The Choice

My mom whistled as she sorted through the clothes at the thrift store. Like she didn’t have a care in the world. Like we had always shopped there.

She held a pair of jeans in front of me. “What about these, Zander? Do you think they’ll fit?”

The weird guy who worked behind the counter smirked.

“Whatever you pick is fine,” I whispered. I was embarrassed to be there. I wanted to leave before anyone I knew saw me. “Can I go? X and Y are waiting for me to get home.”

“And they’re missing Z,” said Mom, smiling at the old joke. My two best friends are Xavier and Yuri. We’ve been called X, Y, and Z since forever.

I was almost to the door when Weird Counter Guy called out, “Hey, kid. What’s the hurry?”

I ran outside. I didn’t even stop to answer him.

The next morning when I was getting dressed for school, I reached into the back pocket of those jeans and felt something round. I pulled out a ring. A real ring! At first I thought it was cheap and plastic, but when I held it up to the window, it sparkled in the light. The ring had three colored jewels. They were surrounded by diamonds.

My mom knocked on my bedroom door. I closed my fist to hide the ring. “Ready for school?” she asked.

“Yes?” I squeaked.

“You OK?”

“I’m fine.” My voice came out higher than normal.

“Jeans fit OK?”

“Great,” I said. Again, with this high and squeaky voice.

“You know, Zander,” my mom called through the door, “no one knows where we bought them.”

I closed my fist tighter.

I kept the ring hidden all day. Through math. Through English. Through lunch. Even when I was walking home with Xavier and Yuri, I didn’t say a word.

It wasn’t until we got back to my apartment that I showed my friends what I’d found.

Xavier patted me on the back. “You’re rich! I hope you remember who your friends are.”

Yuri whistled. “Will you keep it?”

“Of course he will,” Xavier said. “Finders, keepers. That’s how life works.”

Yuri threw a pillow at him. “But someone might be looking for it.”

That’s how it is with these two. One says one thing, and the other goes the other way. After all these years, it’s a wonder they’re still friends.

For the next few days, the ring was all we talked about. We unanimously decided that my ring was real. And that it was worth thousands of dollars.

After school, we’d sit in my bedroom with the ring on the floor between us. We’d eat barbecue potato chips and dream about all the things I could buy with that money.

Well, Xavier and I dreamed. Yuri did his best to squash every last dream.

“What about the person who lost the ring?” he asked. “What if it belonged to some grandmother, and it was the last thing her husband ever bought her?” He pointed to Xavier. “What if the owner was your grandmother?”

“Zander paid for those jeans,” said Xavier. “He can’t help it that the ring came with them.” He didn’t answer the grandma question.

They looked at me to break the tie. That’s what I always did when they disagreed. But this time, it was different. This decision was up to me. I thought about being able to buy a car and video games and a skateboard.

“The ring is mine,” I said finally. “We paid for it.”

We heard the sound of keys in the door and the click of my mother’s heels on the floor. I pushed the empty potato chip bag over the ring before she walked into the room.

Yuri leaned over and whispered, “If you really believe that ring is yours, then why are you hiding it from your mom?”

I hate it when Yuri’s right.

Weird Counter Guy was wiping down a display case with a dirty rag. I decided to say it fast, all in one breath. “I need to speak to the person who posted that sign about the ring. I think I found it.”

Weird Counter Guy didn’t answer. He just reached under a counter and pulled out a glass jar filled with rings. They all sparkled.

He tossed one in my direction. “Did it look like this?”

It looked exactly the same. I didn’t know what to say.

“They’re fake,” he explained. “Don’t feel bad, kid. They fool everyone.” He grinned. “Sometimes I hide them in some clothing here to see what people will do. Most people don’t return them.”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the other ring. My ring. Then I threw it on the counter.

“Do you know what you put me through? For nothing?” I asked.

Weird Counter Guy shook his head. “Not for nothing, kid. You learned something. There are two types of people in the world: the Keepers and the Returners. You never know which type you are until you’re put to the test.” He pointed the rag at me. “And you, kid, are a Returner.”

He pushed the ring back toward me. “Keep it. It’s yours. You’ve earned it.”

“It’s not even real. What am I going to do with it?” I asked.

Weird Counter Guy shrugged, and I ran out of there. I stopped running only when my lungs ached and my muscles hurt. I leaned up against a garbage can, gasping for breath. All I could think about was that stupid ring.

But instead of throwing it away, I put it back into the pocket of my jeans.

Maybe I’d keep it. Maybe I’d give it to my mom. There was no need to hide it anymore. It might be a fake ring, but it has a real story to go with it.