Committed

What could be worse for a young newlywed than to lose his wedding ring? Risking his life to find it

- MIKE CARROSQUILLA

Rain pounded my car as I pulled into the hospital parking lot. Weather reports had warned of a big summer thunderstorm. I hurried into the hospital and took the elevator to the third floor.

I worked the night shift at a sleep lab in Houston. The lab monitored patients while they slept, for diagnosing sleep disorders. It was the perfect job for a college student finishing his computer science degree. All I had to do was hook up patients to sensors, then monitor the equipment while they slept. The rest of the time was mine for studying.

Some patients got up several times to use the restroom or ask me to readjust a sensor. Tonight there was only one patient, an unusually sound sleeper. The lab was a silent oasis in the busy hospital.

Silence amplified the sound of rain pelting the windows. It was really coming down. Good thing I was on the third floor. Flooding can be a problem in Houston during heavy rain.

I wondered how my wife, Leonor, was doing back home. Not that we had a big house to worry about. We were newlyweds in our first apartment, barely scraping by.

We'd met in college. Leonor had graduated and was working as an administrative assistant at an insurance company. I was in my last year.

I couldn't wait to graduate too. One of my top priorities was becoming a good provider for Leonor and the kids that she and I planned to have once we were established.

My inspiration was Leonor's father. He was a man of deep faith who lived for his family. He and his wife had fled Cuba in search of better opportunities many years earlier. Decades of hard work and prayer had endowed him with a steadfast solemnity.

Leonor and I had been dating for two years when her father was diagnosed with lung cancer. I sped up my plans to ask Leonor to marry me. I wanted her father to know I would take good care of his daughter. I was embarrassed that the only engagement ring I could afford came from Sam's Club.