The Gold Coins
by Leah Cohen

Last year, Rose called me from Miami.
'From your father's store, he should rest in peace', she was so excited she could barely speak, 'I found two dimes and two quarters. Over a hundred years old... Are you listening?'
I was silent too long.
'Yes! Yes, mom, I'm listening!'
'Real pure gold! Worth a lot of money! The Jeweller even offered to give me $85 for each pair...'
'I hope you didn't...'
'Don't worry', she laughed. 'I didn't sell them! I'm going to have them made into earrings. The dimes are for you and the quarters for me. You'll love them. They're gorgeous! Wait till you see!'
Admittedly, I was excited. I spoke to my two closest coin experts, my son Larry and a man who worked in my office, Bob. Both were collectors. Both agreed they couldn't possibly be dimes and quarters. They didn't make them of gold over a hundred years ago. Both separately, told me they were probably dollar pieces and two dollar pieces which were the sizes of dimes and quarters. Worth at least $350 to $500 each.
I told my mother.
'I'm so glad, my darling daughter! You deserve them. I'm having them made up right now! The Jeweller said in about a week they should be ready.
'How are you having them done?'
'Very plain', my mother told me over the phone. 'Just hooks attached to the back so you can wear them through your ears.' 'Mom, be sure you don't damage the coins by making holes through them.' You have to be very specific with Rose.
'You know what I mean, right? Don't damage the coins. They're worth a lot of money!'
'Don't act stupid, my darling daughter! Your mother knows what you mean! Don't worry. I won't ruin them. The Jeweller knows exactly what to do. He'll attach the backs of the coins. He won't make holes. You think you're the only one with a brain, my dear daughter?'
I could see the words whistling through bared teeth and crinkled nose.

Excitedly I waited. Finally, she called.
'They're in the mail. I got mine. It's gorgeous. You should see! Yours are exactly the same, only smaller. Please, please don't forget. When they come, I want you to call me. Reverse the charges! I want to be sure you got them. They're worth a lot of money and I don't want anyone should steal them. You can't always trust the US mail!'
'Did you insure them?' I asked.
'Of course I insured them! Still I want to be sure they get there safe and sound!'
Two days later, the small box arrived. I was so excited. Real gold coins - over a hundred years old! I ripped open the box. Tore at the tissue paper. Inside, were two circles of gold staring at me! They looked like tiny mirrors! I stared back. Where were the coins? My first thought was that they were switched them in the Post Office but then, logic overtook. Why should they replace them if they're going to steal them?

I called my mother in Miami.
'Oh!' she was delighted. 'Thank God they weren't stolen!'
'Mom, I have to ask you something. I'm holding a pair of gold earrings in my hands. I'm looking at them! They're supposed to be coins but I don't see coins! All I see is my face in each of them. They shine like two little mirrors!'
'What are you talking about?' She screamed into my ear as if how could I possibly hear her if I was in Pittsburgh and she was in Miami.
'Those are the coins!'
'But they're shiny! They look like tiny round pieces of gold. They have no design, no pictures on them!' 'Those are the coins!'
'What coins! What coins!' I think I was screaming hysterically, 'There are no coins! Coins have pictures on them. They have numbers and dates! These aren't coins! They're just plain pieces of gold!'
There was a silence.
(I think the penny dropped).

'You mean, you wanted them with the design?'
'What design? It's not a design. It's what coins are! The faces are what's different on each one of them. It's what makes them worth so much money!'
'But I know you like things plain! I didn't think you'd wear them with all the junk on them!'
'Junk? ...So what did you do with the...'junk?' I screamed.
'I told the Jeweller to scrape it off. He cut them down so they'd be plain. Isn't that the way you like it?'
I was speechless.

'They're very pretty but they aren't worth anything now!'
'Come on, don't try and make me crazy! Everybody knows it's the gold that's worth something.'
'The gold! First of all, it has been cut down so there's less gold and this is such a small amount anyway! The value was in the old coins, themselves, not in the gold! You weren't supposed to cut them down! You were supposed to shine them up and appreciate how beautiful they were.

'So, How was I supposed to know.... So I made a mistake. Listen, you're not so perfect yourself! You think you don't make mistakes? We all make mistakes! How was I supposed to know you'd wear it with all the junk on it? I know you like plain things!'

I couldn't wait to take them in to work the next day. I saw Bob as I entered the office.
'I got the coins', I smiled.
'Where are they?' he asked.
'On my ears', I smiled.
'But all you have is little gold circles'
'I know', I grinned. 'One hundred year old gold circles. Aren't they pretty?'
Bob walked away. He looked a little confused.
Before I left for England, my mother came and stayed for a week at our house in Pittsburgh.
'Where are your earrings?' she asked.
Guiltily, I had to admit that I'd lost one.
'Well, take mine then. They're too large and I never wear them.'
Before I could resist, she'd reached into the secret compartment of the secret compartment of her purse and pulled out a duplicate of my earrings, only much larger. But, they weren't mirrors any more. They had engraved flowers on them. The design was cut crudely into the gold.
'Yours have flowers!'
'Yeah. I decided I couldn't stand them. They were too plain. They looked like large mirrors so I asked the Jeweller if he could make them a little fancy. You know, make a nice design on them or something. He made these flowers. I think they're nice for a change, don't you?'
What could I say? Somewhere, hidden in each of us, is the history of many lives. Even my paintings have paintings under them. I put the earrings on. They looked pretty. I smiled.
'Mom, they're beautiful. I love them!'
'I knew you'd like them' she said. 'That's why I'm giving them to you.'
I kissed her. 'Mom, they're perfect' I smiled. What was the point of explaining.

The End