I'm having an ethical conundrum.
Recently the Mater went to Israel and brought me back a jewellery set - earrings and a chain - that cost her her pinky. Now we're not a gift-exchangign sort of family. On birthdays we cook mutton and on festivals we cook pork - it's how you can tell there's a celebration. So when one of us decides to buy another a gift for no particular rhyme or reason, it's big shit. Conundrum is this is quite possibly one of the ugliest jewellery sets I've ever laid eyes on. It's gold (absolutely not my metal) and has coral ("FROM THE DEAD SEA, MIND!") embellishments which to me look like large zits. So, yeah, ugly.
And as it goes with really really ugly things (paintings, piercings, pugs), it is very dear to someone whose feelings matter to me alot. So I said, "Ohh nice! I really like the orange er, stuff!"
Bad move.
Here's why: a) I almost never lie. Not because of an overactive moral fibre but because I really suck at it. I'm one of those people whose eyes dart furtively even when they've done nothing. b) I almost never lie to the Mater. Besides being extremely cool and making it evry easy for us to talk to her, she's also very astute. Uncomfortably astute sometimes.
So ever since I told her, one too many times, how pretty the thing is, she keeps asking me why I'm not wearing it. "You don't like it?" Ofcourse I do! "I thought I'd buy you something nice with love (her ace card) and you don't even like it." I DO, I SWEAR I DO! Look I'm putting it on right now! So I um, do. And as soon as I'm out the door and safely behind closed elevator doors, it goes straight into my bag.
I'm leading a double life and it's making my palms sweaty.