Edwin P.O.V.:
It is early November, and it was election week and even after the official Election Day and after the official deadline to vote, the votes were still being counted. It is a tense election and Jasiri and I have been reading the news at a near hourly rate to see if any updates have occurred.
One Saturday, we were relaxing at home, deciding to try out meditation to calm ourselves down. We have been trying it every weekend since after we got better that one time, we were sick with COVID a month ago.
Then as the recording was near the end, multiple rings and tones were sounding from both of our phones.
I decided to pause the meditation recording to check my phone.
We're getting a new president in January 2021.
A little over a month passed and the year 2021 came, all of us were hoping to transition to a calmer year than 2020…..that was until January 6.
A large group of Trump supporters and right-wing conspiracy theorists stormed the Capitol building in DC to attempt to stop the certification of the election results.
Fortunately, their attempts to stop certification failed, and the certification for the new president got postponed and will continue hopefully without a hitch.
Vuruga, Ma Tembo and I were discussing it as soon as we were close to the end of our work day.
"Can you believe that people have actually tried to stage a coup to prevent Biden from becoming president?" Vuruga asked us.
"I know. I knew that there were unhinged individuals among those conspiracy groups, but I never thought that they would actually get to the point that they would actually try such a thing." Ma Tembo replied.
"Yeah, it really is shocking that it got to that point. But to be fair, is it that surprising? The Trump years have repeatedly enforced divisive, closed-minded, and just plain bigoted policies that disfavor the majority of people in the country. Some of these groups essentially became almost cult-like in their support for a man who only really cares about his own interests, those of big business and simply anyone who doesn't say 'no' to him." I replied.
"Yeah, it's just…just….so irritating and disappointing that people would go to the lengths to try to stage a coup simply because the guy they liked didn't win." Ma Tembo replied.
"Also, if you saw footage from the rally before the storm, Trump was pretty much enabling them to do it. Plus he did very little to try to stop them, or should I say lack of trying. Plus I noticed that there was not a particularly large amount of security or barricades around the capital. They put so many guards around federal buildings during the BLM protests in June, in which the majority of the protests and protests were peaceful, yet there was so little security against the mob who have brought knives, blunt instruments, baseball bats and probably loaded firearms among other weapons, along with many of them directly making death threats to US politicians out loud. I saw a photo of one guy literally carrying a noose." Vuruga said.
"Yeah, since they were literally threatening people, politicians, staff and security guards with death threats. I guess you can say their attempt to take over the government could also be attempted domestic terrorism." I said.
We talked about it for another couple minutes until we went back to completing our remaining benchwork for today.
Soon we ended our work for the day. Jasiri and I soon met up with each other, drove home and talked about both our days and current events that have gone on today.
Third Person P.O.V.
On that same night, Simba, Kion, and Bunga were at Simba's apartment watching news coverage of the events at the Capitol Building.
"Bunga, remember the times you proposed just going to government buildings to take over? This is EXACTLY why that plan would fail." Simba said to Bunga.
"Yeah Bunga, that group of people tried to storm the Capitol and failed, so now there will be more security and surveillance at those buildings. Therefore, your plan would be even more likely to fail." Kion then said to Bunga.
"Well, I guess I stand corrected." Bunga casually replied.
"But that's okay, that was only a last resort. We still have our campaign emails. Plus I have a meeting next week with a media consultant to discuss other potential media for my mayoral campaign." Simba said.
Jasiri P.O.V.
Eventually after the January 6, the rest of the month was fairly calm, the new president entered started their term in the White House, and at the end of the month, Edwin a couple of friends and I had a celebration over Zoom because Beshte has earned his Bachelor's degree after taking night classes for a few years of night classes at UIC. He plans to apply for jobs while still working as a security guard. Taking potential interview days off, which will probably last until he finds a job in museum administration.
January has turned into February, and February has turned into March.
Edwin and I have gotten more acquainted with our shift schedules and now there is a more optimistic turn of events with the vaccines now becoming available for us. There was even a vaccination station set up for employees at the museum's lower level.
Edwin and I made appointments there to get vaccinated. We got our first shot of Moderna a while ago, and now we are here with our vaccination cards to get our second dose of Moderna. The majority of people we know also got Moderna, but we also know people who have gotten the Pfizer vaccine and even a few who got that one-shot Johnson-Johnson vaccine.
