What a nightmare!

Last Friday, as I was throwing out one of my niece's many dirty diapers, I slipped my wedding ring off and set it on the counter to wash my hands. I am a little weird about my ring. I don't like to sleep with it on and I have a problem keeping it on my finger because it's always slipping off, especially when I'm washing my hands many times a day. So, I proceeded to wash my hands and then took the kids outside because the weather was awesome and they played on the playground while Fezzik ate some clover. We played for quite awhile enjoying the beautiful day and then we came in and had lunch and naps. I went about my day and Robert came home from work with news that he had a date planned for us. Yay!
We found our babysitters and started discussing what movie and where to eat. As we were getting ready to go out the door I realized I didn't have my ring on. I went to all the usual places I take it off and nothing. "It's okay, " I tell myself, "It's just somewhere out of the norm." I tell Robert and we start looking everywhere. I keep our place pretty organized so I figured it would be pretty simple finding the ring. Then I hear my son's little voice as I'm tearing things apart starting to get frantic.
"Nate, did you touch Mommy's ring today?"
"Yes!"
"Where is it, honey?"
"In the bag?"
"The bag, I don't understand? Show me."

We run into my bedroom, which I try to keep off limits to him, but he comes and goes as he pleases anyway. He kneels down next to my church bag, which has all my gum pulled out and I'm thinking, "How many pieces did he swallow?", and proceeds to go through the pockets. I feel a wave of relief as I take over the search. Eventually, I tip it upside down and shake everything out. Nothing.

At this point we are running way late and Robert suggests dropping Nate off at the sitters and going out on the date and then, when we get home, continuing the search. I don't know if this has happened to any of you, but I was starting to freak out. I know we can't replace it and I don't want it replaced. It's got three rings to it and each is significant. One is the engagement ring, the other the wedding ring and the third is an anniversary ring. I know how hard Robert's worked to get me all these rings and I love him for it. I don't think I can concentrate on our date.

We head out and have a great time together. On the way home we start talking. I can't remember if I had the ring on outside with the kids or not. Something inside of me knows it was Nate that took off with the ring, but I'm starting to feel guilty blaming him if I can't remember if it slipped off outside. Robert isn't worried as we walk in the door. We put Nate down for bed and commence our search. We look in all of Nate's hiding places. Fezzik's dishes, the toy chest, under our bed. Nothing. At this point I'm next to hysterical but I'm trying to be brave because I can see Robert's starting to sweat. It's well after midnight and we're both exhausted. We decide to go to sleep and get up at first light and comb the park.

All night I have dreams or nightmares. We found it in the grass outside, it's gone forever after an all day search, we get a metal detector and find it, Nate hid it in his bookshelf, I'm crying because Robert tells me I have to go without a wedding ring until we are done with school. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well. It was a really long night and Robert was the first one up in the morning. It was freezing outside again and he was out on his hands and knees going through the grass. I started to cry as I went through our bedroom for the thousandth time. I hear Robert come in from the cold and don't have and heart to go to him and confess our defeat. I sit in the corner and wonder how I'm going to get through this (I've learned maybe I'm a little unnaturally attached to this piece of metal and diamonds). I hear Robert talking to Nate and getting him his cereal. After about five minutes Robert walks into the bedroom and I stand up to meet him. He's got my ring in his hand and he places it into my shaky palm. I have tears in my eyes again and I say, "Did you find it outside?"
"No, and if I tell you where it was you have to promise not to kill our son."
Enough said. I knew Nate really was the ring bandit. But I couldn't be mad, I was just too relieved.
"Where?" I ask.
"I pulled his bed apart and it was between the mattresses."

The little turkey! I still can't figure out why he would put it there. Maybe because I've threatened him more than once when I've caught him playing with it.

So my story has a happy ending, thank goodness! I have resolved to never take off my ring again. I have slept with it on every night and I put it right back on if I take it off to wash my hands. The only place I don't wear it is the shower because I'm afraid of it slipping off and going down the drain. It's taken some getting used to, but I think I won't even notice it in a while if I keep it on all the time.

My son has totally taken years off my life. Whether it's instances like this with my ring, the constant neediness or the fact that he's taken to running off (which is even more scary than the ring!) I don't think I'm going to make it past forty!