Family

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The Wedding Band

Christmas at the Caesar, MS community was a special time of year. The year 1964 was no exception. All my siblings gathered in on Christmas Eve as they had done for years. Mama, being the matriarch of the family, had been cooking for days. The grandkids were on their best behavior, having been warned that Santa was watching their every move. This had been a saying in my family for years and I know it worked in my case when I was a youngster.

On past Christmas morning, Mama always received her usual set of gifts-nightgowns, slippers, pots and pans, etc. This was going to be a different year for her. Papa always received his gross of Rum Crook cigars, socks, handkerchiefs, etc.

My dad, whom we called Papa, never bought a gift for anyone. I guess it was because the money was hard to come by and what little he had was spent on raising us ten kids. Mama, on the other hand, bought gifts for all the grandkids. For the boys, it may have been just a bag of marbles or a pack of BBs for their BB guns. The girls would get a doll or the older girls would get perfume. Christmas was special to her.

For whatever reason this Christmas Papa bought Mama a small gold wedding band. It was the smallest wedding band I had ever seen Mama's fingers being small and bony. They had gotten married when Mama was 15 years old and had just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. She had never worn a wedding band.

Papa was on cloud nine Christmas Eve. All the girls were giddy with enthusiasm as they gathered in a back bedroom to wrap this gift from Papa to Mama. Papa stood at the door, as a lookout to make sure Mama didn't come in and ruin the surprise that was waiting for her on Christmas morning.

Christmas morning finally arrived and all the presents were handed out by Santa-that is except a small package hidden in the limbs of the Christmas tree. I will never forget the look on Mama's face when Papa handed her this package. When she opened the box and saw what was in it she began to cry. There was not a dry eye in the house. Papa placed the small band on her finger and you could see the happiness in both their eyes.

Mama wore the ring with pride. Every now and then she would hold her left hand out and admire this small band of gold.

During the summer of 1965 Mama was picking up Tung Nuts to make a little spending money at a farm near where we lived when the ring accidentally slipped from her finger. She searched and searched but to no avail. The ring was lost forever.

On December 10, 1965 Papa passed on into Eternity. Mama never forgot that she had finally gotten the wedding band she had always wanted. Mama died on December 6, 1989, and was put to rest beside her husband of 54 years never to be separated again.

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