It was pretty routine, each of us went in, with our masks on of course, got our cards filled and took the shot like last time. Soon Edwin and I started to go up the stairs, and we also happened to bump into Kiara and Kovu as we were going up. Like me, they were also in their human form.
We just started casually conversing about life and such. And then the subject of Simba's early mayoral campaign came up, and fortunately, they are on the same page as Edwin and I. Like us, they don't support it at all, nor plan to support it.
"Yeah, we just think that the whole thing is insane. I hope he's not expecting anything from me cause I'm not voting for him." Kovu said.
"Me neither, I've already blocked the email address he's been sending me campaign emails with. It's just another example of how incredibly strained my relationship with my father has become over the years, especially the last two years. I don't know who he is anymore. I'm not even sure if the father I knew when I was a cub was even remotely the real Simba, or at least if the version of him from my more positive memories back then was even remotely genuine, or was it all an act to keep up an image, to keep up a charade." Kiara said.
"I'm sorry to hear that. I know what that feels like. For a while, I felt like there were some people that were once in my life, that I thought I knew, but then found that either they weren't the person I thought they were, or they were focused on an image rather than actually resolving obstacles they or we encountered." I replied.
"Yeah, I remembered when I was a kid when I first realized that my father wasn't the best person. I then my relationship with him continued to go downhill with him until eventually it became non-existent. I have not spoken nor communicated to him since I cut him off from communication last summer, and since he hasn't tried to contact me since then, it looks like the feeling is mutual." Edwin said.
"Unfortunately, I feel like that's where my relationship with my father is going." Kiara said solemnly.
"Though on another topic, fortunately Simba's chances of becoming mayor are not doing well in regards to polling. So far from the last time I checked an early poll, Simba only received on average 0.8% of votes compared to other confirmed and possible candidates." Kovu said.
"Okay, so it looks like he does not have much of a chance." I said.
"Yeah, though I am not sure what he's going to do to try to get more people to vote for him. Plus unfortunately, I heard he's been taking some of his anger out on staff in his sector. In fact, I heard someone recently quit in the finance sector due to alleged toxic behavior." Kiara said.
"Man, it just seems like he's been getting worse at controlling his anger based on what I heard." Edwin said.
"Yeah, I hear the same is going on with Kion, and plus Bunga has changed dramatically over the past year or so. I think he's been spending too much time with Kion and Simba." Kovu said.
The four of us continued to talk to each other until we went our separate ways when approaching the stairwell to the upper level.
When we got to the upper floor, we bumped into Beshte, who had a security shift on the upper floor.
"Hey Beshte, how's it going?" Edwin said.
"I'm good man, how about you guys?" Beshte asked.
"We're doing well. How's the job search going?" I asked.
"Well, it's going. I applied to several places, and so far I have not gotten a museum admin job yet. Either it is because they plan to 'pursue other applicants', or I 'didn't have the skillset they were looking for', or just no response back, despite me working security at a museum for the past few years and also recently doing some admin stuff for the museum virtually in a internship-like position for the past couple months outside of security duties. Sometimes it's kinda frustrating because I'm trying so hard and nothing has really come up yet." Beshte replied.
"I'm sure you'll get something soon Beshte. Perhaps many places are just still adjusting from the stuff since COVID pandemic began, and soon it will get easier once they straighten things out." I said.
"Yeah, plus you are a hard-worker and are expanding your skill set, I'm sure you'll get a job soon." Edwin said.
"Thanks guys, let's hope for the best." Beshte enthusiastically said.
We soon went our separate ways to our respective work areas.
Third Person P.O.V.
A month since their vaccination has passed. It is now the middle of April in Chicago and the first signs of spring are starting to show…except maybe that one day or two temperatures dropped significantly, but they soon went back up.
At this time, maximum capacity and certain COVID restrictions were starting to loosen up. SWith many non-essential businesses opening up again and gaining back the in-person customers that were lost during the earlier half of the pandemic.
Approaching a mall on Michigan Avenue, Edwin and Beshte, in his human form, were taking this Saturday off work as a chance to hang out with each other in-person outside of work for the first time in a while.
"Man, I'm glad that we are able to hangout today, it's been a while because you know with the pandemic and all that. It's been a while since I have walked around downtown Chicago for an extensive amount of time." Beshte said enthusiastically.
