5 Diamond Rings

"It was back in 2009 when the whole thing started. Let me tell you all about it," I started telling my grandchildren.

'Christmas Eve 2009

"Wil you, Andria Wethers, marry me?" Tony asked with a smile on his face as he held out the largest diamond ring I'd ever seen.

"Of course!" I said gleaming. In January, next year he has to leave for the army, he served in Afghanistan. The month of our planned wedding he died on duty. And of course, I was sad but when his family showed up at the funeral they didn't even apologize for the loss of my fiance. His family didn't like me very much. I waited for another year before I started dating again, and when I thought that I had found the right guy, it was November again. I spent October and November getting to know him and his family, which were much nicer to me than Tony's was.

Christmas Eve 2012

"Hey, Andria. Can I talk to you?" Kevin asked timidly.

"Yeah, of course. What's up?" I asked as I turned to face him.

He bent down on one knee, pulled out a beautiful diamond ring, and asked, "Would you be willing to spend the rest of your life with me, Andria Wethers? I know you have had a rough past few years and I understand if you do not accept. But I really feel like you are the right one for me."

"Oh, Kevin! Of course, I'll marry you!" I said once again with a large smile as his family burst in on us hugging and crying tears of joy. But once again it all ended too soon. He was walking home from work because he cares about the environment when he was robbed and beaten up. When someone found him and got him to the hospital, he was already gone. I had the worst time with it because the funeral was planned for the exact day of our wedding which was once again canceled. I apparently had the worst luck ever. I decided that I would wait at least two years before I even started looking for the right guy. One of my close friends hooked me up with one of her guy friends, and she told me it didn't have to go farther than a first date but I really liked him so we went on a few dates.

July 2015

"Thank you so much, Julie! I would never have met Logan if it weren't for you!" I said at the summer barbeque.

"Oh, don't thank me, I honestly didn't think that you two would work out but you are so welcome!" Julie said with a smile. The following months went by in a blur and before I knew it, it was Christmas time once again. I spent most of the holidays hanging out with Julie and Logan, and I had the best time ever. We hung out almost every weekend at a bar or at one another houses.

Christmas Eve 2015

"Will you spend your life with me, Andria?" Logan said at dinner.

"Oh, Logan, I don't want to hurt you but I have the worst luck ever and you know that. I want you to keep living even if it isn't with me, but with my luck, you would die or get hurt, or in the end, we wouldn't be together and it would be before we even got married. I wish I wish from the bottom of my heart that there were a way that we could still be together and not have my bad luck ruin it." I said as I started to cry.

"Oh, baby. I'm sorry. But before we jump to conclusions we could still be friends. and keep in contact, if you want?" Logan said as he cradled me in his arms.

"I'd like that. And please know that I will always love you more than anything," I said through sobs. We still hung out but when Julie told me that she and Logan were dating I almost broke down, but I kept myself together until after our regular Friday outing. So when I got home, I broke down into tears sobbing until my entire pillow was soaked with my tears. I didn't do out for the rest of the week, and when they stopped by to check in I had passed out on the floor and they told me that I hadn't eaten or drank anything for a week and had nearly died of dehydration. They had me stay at their house to make sure I was still eating and drinking regularly. But when I left for my own house I stopped eating as regularly. So when I started dating again three years later I felt as if I had finally found the one. He had equally bad luck as me and if we went everywhere together then we would cancel each other's luck out.

Christmas Eve 2018

"My dear, my love, my equal of bad luck, will you marry me?" Grady asked through a smile.

"Of course my love since you have experienced the same pain that I have over the past few years" I replied gleefully. He picked me up and spun me around as we cried tears of joy. We spent every moment we could together and when he went one way and I went the other, that was the day he was killed. He went to go and get me a drink from the cafe down town and on his way he, just like the rest of them, was killed. I didnt think that I would last much longer but I managed to do so for another three years before I met Aaron. Aaron, one of my work colleagues, was new to the team and I was in charge of training him. We spent a few weeks together for the training part of it and when he was assigned to help me with my project I was secretly so happy. We worked together for about a month on the project before we finally figured it out, when we figured it out he asked me out on a date. And before I knew it, it was my least favorite time of the year, the Holiday season. I hated it for my bad luck but I had to endure it for Aaron. We survived together.

Christmas Eve 2021

"Oh, Andria?" Aaron asked from the other room, "Come here please."

"Okay?" I said back, "I'm not sure if I should be worried, scarred, or happy?"

"Well which do you feel?" He asked.

"Yes," was the only reply I could come up with.

He laughed, "Well still come here."

"Oootay, I'm coming," I playfully said through a repressed sigh. When I walked into the other room, a bunch of candles were lit, rose petals were scattered everywhere, and in the middle of it all was Aaron on one knee holding out another diamond ring.

"Will you marry me?" he asked timidly, almost afraid of my answer.

"Of course Aaron!" I said through as a huge smile lit up my face. He picked me up, twirled me around a few times before setting me down. We made it until the wedding.

February 3, 2022

"I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." the sermon said in a deep husky voice.

I heard cheers and hollers as we kissed, and at that same moment I knew that we would spend the rest of our lives together. No matter what. I now understood why my past marriages hadn't worked out, fate was trying to make sure I was with the right person. And now that I found him, I would make sure of it that we would spend the rest of our lives together. And that is my story, kiddos."

"Oh grammy, if only we'd known how hard your life had been," Tony, the oldest, said sadly.

"Yeah, we are sorry gwammy," my youngest grandchild, Grady, agreed.

"Oh dears, don't feel bad. Everybody has a rough patch in their life, and this was mine." I said smiling even after bringing up my story. "Now now children, off to dream land with you. Your mother would be very mad at me if you weren't already asleep. So I trust that you will keep going even if things get rough in your life, because things have to get worse before they can get better. Or at least that was what my grandfather used to tell me. So good night my dears," I said as I kissed each of them on the forehead and left the room.