For our wedding anniversary T gave me a pair of beautiful diamond stud earrings. We unwrapped our presents over breakfast, and as tempted as I was to put them on straight away, I forced myself to put them to one side to wear out to dinner that evening.
Make up and hair done, and dress on, all that was left to put on were the earrings - they would finish off my outfit perfectly!
Make up and hair done, and dress on, all that was left to put on were the earrings - they would finish off my outfit perfectly!
I carefully took one of the studs out of the box, but couldn’t pull the back off it. As I tugged and peered, and yanked (cautiously) and stared at the stud; T eventually divulged they were in fact screw backs. I had never heard of screw earrings before, but it would explain why the backs wouldn’t succumb to my pulling! Sure enough, unscrewing them proved much more successful. As T and I chatted, I put the earring in my ear…but it wouldn’t go.
Strange.
I tried again, but no, it wouldn’t go through the hole in my earlobe. Thinking it to be one of those things that if you stop to actually think about the task you normally do automatically, like spelling words, and that was why I was having trouble - I had now started to actually think about putting the earring in my ear - I went into the bathroom to look in the mirror. For a fleeting second as I bent over the sink, I thought about the plug hole, but then went back to trying to get the troublesome earring through my ear; without any luck.
I became more and more frustrated and confused as to why it wouldn't fit. As I continued trying to stick the jewelled stud through my earlobe, I dropped the delicate earring and watched in horror as it rattled around the sink in seemingly very slow motion, before falling down the plughole…
No-o-o-o-o!!!
T heard my shout and came into the bathroom, where we pulled out the plug (it is one of those plugs you press to close, and press again to open) from the plughole, and saw the tiny earring balancing on a ledge above the abyss of sink slime. The earring was so fine, there was no way our fingers could pick it up from it's precarious position, so I got my tweezers and slowly and gently manoeuvred them towards the diamond, but my movement was not slow or gentle enough, and the earring fell into the deep dark grimy depths of the pipe…
Aargh!
I tried again, but no, it wouldn’t go through the hole in my earlobe. Thinking it to be one of those things that if you stop to actually think about the task you normally do automatically, like spelling words, and that was why I was having trouble - I had now started to actually think about putting the earring in my ear - I went into the bathroom to look in the mirror. For a fleeting second as I bent over the sink, I thought about the plug hole, but then went back to trying to get the troublesome earring through my ear; without any luck.
I became more and more frustrated and confused as to why it wouldn't fit. As I continued trying to stick the jewelled stud through my earlobe, I dropped the delicate earring and watched in horror as it rattled around the sink in seemingly very slow motion, before falling down the plughole…
No-o-o-o-o!!!
T heard my shout and came into the bathroom, where we pulled out the plug (it is one of those plugs you press to close, and press again to open) from the plughole, and saw the tiny earring balancing on a ledge above the abyss of sink slime. The earring was so fine, there was no way our fingers could pick it up from it's precarious position, so I got my tweezers and slowly and gently manoeuvred them towards the diamond, but my movement was not slow or gentle enough, and the earring fell into the deep dark grimy depths of the pipe…
Aargh!
T, who was ready to go out at this stage in his smart clothes, had to take the u-bend off and fish around in the grey sludge…
Thankfully, after a few minutes he found the jewel!
We washed the slime off, and put both earrings safely back in their box and went out to dinner, which we were now late for. I wore some some plain old earrings, as in the last minute rush I couldn't find the other pair I was planning on wearing before T produced the gorgeous diamonds.
Thankfully, after a few minutes he found the jewel!
We washed the slime off, and put both earrings safely back in their box and went out to dinner, which we were now late for. I wore some some plain old earrings, as in the last minute rush I couldn't find the other pair I was planning on wearing before T produced the gorgeous diamonds.
The following weekend we took the earrings back to the shop, and the lady there (who spoke broken English, which didn't combine easily with our broken French) stared at me in disbelief when I said they didn’t fit. I made a point of showing her the -£3 - earrings in my ears and yes I did know how to put earrings in after 12 years of having pierced ears (as I knew that was going through her mind as she peered at my ears). She then got one of the diamond studs out of their box, instructed me to take out one of the earrings I was wearing, and then proceeded to try and shove the stud in my ear. The earring did not go in the hole (d'oh), but she shoved and shoved, as if brute force would win the day. As I protested at her digging around in the hole my earlobe and making it sore, she thankfully gave up and said the shop could send them off and have normal backs put on in place of the screws. She asked if we were sure this was what we wanted, as the earrings could easily fall out of my ears with these other backs; but at that point in time I had two earrings I could not wear at all, and what was the point of that?!!
We picked them up a fortnight later, after a fright when T realized he had lost the receipt just as we were leaving the apartment, so a rushed search of drawers and boxes, pockets and bags ensued. The search proved fruitless but thankfully, he was able to provide the shop manager with some details they had, such as his phone number and address, and they gave the earrings to us. When we got home, I got the studs out of their packet to show to mum, and was mortified to find the backs were still screws…
I rushed to the mirror (plug firmly pushed into the plughole), feeling the tears brew up inside me, but these screw-backs were narrower, and therefore fitted my ears!
I now have some diamond stud earrings, which I can actually wear!
I rushed to the mirror (plug firmly pushed into the plughole), feeling the tears brew up inside me, but these screw-backs were narrower, and therefore fitted my ears!
I now have some diamond stud earrings, which I can actually wear!