"Yeah, it's been a while since we hung out in-person outside of work or a Zoom chat. Though a funny thing, I heard the museum is planning to reopen the cafe/dining area in the lower level at a certain capacity, so perhaps us and our little group can go back to our usual lunch group like we did before the pandemic." Edwin said.
"I heard that, it would be great for things to start going back to normal, especially since the museum has gradually started to end the shift system so that everyone can come back at the same time as long as everyone is vaccinated, wears a mask inside, and appropriately social distance in close quarters. Though I am a little curious, is there a particular reason why you brought me to this mall Edwin?" Beshte said.
"Well, I came because I wanted to do…..a little errand…" Edwin replied.
"What kind of errand?..." Beshte asked.
"Well, I am going to head to a jewelry store in this mall because I have been saving up some money to buy this ring…..that I plan to use to propose to Jasiri." Edwin said.
"Oh my goodness, that's amazing! I really hope she says yes! How did you know that you want to do it?" Beshte said.
"Well, Jasiri and I are approaching two years of dating, living together for over one year, I am turning thirty later this month, and with just the general direction our relationship is going, I think that this year would be a good time for our relationship to go to the next step and make a commitment to our relationship. Plus we have discussed the idea of possibly marrying each other a couple of times, so might as well head in that direction." Edwin replied as the two walked into the mall.
"Well that's great to hear. Makini and I have been dating for a little over a year, but I don't think that we are at the marriage stage yet." Beshte said.
The two continued to converse with each other as they went up the escalators until they reached the fourth floor. And they then walked to the jewelry store, the interior had plain lavender walls, with a black tile floor, and multiple glass display cases which had white bases and silver linings on the corners and edges.
The two then approached a desk next to a display case, behind which stood a male in his mid-thirties, slicked back dark brown hair and hazel eyes. They were wearing a black button-down shirt and black pants, with a gray name tag with the name Izsak printed on it with black letters.
Izsak looked up from the counter to see Edwin and Beshte near them looking at the rings in the adjacent display case.
"Man, these rings look really beautiful? What ring are you thinking of getting Jasiri?" Beshte asked.
"Well, I really want to get her one of the amethyst rings, I think it would go well with her eyes since they almost have that purple hue. Plus, Jasiri seems to be typically drawn to purple hues in many cases." Edwin said.
"Wait? I thought engagement rings were typically diamonds?" Beshte asked.
"That's the point, Beshte. Everybody does diamonds. There's nothing really special about diamonds. All that hype and money for just a piece of carbon, which is one of the most ubiquitous elements in the universe. Graphite for mechanical pencils has identical chemical composition to diamonds since they are both just carbon. Plus, I'm not trying to judge people who choose diamond engagement rings but….Jasiri's NOT just any other person. She is unique, one of a kind, caring, generous, intelligent, strong, independent…..I can't just give her some insignificant overpriced diamond rings that are similar to many other people's engagement rings. A special, unique, one-of-a-kind person, deserves a special, unique, one-of-a-kind ring. Another perk is that amethyst rings tend to be slightly more affordable and budget-friendly compared to some of the other gemstones. That is not the reason why I am choosing to get an amethyst ring. I'm just saying that it's a perk." Edwin replied.
"That's really nice. And totally understand that because just out of curiosity, I found out how much a diamond ring typically costs and….yikes! I don't think that I will be able to afford one until five or ten years from now, if my relationship with Makini goes that way." Beshte said as they heard footsteps.
"Hello, what can I help you two with?" Izsak asked them as he approached the display case.
"Yes, I am planning to propose to my girlfriend sometime in the near future, and I am specifically looking for a ring with an amethyst stone." Edwin said.
"No problem, we have some amethyst rings in the display case down there. And congratulations on their impending proposal by the way" Izsak said as he led Edwin and Beshte to a display case, in which one side had a fair assortment of rings with amethyst stones. All in different cuts, makes and band styles.
"So you see we have our fair share of rings with amethyst stones, ranging from just 0.2 carat with one that goes up to 20 carats. You can take a look and tell me what interests you…" Izsak said.
Edwin P.O.V.:
Wow, these all look good. Though I don't think I would want the 20 carat, Jasiri is not really into flamboyant or show-offy jewelry like that. But I don't want to go too small like the 0.2 carat, I don't want to settle on a ring simply because of the price. The highest I can pay is $2,000, so I have to be careful.
