Glass and diamonds

Hana is back in KL for the holidays. She looks at Aina's tired face. "Are you OK? You look different."

They sit down in a small coffee shop. For a long time Aina says nothing. Then she decides to confess. She cannot keep the secret any longer.

"Hana, I lost your necklace after the dance," she says. "I'm so sorry. We bought you a new one. It took my family ten months to pay back the debt."

Hana does not move. She is stunned. For a moment she cannot speak. "You bought a new one? With real diamonds?"

"Yes. It looked identical, exactly the same, so you didn't see any difference."

Hana takes Aina's hands. Her eyes are full of tears. "Oh, Aina. Mine was fake. The stones were only glass. My mother bought it at a night market in Petaling Street for fifty ringgit."

Ten months of hard work, for a necklace that was almost worthless.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Hana asks softly. "I wasn't going to be angry. I would never let you pay."

Aina thinks about this. She felt so guilty that she could not tell the truth. And that one small lie cost her family ten months of struggle.

Hana sighs. "I still have the new one. It's real, so it's yours. Let's sell it and give all the money back to your parents."

For the first time in ten months, Aina laughs. Then she starts to cry.