in the suit-" I said as I tried to feel around under my boobs. Nothing but cold tissue. By that time we had reached the house. We let Rose out so she could shower, I grabbed a few potato chips, dad got a flashlight and Kim took grandma's wet suit just in case she needed to do a night search in the pool, mom wanted to come too, saying we could not possibly find it without her. So back to the pool we went. It was 6:00 p.m.

Maybe it had fallen off when I had turned my T - shirt around (because I had put it on backwards after swimming.) No necklace. Maybe it had come off when I had whisked the t-shirt off to get into the pool. No necklace. We checked the deck - and even though it was dark and there were no lights in the pool area, we thought for sure we would have seen it if it had been on the deck. I had no other options but to don my goggles and do a bottom search. There were no lights in the pool, the tent area had filled up with steam but I thought I just had to try. How could I face Sherry if I lost my birthday and Christmas present so soon! Kim wanted to show her support by joining in the pool search, wiggling into grandma's wet suit while being hidden by the fog.

Down one side and back the length of the 25 yard pool. Down again and back, coming up for air every 15 feet or so and wishing I had weights to keep me on the bottom. Kim was trying to feel with her feet, her little toes touching in the search. What is that on the black lane line? Is it trash? Is it.. could it be? Yes! It is the chain- the thin white almost invisible links were on the black lane guide. That gave me hope that the "C" for continue was there somewhere. I went under again, just as I heard my dad say it was like finding a needle in a hay stack. And then I saw something that might be a pebble. Or was it? I brought it up and YES - it was the wonderful "C" for courageous.

We were amazed at finding it in the dark, in the steam, in the pool. Rose said it was because she had prayed. Dad said it was unbelievable and I was relieved and grateful. Next time I'll remember that "C" stands for careful and will take off my necklace before getting in a pool.