****
Mr. Nelson cleared his throat before beginning. “This ring,” he said, indicating ‘The Star,’ “was stolen from my late wife many years ago. I bought it for her for our ten-year anniversary.” Toriano wondered why Mr. Nelson couldn’t have just stated that up front. Reubens bought estate jewelry and occasionally they did have an item in inventory that was stolen property or whose sale was otherwise disputed, so this claim was not unusual. However, “I was wondering if I could convince you to sell it to me for four hundred dollars. You see, my savings are all I have left to live on, and it would mean a lot if I could give the ring to my granddaughter.”
That was why. Toriano stared at the man in front of him. He had expected Mr. Nelson to provide documentation to back up his claims, or to threaten to get the police involved. Never had a customer offered to buy back a piece that had been stolen. He had dealt with thefts, counterfeits, and scams many times over his career in the jewelry business, and could usually identify one by sight. There was something different about this man. Very rarely had a customer made such a blatant sympathy play to obtain a large discount. He’s not lying, an inner voice told him. Toriano ignored it; he was not about to fall for this con artist’s ploy.
“Do you have a police report for the theft?” Toriano asked him.
“I did. It was destroyed, along with the appraisal certificate, in the fire that killed my wife, my son, and my daughter-in-law.” When Toriano didn’t respond, Nelson said, “You don’t believe me.”
Toriano stood in shock as the name registered; he remembered hearing about the fire on the news, although he didn’t remember how long it had been. He thought he heard that Mr. Nelson had not only perished in the fire along with his wife, Terri, but at one point had been suspected of setting the fire until police officially cleared him. The man was definitely a con. Or you may have misheard or confused it with another story, his inner voice was starting to annoy him. He’s telling you the truth. You need to listen.
“It’s not that,” Toriano said. “I’m not authorized to discount a piece that much. This ring has been appraised at twenty-thousand dollars. Now, if you had a police report, then--.”
“I will pay the asking price. I just thought I’d ask,” Nelson said, cutting him off. Toriano forced himself to suppress a grin. He not only stopped a scammer, he did so with tact and diplomacy, although the whole thing seemed too easy. As he verified Mr. Nelson’s personal check and wrapped ‘The Star’ in a gift box, he quieted the intuitive warning that he had just made a big mistake by imagining Linzi’s reaction when he told her about the large bonus he would be getting at the end of the month. Six-thousand dollars was enough to take a vacation to Hawaii, something Linzi had been talking about for months. The news of a large commission check always made Linzi happy, which in turn made him happy.
But Mr. Nelson did not take his purchase. “I bought the ring for you,” he said in a soft voice one would use with a lover.
“What are you talking about?” Toriano asked, dropping his professional alacrity. He had no idea what this Mr. Nelson was up to, but he wanted no part of it. Not even for six-thousand dollars would he….
“I’m talking about your greed, your dishonesty, and your lack of compassion,” Mr. Nelson replied, his voice suddenly becoming steely. “First, you looked at me and saw a fat bonus check. I could see it in your eyes as soon as I came in the door, Mr. Wright. Did my expensive suit and my Mercedes fool you? I borrowed both from a friend. Second, you neither acknowledged nor expressed any compassion about the tragic loss of my wife. And then you had the nerve to lie to my face and tell me you weren’t authorized to offer a discount. I’ll have you know Patrick Reubens has been a friend of mine for years. You were thinking of the commission and the bonus you would get if you sold the ring at full price. You were willing to take the life savings of a widowed man for that bonus.”
“Sir, I work to support my family,” Toriano said with no hint of defensiveness. “I apologize that you view my desire to provide for my wife and son as greed and lack of compassion. I will also remind you that to make this purchase was your choice. No one forced you to do it. And now you’re trying to tell me that my boss sent you in here to play games with me? Mr. Reubens takes his business more seriously than that. Thank you for your business, and you have a wonderful day, Mr. Nelson.”
Toriano said, feeling a little frightened. Everything Mr. Nelson had said was true. He had only been thinking of selling ‘The Star,’ and the sob story about the man’s wife in truth didn’t interest him much. And as assistant manager, he could have given the ring for free if he chose, but to do so would cut into his commission check. His desire to earn the bonus aside, he still relied on his commission to pay the bills, since Linzi’s job as a photographer netted barely enough to cover her own car payment.
“You are going to want to keep the ring I just bought you with what was left of my life savings,” Mr. Nelson said. “Look at your right wrist.” On the inside of Toriano’s wrist was a raised, bright red lesion. It was shaped like a pair of lips. That lesion had not been there before. “That is a ‘Ruby Kiss.’ You will get one somewhere on your body every day until you give the ring away to a woman who loves you. Once you do that, the ‘Ruby Kisses’ will disappear, but if she ever stops loving you, then they will come back, and the process will continue.” Nelson left the store without another word as Connie came out from her studio.
“What’s going on here?” she asked.
“Nothing. Just a strange customer,” he said.
“You’re shaken up. Are you sure you’re alright?”
“I’m fine,” he snapped, and immediately felt guilty for his harshness. “He was just playing on my emotions to get a steep discount. By the way, I sold ‘The Star’.”
Connie gave him a bright smile, seemingly unaffected by his momentary harshness. She was beautiful, sweet, and kind. Toriano never could figure out why he felt nothing more than friendship for her.
“Congratulations,” she said. “I bet Mr. Reubens will be thrilled.”
As the day wore on, he couldn’t shake the sinking feeling in his heart. He could have passed the entire encounter off as an elaborate hoax if it weren’t for the lesion on his wrist. And somehow, Mark Nelson knew a lot about him, even though the two had never met. Mr. Reubens may have told him, but if that were the case, was Mr. Reubens’ opinion of him really that low? Was he telling his friends that Toriano Wright was a heartless, greedy liar who swindled people out of their life savings? Somehow he doubted it. Mr. Reubens had, over the years, come to rely on Toriano to help his business thrive. Mr. Reubens wouldn’t be badmouthing him if there were any chance word could get back to Toriano. In any case, if what Mr. Nelson said was true, breaking the curse would be as easy as giving the ring to Linzi. Let’s just see how all this plays out, he said, calming considerably.