Empowerment. Engagement. Authenticity.
The Allowance - On Someone Else's Dime
"Need a good story for the ring," Brogan told me
over the phone. "Can't say it's from an ex."
"Stop wearing it then." I'd chosen that ring as a present for him eight
years before, to celebrate our second Christmas as a couple. In my
mind's eye, I saw the thumb-sized opal, faceted purple flashing veins of
teal and scarlet.
"The ladies like it. You still wear the ring I gave you, don't you?"
Because I'm a sentimental fool. I fingered the black pearl on my white
gold ring. "Tell them you bought it on the last day of a trip to
Australia. You'd already blown most of your allowance on liquor and
souvenirs. You had a mix of currency. The jewelry store let you pay in
Australian, US and Canadian."
"Hmm, sounds like something I'd do," Brogan mused. "Minus the souvenirs.
You got an allowance on top of that trip being paid for?"
"Yeah. I asked for $900. Later, I found out people requested twice that.
I was twenty-one and inexperienced, I guess. Felt bad for taking 'free
money' from a charitable organization. Didn't realize the power of being
selected for the Canadian delegation going to the World Blind Union's
General Assembly."
"Story needs some adventure," Brogan prodded.
My mind flitted back to that two-week conference in Australia. "One
night, as I was blowing my allowance on rum and Cokes, I met a Ugandan
who showed me his cufflinks and said they were the teeth of his enemies.
He wanted to take me back to his tribe."
"Whoa, do I know this story?"
"Do you want a story or not?" I fired back.
"Fine. Will be a busty Amazon in my version, though. What happened
next?"
"A handsome Tasmanian rescued me." Same one who'd escorted me to the pub
and kissed me goodnight at the door to my hotel room, I remembered with
a smile. "Downed six or seven drinks before the pub closed and kicked us
out. Must have been 5AM. The sun was coming up."
"You can't handle that many drinks," Brogan scoffed.
"Nope." I laughed. "Puked all over my bathroom. Scarcely two hours
later, the head of the Asia-Pacific Committee phoned me with orders that
I deliver his report on the main stage at eight o' clock."
"Asia-Pacific? How the hell did that come about?"
"That's another story."
(c) Kristy Kassie, 2017
The Allowance
There are so many types of allowances, monetary and otherwise. And they are all inspiration for stories.
