Dim Days and Diamonds
Excerpts

Life's Preservation

Ember went to view the Amber Exhibit in 1997 at the Smithsonian Museum. She was awestruck by how the insects scorpions, butterflies, tiny frogs had been caught, trapped in the sap from the trees in the forest of Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Africa and Mediterranean tropics and preserved for millions of years, for humans to study and marvel their wonder. It was spectacular and fascinating. It was as if in the prime of these tiny species' existence, they were captured, their lives snuffed out, almost being buried alive and frozen in time. Horrible it seems at the time and on the surface. Unthinkable that it should happen, but happen nevertheless. Helpless to the point there is nothing one can do. But alas, wait a minute.

And it seems so analogous to some people. When one reflects upon how people die, their lives appearing to be destroyed—tragically or snuffed out in their prime, when they are the most famous or popular—it's pause to wonder and to speculate if it is so to preserve a moment in time, a moment in history for the future generations to ponder the effects, the glory, glamour, the sparkle, the awesomeness of it all. Is it nature's way of preserving something they strived for by freezing their lives in time so that they might forever be idolized, studied and analyzed? Their stories are replayed over and over again if only to scintillate in the lives of a few ordinary human beings. For isn't that the essence of life, what makes life for many--the drama, the aura, the mystery of other human being's lives like Jacqueline Kennedy, Grace Kelly, Pres. John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Medgar Evers, Martin L. King, Elvis Presley, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Princess Diana-—to name a fraction of a few?

Ember honestly believes so. And quiet as it is kept, for those insects and famous ones, their sad stories have been made bright forever.

God Given Feet

As Ember hurried around the house prior to leaving to try and get only bare-essentials packed for her trip to Japan, she ran across one of Bakik's favorite T-shirt from the Telluride Jazz camp the family attended when he was 6 years old. It was so comical. She remembered how Bakik literally cried over having to walk a mile from their beautiful picturesque condominium in the mountains of Telluride, Colorado to the theatre where the students rehearsal and held played performances.

“We need to ride in the van. I can't walk this long way,” he kept whining. Ember knew then that the child was a wreck-- a shining example of a chauffer-driven-everywhere- suburban-living child. Life in the suburbs had shattered his perspective and left him exceedingly bereft of what the purpose of his feet were designed for — to walk to get from point A to point B!

“I can't walk this long way!” was this 6-year-old's refrain. It was so comical that to say that it bordered on the absurd was an under statement. Ember, his father and the other family though did not assuage him. They stood their ground and were firm that he would be walking along with everybody else back and forth to their place of habitat in those beautiful mountains. From that day forward, Ember made crystal clear the purpose for his feet. They walked more while taking care of business, including when taking in museums and other exciting places in Telluride.

Diamonds on the Floor

Ember likes diamonds, although she has never been very big on them or willing to spend extravagant amounts of money on them. She has a friend, Sophia, however, who cherishes the precious jewel; and just as well, has lavished them upon herself. No matter the acquisition, whether purchasing, gifts or some other—Sophia has her share of some kind of a collection of diamonds. Here is a story Ember remembered the way Sophia acquired some of them.

It started out a beautiful day in Los Angeles. It was sunny, breezy and simply a gorgeous day —Sophia's favorite. It didn't help her inner spirit though, as she quietly moved around the house with its cathedral ceiling, highly polished hardwood floors, and ornamented with silk woven rugs and elegant but simple furnishings. The house gave her and its guests that arrived feeling. It was special, but it wasn't hers.

As Sophia glanced at her boyfriend Samuel sleeping peaceful, she knew that once he was in her place, her presence, he was content. All the treachery, anger and cutthroat life was left outside her door and in the street.

“Once he's up, we'll do our usual,” she thought. Go to breakfast, the tiny Asian restaurant on Douglass Street that had the most fabulous eggs in the city or lunch at Candelli's, Samuel's favorite. Afterwards, they would go for a spin in the car-- shopping to buy her something nice like an emerald or ruby bracelet. This day, breaking with routine a bit, Samuel would be dropping her off to retrieve her car from Stone Street Auto Repair and then, back to the routine of things; she would follow him to his house. Or they might hook up later. Either way, it would all be fun and lighthearted. In reality though, their relationship was on cruise control. It was moving along at a steady drive, but nowhere fast.

*****

Sophia tiptoed out of the bedroom where Samuel was sleeping and instinctively removed the broom from the closet to sweep the kitchen and hall. She always did this. Even when the area didn't need it, she swept. One might call the sweeping “out of force of habit, nervous energy”-- or maybe therapy-- helping her to meditate-- an outlet for pent up anxiety that hovered over and around their relationship like a fly. Sophia felt Samuel loved her, but she presumed he would never buy her a nice house-- which he could do if he would just give her more attention. Housing prices were escalating and she wanted some property of her own now. Samuel was just as fixed about his views on the issue as well. “You don't need a house. You can live with me and have everything you want.” She never commented. While some of his expressions may have been out of force of habit, Sophia felt it was all the more useless to argue over the matter. How did I manage to endure with his lifestyle for so long,” she thought? They were both “from the other side – “the other side of the fence,” “the other side of the tracks” take your pick. Thought love was there, it simply wasn't taking them anywhere. She thought about his wayward life with its never-ending goings on, the comings and goings in the house, all day, and all night. Sometimes it was often too much for her to bear. Outwardly, she was content and cheerful. Inwardly, she was forlorn. She swept and swept some more.

As Sophia swept, a sparkle shone from the floor. The sun reflected onto something, something tiny but shiny. Taking a quick mental inventory of recent broken glass, she concluded that it was not glass. So what was that sparkle? She bent, half-heartedly to pick up the little sparkle piece, and to her surprise there between her fingertips was a small-sized diamond. She continued to pick up the pieces, 2, 3, no— 4, 5, —6! There had to be a carat or more diamonds right there in her hand. Her heart pattered. All total, she had found some twelve small-sized diamonds right there on the floor.

Instantly, Sophia realized these stones had somehow fallen from Samuel's things. Now they were hers. She picked them up as meticulously, but as quickly as possible. Storing them away in a white shoeshine cloth in one of the back corners of the kitchen cabinet, Sophia was not telling anyone about the find or return a one to anybody, least of all Samuel. She would place them in a setting of a ring or maybe a pendant. They were hers! And whatever she decided to do with those stones would be unique.

Suddenly, Sophia's somber days didn't seem so dim after all.