Happy Fathers' Day

I've been wearing a ring that mother had passed on to me for a while now.

Yesterday night, as I slept with it, I thought about how this must be what it feels like to be in a committal relationship.

It was a simple piece; two golden rope-like bands fused as one ring which I snugged nicely onto my right ring finger - it was the only finger that fitted.

I even swam with it on and liked the way the ring contrasted against my tanned skin and the shine it gave as it gleamed underneath all those strokes of cyan waves.

I know it doesn't mean anything unless I wore it on the left, but for that time at the pool, I wore my ring purposefully, wishing that my ring could tell the world I was taken, I'm not interested and please, just look away.

But the truth couldn't be more further than this.

It's a big irony when the person who doesn't want to get into a relationship has to pretend to be in one to not invite one.

For a while, I thought the ring would be something of a forever, since it seemed to have fit in so nicely, but then I realized I had to take it out ever so often when I cleaned shit, literally.

They might have convinced me that it's gold, that the ring can be washed.

But precisely because the ring was pure gold, I couldn't get it soiled, could I?

But one of the things that really got me thinking was how tightly the ring began to wrap around my finger as I held onto it for just a little longer.

Sometimes I feel like it's stopping any blood from reaching the tips of my finger and I'm quite certain that there might be permanent indentations around my finger if it remained there longer.

I also had to take my ring out again, mollycoddling it as though my pride depended on it.

And, yet, it was all very bright and shiny - it was golden resplendent on my finger and for the children, their children.

I fell for it immediately and put it back on, pushing it against my knuckles like I had an axe to grind.

If only for pretenses, so many rings are still on fingers at every pool, every soiree, every anniversary, every hospital and every deathbed.

Happy Fathers' Day, children.