Narrative:

I have a pair of earrings, somewhere between decorative and simple. They are black and silver, my two most-worn colors in clothing, though I dabble in other colors like maroon and purple. The earrings have two black stones each, one dangling in a diamond of silver wire, and the other resting just above it. Like most material things in life, the what doesn’t matter to me so much as the who, and the memories connected.

They were gifted to me about a year and a half ago, on a sunny day in Portland, though still chilly with the mid-winter air. I had every intention of buying them for myself, but things don’t always work out how we expect them to. I had picked them up, turning them over to check the price. $7 was not a bad deal for how pretty I found them. Besides, they matched everything I owned, and would be easy to wear.

Before I could protest, however, they were plucked from my fingers and bought for me. A gift from someone I had only just begun to know. The earrings remain one of my favorite pairs that I own, and despite that I don’t wear jewelry as frequently, they are my first choice when I do. They aren’t only earrings, but a small piece of my heart.

Outline:

Give physical description of earrings

• Black and silver
• Match my closet/style
• End w/ ‘not what but who’

When did I get them?

• In Portland, in the winter
• Good price, intended to buy them for myself
• Easy to wear, might as well buy them

How did I get them?

• Bought and gifted to me by someone I had just begun to hang out with
• Taken from me before I could argue about it
• Still own them & cherish what they mean, rather than what they are