Mom shot to her feet, lunged forward, and snatched the ring straight out of the box. "My daughter," Mom finally said, "is NOT accepting a ring that looks like it came from a pawn shop." I stepped between Samson and my mother, my hands shaking, but my voice steadier than I expected. And this," he held up the thin gold band, "is the ring I gave her when we were nineteen and broke. Samson turned to me the moment Mom gave him back the ring.