Remembering You by Sandi Lynn
Chapter One
Adalyn
It all started when I found a beautiful diamond ring nestled between two pieces of coral while scuba diving in Antigua with my boyfriend of three years, Stephen. It was our dream vacation, and we’d been saving a whole year for it. The white sandy beaches, the calming site of the clear turquoise blue waters, and the sunsets were just part of the amazing experience we had. We did everything we could during our time there which included a buggy tour to see the rural areas of the island, zip lining, snorkeling, swimming with the stingrays and finally scuba diving. Little did I know that two weeks after our perfect vacation, my life would completely do a one eighty and go to total shit.
You’re probably wondering what the hell happened. Well, let me enlighten you. It was my birthday when I came home after being fired from my job to find Stephen packing his bags. He delivered the news that he’d met another woman when we returned from Antigua and he couldn’t explain what he felt when he met her. So, after a lot of screaming and throwing things, he took his bags and walked out on me, our three-year relationship, and our Seattle apartment. In one day, and on my birthday none the less, my boss fired me, and my boyfriend broke up with me. Both events completely devastated me, and I thought my life was over. I barely got out of bed for a week, and the one day I did, it was because my best friend Carly dragged me out of the apartment and to lunch with her, I came home to find that my building had caught on fire and burnt to the ground. Thank God nobody was seriously hurt, but I lost everything I owned.
I moved in with Carly and her husband of two years, Daniel, until I figured out what I was going to do. It seemed the best option for me was to go back home to California. That’s where I was originally from, born and raised. I graduated from the University of Washington with a Master of Design degree while Carly graduated with an MBA. California was our home, and the plan was to attend the University of Washington together, graduate, and move back home. We were best friends like that who did everything together. Then she met Daniel a few months before we graduated, and it was insta love. In the meantime, I secured an intern position with a company called K&L Design Group, and they offered me a full-time position when I graduated. I liked Seattle; I liked my job and Carly was staying, so I stayed. Then I met Stephen, who gave me even more reason never to leave Seattle.
* * *
“Hey, you,” Carly softly spoke as she sat down next to me on the bed. “Whatcha doing?”
“Thinking about how much my life sucks.”
“Don’t say that, Adalyn. You could have been home and injured or even killed when that fire broke out.”
“Just my luck that I wasn’t.” I rolled my eyes.
“But you would have been if I hadn’t dragged you out to lunch. Listen, I know things are rough, but you will get through it.” She placed her hand on top of mine.
“I’ve decided to go back to California.”
“As in move there?” she asked, and I could sense the worry in her voice.
“I don’t know. Maybe. All I know is I need to get out of Seattle.”
“I totally get that. I really do. But Seattle is your home and has been for the last twelve years. It was your home way before your job with K&L Designs and it was your home before Stephen. Don’t let a couple bad things that happened here make you run away. Just give it more thought. I know you’ll find another job soon and I’ll help you find a new apartment. I hate to say this, Ad, but you could totally put a positive spin on the whole apartment fire thing.”
“Seriously?” I glared at her.
“Yeah. That was a place you and Stephen got together. Maybe it’s best that it happened so you can start fresh somewhere else. Somewhere where you don’t have to be reminded of him.”
What she said made a little sense, but I couldn’t find a positive with the fact that all my belongings were burnt to ashes.
“Just think about it for a while.” She squeezed my hand. “Grandma Lori is coming over for dinner and you’re joining us.”
“I really don’t feel—”
“I said you’re joining us. Besides, you know how Daniel is when it comes to his grandma. You really don’t have a choice.” A smirk crossed her lips.
“Then I guess I better get in the shower,” I sighed.
I loved Grandma Lori. I’d known her ever since Carly and Daniel first got together. She was one of those cool hippy grandmas. She wore her gray hair long and curly and she always wore stylish hippy clothing with a lot of jewelry. She was a Theology professor at Seattle University and her wisdom and knowledge about everything always amazed me. She was a traveler who had lovers in just about every country she visited, but she could never bring herself to settle down with one special person.
We were all sitting at the table having dinner and listening to her latest adventures in Peru when she glanced over at me with a sympathetic look.
“I’m so sorry to hear about everything you’re going through,” she spoke.
“Thanks, Lori. It’s been a tough few weeks.” I looked down.
