Very Superstitious

My gold bracelet saved me. My Aunt Joyce, + Tsang family chipped in & bought me a beautiful 24K gold bracelet for my 40th bday. I wear it all the time and it looks great next to my jade bracelet. Ingot bars with chain, bar, chain, bar, chain... Until one day a stupid NJ Transit door slammed on my wrist and almost severed my bracelet off. Tried to complain to the conductor but he told me he wasn't responsible for broken doors, asshole. Dangling loose in 2 places, I'm lucky it didn't break. Took it off immediately, couldn't bear the thought of losing the bracelet, given to me by my Aunt (Goo Ma).

Brought it to Chinatown and Flushing 2x but both my Aunt & mother-in-law didn't know a place to go and get it fixed. You know all those stories, don't take your jewelry to a stranger, they'll switch it for a fake when you're not looking. What's worse, not wearing your life line or fearing your gold will be switched?

Feeling desperate I was determined to wear it once again. Wanting to be protected on an important day I substituted a diamond flower pin Goo Ma gave me --- stuck it in my briefcase for good luck. Its still there, absent of my bracelet, in need of something to watch over me. [fyi, the pin is quite '50's, to the point of being ugly. No one in there right mind would wear it today]

Stuck the bracelet in my pocket book on the way down to Chinatown for dinner. Little pink jewelry bag with a zipper + snap had a jewelry company and Canal St. address on it---------headed straight there. Only it didn't look good. Gold glimmers in every window all the time but in a recession with empty stores, I'm not about to walk in to something that doesn't look right. As a matter of fact none of the stores had customers. Until I found a place with the right type of gold. Jook gum. Buzz me in...........managed to tell the woman in Chinese I needed my bracelet fixed and got a price of $24. Way too much, but let's go. ok, wait, where are you going with my bracelet oh no, I'm not letting that out of my sight. Was able to tell her in my limited Chinese I'm going with the bracelet. Ok pay first, and go with this woman......followed her to another store on Canals St and walked behind the counter. Really? I've never been behind the counter of millions of dollars of sparkling gold and diamonds before, wow. Little piggies and horses + hearts + diamond rings sparkling gold. Umm, Umm. Gold, gold, gold.

Down the stairs, where am I going, oh no, I'm going to be kidnapped or held hostage, just give me my bracelet back and I'll run like hell. But we pass three rows of cubes where I guess people do business, to a jewelry maker, or repair man, welder? We sit & the woman offers me a Chinese newspaper but I don't want to admit I don't read Chinese. It takes him at least 15 minutes to use a tweezer like instrument to put it back together, with careful welding. Used a lighter to light the fire, melting the bracelet back together------kept the fire going with a foot pump. Don't' look away, don't look away, he might switch it, don't switch it, what am I doing, alone down here in this basement...... hhmmm.
Washed it in some kind of liquid several times and poof. All done. Amazing. Washed it in another pot and dried it til it was shinier than I'd ever seen.

Best $24 I've ever spent. Contained my smile as I walked up Canal Street, my life is complete again. I'm safe, I'm alive, I'm protected with Goo Ma's bracelet, nothing can happen to me now. Shines like gold.