Me: I did something a bit spontaneous today, Ants.
Anthony: That’s unusual, Jules.
Me: I bought myself a silver bangle – from you to me. It’s kind of a combination of a Christmas and birthday present. It’s nothing to do with Valentine’s day, I promise.
Anthony: Thanks for letting me know.
Me: Oh thank you so, so, so, much for it, Ants. I love it!
Anthony: My pleasure, Jules, you deserve it.
Me: Well, yes, I think I do too because you know the last few years when you always asked me to go and get myself a silver bangle for my birthday….
Anthony: I’m glad I could be of service.
Me: No, you don’t get it Ants, I only pretended to buy myself those bangles because I didn’t want to spend the money.
Anthony: What a good disciple you are.
Me: Yeah, so I would wear an old bangle that you’d bought me years ago, and you bought me heaps, remember? You even chose them.
Anthony: I have impeccable taste. You tend to like chunky, showy jewellery.
Me: That’s a horrible thing to say and not true at all!
Anthony: I prefer the subtle nuances of the bracelet myself.
Me: Anyway so I was having a coffee in town at a new place (I’m trying to get out and about more because that’s what people keep telling me to do) and I just happened to look up and there was the shop – Baroque Design Jewellery Studio – and, whammo, I felt this sudden, nostalgic urge that you wanted me to go there.
Anthony: I had nothing to do with it, Jules. You have an overactive imagination.
Me: Are you sure? I mean the urge was so strong and I walked in and reminded Tim that I was the girl (yeah I know I should have said ‘woman’ not ‘girl’, how embarrassing) who used to come once a year to buy a silver bangle, or bracelet, as a gift to myself from my adoring husband who wasn’t well enough to accompany me.
Anthony: A likely story.
Me: Are you even listening to me!
Anthony: Sorry – wondering when you’re going to get to the point. Is it afternoon tea time yet? I’d love a coffee.
Me: As soon as I saw the silver cuff I knew it was the one.
Anthony: The one what?
Me: The bangle that you would have wanted to give me….
Anthony: I’m sure it was, Jules….
Me: So I explained to Tim that the reason I hadn’t been into his shop for a few years was because you weren’t well and you were in a nursing home.
Anthony: I remember him – great bloke.
Me: I didn’t tell him I’d been wearing bangles you’d bought me years ago, pretending they were brand new.
Anthony: You didn’t tell me either.
Me: Well, I’m telling you now! So that’s why I figure I am kind of owed around four years worth of bangles maybe.
Anthony: Interesting logic.
Me: And then I told Tim you’d died and could he give me a discount for being a bereaved widow. I didn’t really mean to say that, it just popped out so I explained that you’d taught me the art of bargaining, or is it bartering, and he said you’d be proud of me and he knocked off a third of the price!
Anthony: Amazing.
Me: It’s not amazing; it’s amazing! Are there any exclamation mark classes where you are because you really need to lift your game.
Anthony: Show me the bangle and I’ll give you my opinion.
Me: See? Here it is, Ants. It’s a cuff; I’ve never had one before. Thank you!
Anthony: Why are you so excited?
Me: Because you gave me a gift and it marks the first year of me surviving without you.
Anthony: I actually haven’t been dead for a year yet but, what the hell, you’re right, Jules, it’s a lovely piece of work. Get it engraved.
Me: Really? Are you sure? So, something like ‘To my darling Julie, with all my love, from her eternally-besotted husband, Anthony’?
Anthony (laughing): No.
Me (laughing): What then?
Anthony: Just our initials will do.
[Note: Tim Cunningham is the jeweller at Baroque. He was so kind to me today. Perhaps he sensed that just underneath my excitement at buying the silver cuff was the devastation of having lost the physical presence of Anthony. Anyway, I asked Tim if it would be okay to share his website here and he said yes so here it is: baroquedesign.com.au]
jmgoyder 
I bet it looks great Jules, and you continue to AMAZE me! xoxo
So funny as I have never been a girly-girl but Ants started the bangle tradition years ago!
Love it! You are taking good care of yourself, Julie. 🙂
What a great conversation.
So glad you bought that bangle and well done for bargaining as well.
Everyone deserves a present now and then, regardless of Birthday, Christmas or whatever.
When I was working I used to buy a bunch of my favourite flowers once a month (even if I didn’t have the spare money at the time). Now I have my balcony potted garden I have flowers to look at every day.
By the way, have you been back to the gardening club? Getting out in the garden and getting all those beneficial bacteria from the earth is supposed to be very healing.
Gardening is on my list as one of the things I want to get back to!
Tim was a great bloke. And truly, Anthony did lead you to this gift AND the discount!
What a great conversation. I’m glad you’re treating yourself, good.
Oh Julie! Every time I have a conversation with Raimo, I think of you two. The last long conversation we had was about buying a new camera lens for me. I asked for his permission to buy an expensive, high quality lens as a belated Valentine’s Day present from him. I argued that I deserved that long lens – much for surviving so long without him. I also presented a strong argument that photography was an important means for me to survive without him. To my surprise he finally agreed!
Oh how wonderful!