I saw a Chinese woman this morning wearing a beautiful jade pendant.

It reminded me of the first time I went to San Francisco and went into a jewelry store in Chinatown and bought a cheap jade ring.

When I got back to Trinidad I showed it to my half-Chinese grandmother with pride. Jade! From China!

She glanced at it and sniffed, “Not good quality.”

I wondered how she knew. It looked the same as the expensive pieces to me. But she had come from an affluent Chinese family. Maybe in that former life, before they had lost their fortune, she knew about these things.

I pocketed it and left the room, now disenchanted with my purchase. It broke soon after relieving me of ever having to wear it again.