She reached over, placed her hand on mine and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“You’ll get through it. What a beautiful ring,” she spoke as she held up my hand and examined it. “That looks like it cost a fortune.”
“Thank you. I found it scuba diving in Antigua. It was in between two pieces of coral. Look.” I took it off. “It has an inscription on the inside.”
To my darling Mary, my soulmate for life.
She read the inscription and then stared at me with the strangest look on her face.
“You found this when you were in Antigua you say?”
“Yeah. I found it on our last day there.”
“Adalyn, listen to me carefully. You need to get rid of this ring.”
“Why?” My brows furrowed.
“Honey, this ring is the reason everything bad has happened to you since you found it.”
“Grandma Lori, that’s ridiculous,” Carly spoke.
“You have to listen to me, Adalyn. There are stories about this, and I’ve heard of it happening before. This ring is a symbol of true love. It was given to Mary by her soulmate to seal that love forever. It’s not meant to be worn by anyone else. You must get rid of it immediately and as far away from you as possible. I don’t mean to scare you, darling. Just do yourself a favor and dispose of it.”
“You could always pawn it and get a shitload of money for it,” Daniel said.
“No.” Lori shot him a look. “Do you want the same awful things to happen to someone else? The ring must be disposed of or given back to its owner. Once it is out of your possession, it will break the curse.”
“Curse?” I furrowed my brows.
“Yes, Adalyn. You should dispose of that ring immediately or bad things will continue to happen to you.”
After Grandma Lori left, I grabbed a glass a wine and took it into my bedroom. As I was laying across the bed and sipping my drink, I held the beautiful white gold, diamond encased band in my hand and stared at it. As ridiculous and absurd as it sounded, I was thinking what Lori said was true. Ever since I returned from Antigua it had been one horrific thing after another. After finishing my wine, I set it down on the nightstand and grabbed my laptop. I would see if there was any truth to what Lori said. Stephen, my job and my apartment burning down weren’t the only bad things that happened to me. Those were just the major ones. They declined my credit card at the department store when I was buying some new clothes. Apparently, someone had stolen my numbers and charged over five thousand dollars' worth of electronics. I knew that always happened to many people, but it had never happened to me. Then, I dropped my phone in the street and as I went down to pick it up, someone on a bike ran over it, forcing me to buy a new one. If that wasn’t all, I came down with a sinus infection and prescribed some medication. The pharmacy gave me the wrong one, and I ended up having an allergic reaction and landed in the ER.
The next morning, I was up at the crack of dawn for I couldn’t sleep. My mind had been racing with thoughts all night about that ring. Grandma Lori said I needed to get rid of it immediately and I would do just that. As I was studying the ring last night and the inscription, I had an idea, and let me tell you, it probably wasn’t the best idea I’d ever had, but it was an idea so strong that I couldn’t ignore it.
“Good morning.” Carly smiled as she emerged into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. “I’ve decided that today is the day you will get your life back,” she said as she leaned over the island where I was sitting. “No more moping around or feeling sorry for yourself. You will start by getting rid of that ring. I’m taking a half day from work, and we’re taking the ferry to Bainbridge Island to do some shopping. While we’re on the ferry, you will throw that ring into the Sound and forget you ever found it.”
“That sounds like a great plan and as much as I’d love to, I can’t.”
“What?” Her brows furrowed.
“I’m going to New York. I booked a flight last night. It leaves in four hours.”
She held her coffee cup between her hands and cocked her head at me as a look of confusion swept across her face.
“What do you mean you’re going to New York?”
“On the inside of the ring is the name of the designer who designed it. It just so happens that he owns a custom jewelry shop in New York. I’m hoping that maybe he has records or something that will lead me to Mary. Then I can give her ring back to her and all will be right in the world and hopefully my life.”
“That’s the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard, Adalyn. First, you don’t even know when that ring was lost or even if it was lost. For all we know something could have happened between Mary and her husband and she got rid of it on purpose. She may not want it back. Second, Mary could be anywhere in the world. Just because it was designed in New York doesn’t mean shit.”
“I guess I’ll find out when I get there. But New York is the starting point. I have to try. If it doesn’t pan out, I’ll get rid of the ring while I’m there. I have to go pack,” I said as I refilled my coffee cup and went into the bedroom.
“Hope you have no more bad luck on your little adventure,” she shouted.
