AverageBro: What Would You Do? – The Missing Wedding Band

Guest post courtesy of Averagebro of www.averagebro.com. He used to do them for us all of the time then he got all Hollywood. Anyway enjoy then go over to his spot to check him out. lol.

I don’t go anywhere outside the house without my wedding ring on. I just don’t. I’m not legalistic about many things, but wedding band wearing would be one such item.[1] The few times I’ve left the house without my virtual ball and chain, I’ve felt almost naked without it, as if I’m somewhere I really shouldn’t be. Bad things happen to nice looking, confident, chatty guys when they don’t wear wedding rings.

Or so I’ve heard.[2]

Anyways, I routinely remove my ring and leave it on my desk everyday before I break for lunch and hit the gym. The other day, for some odd reason, I forgot to do so. Among other reasons for not wearing it to the gym, it sometimes gets snagged in my weightlighting gloves, and slips off if I’m sweating too much. So before I left the locker room, I slipped it off and slid it in my pants pocket. Since it was nearly 1:30pm and I was working out late, I figured there would be no issues with theft, which seems to happen frequently at my Gold’s.

I finish my workout, grab a shower, and dress. I reach in my pocket to retrieve my ring, and holy Jesus, the ring ain’t there! I damn near tear up the locker, crawl on all fours around the floor, and empty the contents of my gym bag in the middle of the floor to no avail. My 8 year link to holy matrimony is gone, just like that.

I immediately eliminate the possibility of theft. The ring was tucked deep in the pants pocket, and the pants were at the back of the locker, under my bag. The locker didn’t appear to have been disturbed. This left only one possibility: the ring had fallen out of my pocket when I was tucking my jeans away, and landed on the carpeted locker room floor without so much as a thud. Someone picked it up, and surely turned it in to the front desk.

Only… they didn’t. The a$$hole at the front desk not only told me that there weren’t any rings turned in, but that I “should keep that sorta stuff in a safe“.

Well no sh*t, Sherlock! Is the sky also blue? How about the number 6, does it indeed come after the number 5? Do bears actually defacate in the woods? Inquiring minds want to know. Do tell, oh thee Sage Of Creatine & Protein Shakes! What other mysteries of the universe can you solve for me before 3pm?

Douchebag!

I had to do my Negro-best not to cock back and slap the living sh*t out of this moron. The fact that he was 6-3, 250, and cock diesel prolly was a deterrent as well. It didn’t matter anyway, he didn’t have the ring either. It was lost.

I sulked back to my office and called my wife to tell her the bad news. She found it comically amusing, and given the ring’s (comparatively) cheap price, wasn’t too upset. But I wondered what sort of man would find another man’s wedding band on the sweaty assed floor of a locker room and not turn it in to lost and found. If you’re into that sorta stuff, I’ve got some dirty underwear you can borrow too.

All together now… “EEEEEEWWWWWWWW!!!”

Yeah, that’s how I feel about it. That’s just digusting. Why would you want another man’s ring.

What does a man do with another dude’s ring besides hawk it and get pennies back on the dollar? And what about the kinship with your fellow brother who will go ringless and have to explain why his finger is naked 20 times a day until he gets around to buying a replacement? Some people have no heart.

Question: What would you do, fellas? Would you turn in the ring so its rightful owner could retrieve it, or would you keep it? Ladies, since women’s rings are generally more expensive (my wife’s is, by leaps and bounds), are the rules somewhat different when you misplace yours? Have you ever lost your ring or some other piece or expensive jewelry? What happened?

[1] Like some other married men I know, I have two rings: a “baller” ring for special occasions, and a cheap everyday ring. I lost the cheap one. I’m wearing the “baller” ring at the moment. I do not wear it to the gym.

[2] “…for the lover in you… this ring, means I’ll always be true”


About the author

Lamar and Ronnie Tyler are the creators of the award-winning blog BlackandMarriedWithKids.com . They also are behind the Amazon.com bestselling DVDs Happily Ever After: A Positive Image of Black Marriage, You Saved Me and Men Ain’t Boys that explores manhood in the African American community. The Tylers are also the proud parents of four children.



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Comments (6)

  1. CS Friday - 06 / 02 / 2009 Reply
    With the economy the way it is every penny may count for some folks. You may look at it as "another man's ring" but someone may have picked it up and just saw the few dollars that may go towards filling up their gas tank. LOL I live very close to Philly there is VERY little in regards to people's actions that surprise me any more. CSs last blog post..Etta James: Says It Was Just A Joke
  2. Anna Friday - 06 / 02 / 2009 Reply
    This is an episode of 'Martin' minus someone not turning it in. As CS said, someone just wanted to make a few bucks or who knows, some woman are so skanky and only go after a man with a wedding band on. Maybe whomever took it really took it to wear it. LOL. My hubby does not wear a ring. (It's up to him to remember he is married). In the first couple yrs of our marriage it bothered me that he did not wear his ring. He lost one, He gained weight and could not fit one and he lost yet another. I got over it and decided to save my money. If I don't have my rings on hubby is happy, he is afraid because there are desperate ppl out there that I am going to get robbed, plus I have a tat with his name on my finger. I got it this past summer so I did not have to wear my rings and realized it was kind of stupid because I still have to cover up the tat at work. (As much as I love my hubby I could not do the "Tramp Stamp" tat. LOL. Averagebro, I like your analogy about your ring being your "virtual ball and chain and you do feel naked without it". That is sweet.
  3. Jonesi Saturday - 07 / 02 / 2009 Reply
    I am only engaged and take my ring off when I put lotion on my hands. Once I left my job after doing so and left w/o my ring on...needless to say I didn't make it past the first light w/o my ring on and turned right around to get my ring. It's a badge of honor for me and I do indeed feel naked w/o it on. I want to represent my man at all times and I regognize its important of how much he saved by the size of the rock. I'm assuming you have been married for awhile by your wife's reaction so I guess the rings are valued less than your commitment...I just wonder would you have been so lax if she lost her ring? Lol
  4. Anna Saturday - 07 / 02 / 2009 Reply
    "If you like it than you should 'of put a ring on it". A ring is a way of saying "I s marrried now". If a marriage is not honored or cherished the ring one wears is no good. Ppl who think that a marriage is "just a piece of paper" are right and wrong at the same time. A marriage is what one makes it. One who does or does not wear a ring is not any less married than the other.
  5. cocoamommy Thursday - 03 / 09 / 2009 Reply
    @Anna I totally agree with your comment "one who does or does not wear a ring is not any less than married than the other" you. A ring is a tangiblesymbol that your are committed to another. However if your behavior is questionable when you are wearing this ring, are you truly committed to what is represents?