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My Grandfather’s Wedding Ring

If you see my grandfather, the first thing you’ll notice is that he’s really tall and a little bit fat, also that he wears glasses and that he has few hair on his head. But not me, the first thing I notice when I see my grandfather is his wedding ring. He has had this ring on his hand ever since I can remember. I even remember seeing him walking down the beach with the ring on his hand, and even though everyone pointed out that he should leave it on the room because it might fall and he might lose it. He didn’t listen. That ring is his most valuable possession, and he wasn’t about to let it out of his sight for a moment. The value of the ring is beyond the price, its real value lays on the love my grandfather has for my grandmother. It took me years to understand how much he treasures this ring, until one day 5 years ago I finally understood what it meant. My grandfather was about to have a big surgery so we were waiting for the doctor to arrive. When he arrived, the nurse asked him to remove his watch and his wedding ring. He immediately left his watch, but he was reluctant to give us his ring. He asked if it was really necessary to leave his ring behind considering that they weren’t going to operate on his hand. The doctor told him it was protocol so, although he wasn’t convinced, he left the ring in hands of my aunt. When he came back to the room we were all waiting for him. It was really unexpected that the first thing he asked when he opened his eyes and saw my grandmother was if my aunt had given her his ring. In that moment I understood, that having the ring on his hand is like having my grandmother with him everywhere he goes. After talking to him about it, now I know that when he’s having a bad day, or when he feels his problems are a big burden. It only takes him a second to look at his hand and realize that my grandmother is waiting for him and that she loves him no matter what. So even though it might sound strange that simple piece of white gold, that has nothing but the words “María Guadalupe” and the date “May 24, 1956”, means the world to my grandfather. And now, it means a lot to me too because it’s the symbolic representation of the love that’s the foundation of my family and the love I once hope to share.  (443 words)