Friendship

FriendshipP

                                      
         “Mommy, look! Susie gave me a friendship ring!  Isn’t it pretty?”

         Nancy looked at the ring on eight year old Jenna’s finger.  “Yes that’s real pretty.”
         
         “The ruby isn’t real but it’s just as pretty as if it was.”

         Then Jenna cried out in dismay.  “Oh no, Mommy, my finger turned green.  The ring has green on it, too!”

         “Let me see.  The metal tarnished where it touches your skin.  Well honey, you know Susie couldn’t afford a gold ring.”

         “But my ring was so pretty.”

         “Susie doesn’t have much experience buying jewelry.  But she thought of you and chose something pretty for you.  That’s what you should think of not what it’s made of or how much it cost.”

         Jenna was looking at her green finger.  “But how do I tell her why I’m not wearing it?  I don’t want to hurt her feelings.”

         Nancy said, “Let me look at it.  Maybe I can do something.”

         Jenna handed the ring to her mother.  She was thinking how bad her friend, Susie would feel if she knew the ring made Jenna’s finger turn green.

         Nancy cleaned the ring carefully until it was shining again.  “Now I’ll show you a trick that I’ve used to save costume jewelry before.  Go and get me the colorless nail polish out of my makeup drawer.” 

         Jenna brought back the bottle, wondering.  Nancy carefully coated the ring with the nail polish. “There.  Let that dry and I think it will keep your ring shiny and your finger -- not green.”

         “Thanks, Mommy!”

         “And you know what I like about this?  I like that you were thinking of Susie’s feelings about it.  That tells me you’re the kind of little girl I’m proud of.”
         
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