The Rings Come Full Cirlce

The story of our courtship began in February of 1974, which was my Junior year of high school, when, faciliated somewhat by my younger sister, Teddy and I attended the Valentine Banquet our church was hosting. We continued dating through the spring and summer of 1974, up until the time Teddy received the news that he was being transferred to Anchorage, Alaksa. I still remember the night -- sitting with him in his Delta 88 in the parking lot of the Dairy Queen in Killeen on what is now the Business 190 -- when he told me about his orders.

Unbeknownst to me, the two-ring, white gold bridal set had been purchased in July or August of 1974, prior to his move to Alaska. They stayed in Clarendon while he was in Alaska, but he brought them with him when he came to see me in July of 1975 with the intent of asking me to marry him. I had just graduated from high school, and he was spending the week in my home under the watchful eyes of my parents. The week he was back in Killeen was wonderful and we enjoyed resuming our relationship.

But marriage was not to be at that time. At 17 years of age, I needed to go to college. Teddy needed to go to college -- we both knew that, so he didn't propose and I never saw the rings. When he left Killeen in July of 1975, and the last time I would see him until December of 2009, he took the two rings back to Clarendon and put them aside.

Over the years, he moved around quite a bit and the rings in the box with other memorabilia went with him. At some point, he lost track of where they were. Last week on his trip to Clarendon to fetch some needed items, he was talking with his brother, Terry, and the topic of the rings came up.

"Oh, yeah, I saw those rings in a box when I was rummaging around in the shop a few months ago and brought them up to my house," Terry reported. How they had gotten in the shop, Teddy said, was beyond him. More than likely, his dad, now deceased almost 4 years, had been digging around in the garage, found them, and must have put them in the shop. "In the shop!" was his horrified response. Teddy couldn't figure out either why his dad would have put wedding rings in the shop. Nevertheless, there they were. From Clarendon to Killeen and back to Clarendon; from Clarendon to all the many little panhandle towns in which Teddy had lived over the years; and then a final return to Clarendon when he moved to care for his dad in 2003; from garage to shop to Terry's house, the rings had certainly made it around!

Last Friday evening, just as we were about to leave the house for our weekly date, Teddy said, "Sit down." Having NO CLUE as to what he had on his mind, I sat (as the obedient, good wife that you all know I am!). Then he got down on one knee (what?!?), reached in his back pocket (now I was really puzzled!), took out a green box that looked like a ring box because that's exactly what it was (I was finally getting the idea!), and said, "Belinda Kaye King Scholl, will you marry me?" and produced the two rings he had bought for me in 1974.

Still shiny and pristine, all I could do was stare in disbelief at the beautiful set of rings that were meant for me over 35 years ago. I had wondered and had even asked Teddy about a year ago where the rings had ended up. He told me that he had saved them over the years; that they were meant for me, so he never sold or gave them away. I couldn't believe he had really kept them for all these years. Surely he had sold them. Surely he had done something with them. Surely. But, no. When we were at the Clarendon house in June of last year, we looked for the rings, but did not find them. But on his recent trip, with the help of his brother, he had found my rings. My rings.

What will I do with the rings? Well, we went to a jewelers on Saturday and I'm having them sized and sautered together. While they are more simple than what I currently wear, they are beautiful and the story behind them precious and sweet. I plan to wear them alternately with the ring Teddy gave me in February of 2010. The picture in this blog is not of the actual rings, but is very similar. The actual rings have a Florentine pattern on them, but otherwise, they are a two-piece white gold bridal set of a simple diamond solitaire and matching band.

My answer to Teddy's proposal? "Yes, over and over and over again!!!"