Jasiri is a fossil preparator, she has a scientific background, but she also has her artistic and creative side outside of work, so I wanted to find a ring that not only has good structure, but also has a bit of a creative element. But not in a way that's too ostentatious.
There were five rings that piqued my interest.
The first one was a five carat ring with some unique patterns in the band, but it cost almost $4,000 dollars, so it went over budget. That's when I told the jeweler that the highest I could go was $2,000. After which, he put back one of the other five rings, most likely because it was also over budget.
And then it narrowed down to three rings.
One is a ring with a simple silver or platinum band, with a rectangle like amethyst stone of 10 carats.
Another is one that I really became fond of, because it's one that has a 2 carat amethyst stone, with some other smaller amethyst stones between sections of a white gold band that was designed to look like small leaves on two entangled tree branches or vines. It almost made the smaller stones kinda look like flowers.
The third one was one with a gold band with a 0.5 carat circular amethyst stone that is attached to heart-shaped edges.
Third Person P.O.V.
"Well I actually really like the one with the leaf and branch-like design actually. I think it really matches Jasiri's personality. Plus, the stone's size is in the middle of the three, it is creative and it is somewhat symbolic as we are adding a new branch to the metaphorical tree of our relationship." Edwin said.
Izsak then grabbed the ring from the case.
"Excellent choice, this has a 2 carat amethyst stone with a white gold band. This is part of a recent set of designs from the Arbres et Fleurs Tranquilles jewelry company. And from what I see in our informational booklet, the ring is priced at $1,445.67 before tax, which will be estimated to be around $1,484.53 after tax." Izsak replied.
"Okay, let me just get out my card and tell you her size." Edwin said.
"No problem, just come to my desk and we can settle the payment and size information at the desk. Shandra, can you wrap and bag this." Izsak said as he gestured towards a woman in a similar black uniform and name tag to him. But she had brownish-blonde hair tied in a bun.
Shandra grabbed the ring and proceeded to bag and wrap the ring as Edwin was dealing with the payment.
"Okay, you're all set. I really hope that your girlfriend says yes. Have a nice day." Izsak said as he handed the prepared bag to Edwin.
"Thank you, you too. And I hope she says yes." Edwin said.
Edwin and Beshte soon exited the store and began conversing in the mall hallway.
"Well, I got a ring for Jasiri, let's just hope she says yes." Edwin said nervously.
"Of course, she will, you're a great guy." Beshte said.
"I appreciate your support, Beshte. Anyways, we have time with Jasiri at the dentist, and you said that Makini is doing something at the bank, plus I told Jasiri that I was going to Target and you told Makini that you had to go to the dry cleaner. Wanna get something to eat?" Edwin asked.
"Sure, want to order stuff from the food court?" Beshte replied.
"Ehhh…I don't know, it just seems a little overpriced. Perhaps we can walk around until we find something." Edwin suggested.
"Sure, sounds like a plan." Beshte said.
"But first let me hide the ring in my jacket pocket to ensure Jasiri doesn't find it. Plus after we eat, I need to actually go to Target because we recently ran out of paper towels." Edwin said as he put the bag in the inner pocket of his jacket.
The two eventually went down the escalators and eventually exited the mall.
Unknown to Edwin and Beshte, ten minutes after they left the mall, Jasiri and Makini, both in their human forms, are walking toward the entrance of the mall from the opposite side from which they left.
They entered the mall and stopped to talk to each other.
"Okay Makini, I really want to thank you for accepting my offer to hang out while Edwin is at Target." Jasiri said.
"No problem, it's been a while since we hung out just the two of us. Beshte told me he is at the dry cleaners to pick up a suit jacket, and he thinks I'm at the bank. So what is this secret errand you need to do?" Makini asked.
"Well…the errand is that I need to go to this jewelry store …..so that I can pick out a ring or band with some money I saved up…that I plan to use the ring to propose to Edwin…" Jasiri replied.
"Oh my! Jasiri is amazing! This is great news! I hope that he will say yes! How did you know that you want to move forward to this step of your guys' relationship?" Makini said excitedly.
"Well, we are approaching two years of dating, we've already lived with each other for a year and we have brought up the subject of marriage a couple of times, so I think that it feels right to move on to the next step of our relationship in the near future. Also I am going to turn 30 soon, and with the general direction of our relationship, I just think this is a good time to make the next commitment in our relationship." Jasiri said.
