ĢƵ

close

According to Hofmann: Love isn’t in the toilet

By Mark Hofmann mhofmann@heraldstandard.Com 5 min read
article image -

I want to start the new year with an upbeat, uplifting, upheaving story to give people the feeling thereĢƵ hope on the horizon and the best of those stories are born out of whatĢƵ perceived to be an otherwise dire event.

Nothing better illustrates such a story like the one I recently read where an engagement ring was found in a toilet after 21 years.

According to various news outlets, a diamond engagement ring was discovered by a plumber who was replacing a toilet in a Florida coupleĢƵ home in December.

The scenario that played out in my mind involved a guy either getting down on one knee after a romantic dinner at the all-you-can-eat pizza and salad buffet or on the Jumbotron during a professional sporting event before the drunk above them spills beer over them when she says “I do.”

Either way, the woman finally saw the magic fade from the relationship as her man needed an emergency angioplasty from too much pizza grease at the buffet or because one of the professional athletes at the event saw her on the Jumbotron, instantly fell for her and swept her off her feet.

Either way, the end result would be the woman removing the ring, dropping it in the toilet and giving it a satisfactory flush to start her new life.

Hold on, ladies, I’m not a misogynist (I just play one the stage, the screen and the streets), and I’m sure other scenarios could also include the guy proposing, hearing “I do”, slipping on the ring and asking his newly-minted fiance to wait at the house while he and his buddies celebrate by having the earliest bachelor party in known history. Or it could be as simple as the guy proposing, slipping on a ring and also slipping her the monthly payment schedule so she could help him pay it off.

Either way, the end result would be the woman removing the ring, dropping it in the toilet and giving it a depressing flush to start her new life…and eat ice cream or so I assume. I don’t know what you gals do when you get upset. I’d ask my wife, but she doesn’t talk to me because we’re “separated” and she has a “restraining order” against me.

Anyway, back to the story.

It seems as though none of my scenarios played out as the engaged lady simply removed her ring while she was cleaning her future in-lawĢƵ bathroom and believed she accidentally gathered it up in toilet paper that was then tossed in the commode.

I found it odd that she was cleaning her future in-lawĢƵ bathroom. I mean, she must have had a horrible accident or she really connected with the manĢƵ family for her to clean and for them to allow her to clean the bathroom, arguably the room where everyone is at their most vulnerable.

ThatĢƵ why I never set foot into my wifeĢƵ parents’ bathroom while we were dating and always opted to go to the bathroom outside on their lawn because I’m all about respect.

Anyway, the bride-to-be realized what had happened, and you’d think that would be the end of the story, but you’re wrong.

The guyĢƵ parents went through some above-and-beyond measures to find the ring including climbing down into the septic tank and pumping every little bit through a strainer to find it.

Again, who is this woman and what kind of magic hold does she have on people? I once opened the lid of a septic tank and fled from the smell like I was on fire.

If that wasn’t shocking enough, the couple did wind up getting married and are married to this day. I find that shocking because I have this strange idea that once an engagement ring is lost, then the engagement ends and the wedding is off like itĢƵ a magic ring out of a Tolkien novel or something.

For Christmas, the married couple received a gift from the guyĢƵ parents and it was, you guessed it, a set of steak knives. Nah, just kidding, it was the lost ring.

The couple told the media that once they opened the package, they immediately knew what it was…maybe because the parents didn’t clean the ring before wrapping it.

“Thanks, mom and dad. The putrid smell mixed with toilet-bowl cleaner was a dead giveaway.”

So while it wasn’t the cleanest of endings, it certainly was a happy ending. Now, some may say a ring is only a flashy piece of jewelry with a payment plan with no end in sight, but I think itĢƵ best to keep in mind that an engagement ring as well as a wedding ring is a symbol of love and strength, to show you can stay together with the one you truly and forever love…no matter how much crap they go through.

According to Hofmann is written by staff reporter Mark Hofmann of Rostraver Township. His books, “Good Mourning! A Guide to Biting the Big One…and Dying, Too” and “Stupid Brain,” are available on Amazon.com.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $4.79/week.