Driving Miss Daisy - S01 E40

Story 2 years ago

Driving Miss Daisy - S01 E40

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 40

Of course, I had forgotten to phone my mom so that was the fourth thing I did the next morning right after telling Sara that I loved her, kissing her deeply, and phoning Cara to tell her I was taking the day off, but not telling her why. My phone call began like this: "Hi, Mom, would you like to come for dinner Saturday or Sunday?" She commented briefly on my cooking skills or lack thereof before inviting me instead. "Okay, Mom-would you mind if brought someone with me?" I continued a minute or so later with a laugh. "No, Mom-it's definitely not Daisy. That train has left the station and it's never returning. I'd tell you more, but I have to run to catch a train into the city. Okay, see you Saturday afternoon around three. Bye, Mom...love you."

"There you go-you'll meet my folks around three Saturday afternoon...more than enough time to get over any nervousness.

"That's easy for you to say." I just laughed and pulled Sara from the bed and into the shower. By now we were completely familiar with each other's bodies, not that we had ever been shy with each other. We washed, rubbing soapy hands over chests and abdomens and over sex organs until we were squeaky clean. Only then did we exit and dry each other with loving tenderness. We dressed quickly so I could get us a cab to the Huntington Station. I knew that finding a place to park would be nearly impossible without a permit. Bottom line-taking a cab was easier and possibly cheaper than a parking ticket.

I bought round trip peak tickets leaving to Manhattan around 9:15 while Sara bought us two coffees at a shop next to the station. We were relaxing on a bench when Sara asked where we would go for her ring. "I could take you to Harry Winston or to Tiffany's, but we'll do a lot better in the Diamond District. I'll save a lot of money there so I'll be able to buy you some other things, too."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Oh! But if I tell you there won't be any kind of surprise. What do you think-take a cab from Penn Station or walk? It'll be about fourteen blocks....the short way."

"The what? I don't know anything about Manhattan."

"Okay. Blocks running north and south are shorter, maybe a third

of what they are running east and west. We have to go about

fourteen blocks so do you want to walk or shall we take a cab?"

"It's a beautiful day. Why don't we walk? Maybe we should take the cab on the way back, you know, to be safe." I agreed even though her concerns were silly. Walking in Manhattan was probably as safe as walking in our back yard, maybe even safer.

We caught the train and an hour later we stepped out of Penn Station onto 8th Avenue and 33rd Street. I pointed to the right and off we walked. Neither of us had dressed up so it was sneakers on both of our feet-perfect for a leisurely stroll.

We held hands all the way up Eighth until stopped us at 46th where we crossed the street, continuing west until we reached the doorway I wanted. "Do you know where you're going...where we're going?"

"Yes, if it's okay with you I'd like to use the same jeweler I used with Daisy. He told me the ring's appraisal would be at least twice what I paid and he was right. Trust is very important in this business." I pulled the door open and held it for Sara. I took her hand again and led her through what I knew from experience was a maze of vendors.

The Diamond District has several hundred vendors each with one or two showcases, a work area for making or fixing jewelry, and a huge safe probably weighing a ton or more. We had passed maybe thirty such showcases when I saw Sam and his daughter Nadia. Sam was a Russian Jew whose family had left Russia for the United States when the Bolsheviks ousted the Tsar in 1917. As bad as conditions had been under the Tsar his grandfather knew they'd be even worse under the communists. The family worked their way across Europe, relying on other jewelers and diamond merchants for food and shelter-even loans that enabled them for eventually reach New York and Ellis Island where they were granted refugee status.

Diamonds were in his family's blood. That's what Sam had told me when we had first met more than a year ago. He smiled warmly when he saw me, just before hugging me fiercely. Stepping back he gave Sara a quick, but confused, glance. "A new one? What happened to the cheerleader?"

"I found out that she and her mother had some evil plans for me so I kicked her to the curb. This is Sara, my secretary's identical twin sister."

"You work with a beauty like this and you actually get work done? You gentiles are too much. But, I talk too much. Welcome to my shop, Sara. Please have a seat. What can I do for you, John?"

"I want a ring...an engagement ring first." Sam took Sara's hand in his, carefully examining her fingers.

"You have long, slender fingers. I can show you many different kinds and shapes of rings and stones, but you will find that a Marquise-cut solitaire will look best. Sit while I get some samples to show you." He turned to the safe, sorted through perhaps a dozen trays, returning with six. "Many of them are too small for what I know John wants for you, but just as many are too big for your fingers. Let's try out a few different sizes and different shapes, too. Sam measured Sara's finger then moved a few trays away. One by one he placed a ring onto Sara's finger. Some she rejected almost immediately, but exactly as Sam had predicted, she loved the Marquise-cut stones the best. She finally chose a beautiful three carat diamond in a yellow gold setting. I had to agree-it looked great on her finger.

"That is an excellent choice. It has outstanding clarity and it is an excellent setting. See the six prongs holding the stone. You can find many cheaper settings with only four. Trust me..If one breaks your stone will be lost in a heartbeat. I'm glad that John can afford the best for such a beautiful woman as you. Now-what else, John?"

"How about a tennis bracelet and maybe some other rings for her right hand?"

He brought out the bracelets first and I thought that Sara would faint. Here in this tiny shop Sam must have had a million dollars in precious stones-maybe even more. "Let us find a nice bracelet that you like and then we'll find a matching ring. Don't worry. I know that John can afford it." Sara gave me a questioning look so I Just nodded before giving her what was probably the only chaste kiss of our relationship.

Sam placed several bracelets on Sara's wrist-single row of diamonds, double row of diamonds. Two diamond rows around a central line of sapphires, then rubies, then emeralds. To help her decide Sam brought out several trays of cocktail rings, pointing out that the darker stones with the greatest contrast looked best when set against the brilliance of diamonds. Sara must have agreed because she selected a beautiful sapphire ring with a complete circle of diamonds that perfectly matched a bracelet of two rows of fairly large diamonds around a sapphire band. "Ten carats of diamonds on the bracelet with good clarity and three carats of sapphires. The ring is ten carats sapphire with one and a half carats of diamonds"