"That's good to hear, Jasiri. I'm really happy for you." Makini said.
The two continued to converse as they went up the escalators until they reached the fourth floor where they reached the same jewelry store that Edwin and Beshte were in. Shandra was busy with a customer, while Izsak was adjusting a necklace that was on display.
Jasiri and Makini approached Izsak.
"Oh hello ladies, may I help you?" Izsak said.
"Actually yes, I am here to look for an engagement band or ring for my boyfriend. I am planning to propose to him sometime in the future." Jasiri said.
"Oh congratulations, I hope he accepts. This is rare, we've not frequently encountered these kinds of purchases. Let me show you where we keep the engagement bands." Izsak said while gesturing to them to follow him.
"Oh yeah, isn't it usually the guy who proposes to the woman?" Makini asked.
"In many cases, yeah, but I have never been interested in tradition or that old-fashioned stuff. Plus, Edwin was the first of us to ask me to be in a relationship, I'm the first to tell him 'I love you', and he proposed that we move in together. Might as well even it out by being the one to propose to marriage." Jasiri said.
"That's interesting. He's definitely going to say yes. I just know it." Makini replied.
They were then led to a display case where they have several engagement bands or different metals and designs.
"Here is our section of engagement bands, take a browse and tell us what looks interesting to you." Izsak said.
"Well, I am on a budget of about $2,000, so I am looking for anything within that price range." Jasiri replied.
"Okay….Oh, I think a few of these rings in the center left of the display case match your price range." Izsak said while gesturing to the area of the display case.
Jasiri looked at the bands. She found some in silver, platinum, multiple alloys, along with incorporating different designs, colors and patterns.
Then one ring caught her attention. It was a ring that consisted of a dark azurite-like blue color, which had a thin plain black stripe in the middle of its diameter.
"I really think this ring would look great on him. My boyfriend also really likes the pairing of blue and black, and this minimalist style matches the style that he's into. Plus, I really like it. " Jasiri said.
"Great choice. That is a tungsten band that incorporates blue azurite and a black tungsten stripe in the middle." Izsak said.
"I think I would like to buy this band, because when comparing it with the other rings found, I think this one is really more of his style." Jasiri replied.
"Great. We can head over to the register and discuss the size and payment details for the band." Izsak said.
The three of them walked to the register where Izsak entered information about the size and ring itself.
"Okay, you are actually pretty lucky because there is actually a 10% discount on that particular ring. So your total comes to $657.00 after tax." Izsak said.
"Oh really, that's actually a pleasant surprise." Jasiri said.
"Shandra, can you help bag this ring while I settle this payment?" Izsak said.
"Sure, no problem." Shandra replied as she approached the counter.
The transaction eventually went through, and Shandra placed the ring in a bag before handing it to Jasiri.
"Here you go, I hope you guys have a nice day, and I hope he says yes." Izsak said.
"You too." Both Jasiri and Makini replied.
"Well, I got the ring, I really think Edwin will like it. I hope he says yes." Jasiri said in a cheerful yet apprehensive tone.
"Oh Jasiri, I am positive Edwin will say yes. You guys are meant to be with each other." Makini replied.
Shandra, overhearing this raised her eyebrows.
"So Jasiri, want to get something to eat at the food court?" Makini asked Jasiri as they were walking out.
"Are you kidding me? That place is way overpriced." Jasiri said as he walked out of the store.
Back in the store, Shandra looked towards Izsak.
"Uhhh Izsak?" Shandra asked.
"Yeah?" He replied.
"Did I hear that the customer who bought that band was named Jasiri, proposing to a guy named Edwin?" She asked.
"Yeah, I believe that's what I heard. Why?" He said.
"Because I remember that sometime ago, two male friends came in, with one buying an engagement ring planning to propose to his girlfriend. And I think I overheard his friend call him Edwin, and that his girlfriend's name is ... .Jasiri." Shandra said, coming to a moment of realization.
"Wait….oh yes, the guy who bought the amethyst ring..oh…..OHHH." Izsak said coming to the same realization.
"So it looks like two people who are dating each other also have simultaneous plans to propose to each other. Man, I wonder who's going to propose first….what do you think?" Shandra said.
"Heh ... .doesn't matter. We made money either way didn't we?" Izsak replied.
"Yeah, you're right." Shandra said in a casual tone.
The two soon resumed business as usual.