The Necklace Epilogue

“The Necklace”
The Epilogue
By Robynn Jackson
“Oh poor, poor, Mathilde, I’m so sorry. My necklace was false and only worth 500 francs at the most!”
I saw the words leave Madame Forestier’s lips. I heard them as well. I just couldn’t quite comprehend them. I had to let them sink in.
“What exactly do you mean?” My face, completely, dry of tears, began to redden with rage.
“Well,” She began snootily. “Obviously, my necklace wasn’t worth 36,000 francs. It was barely worth 550. Any idiot could see that it wasn’t real diamond.”
My ears felt hot as my blood began to boil. I commenced walking, slowly, steadily, and stiffly toward the woman who took away my life. “Are you trying to say that I just wasted the last 10 years of my life trying to pay back the deep ditch of debt that that necklace caused me! That I did all of this hard work for nothing! My beauty…” I trailed off, realizing that I was yelling in a marketplace. I lowered my voice to a whisper that sounded more like a hiss. “My Beauty was ripped away from me and my life is over because of your fake necklace.”
I held out my hand. “Give it back.” I practically spat the words.
Immediately her hand flew up to clasp the necklace that lay at her collar bone. I shook my hand around impatiently, waiting to feel the cool stone pressed into my hands.
“No!” She all but yelled.
“What do you mean no?”
“I mean,” She began. “Maybe if you would have just told have me the truth, this wouldn’t have happened.” She pulled up the skirt of her dress, turned on her heel and began to walk away.
“I thought we were friends!” I yelled at her retreating back.
She stopped and turned her head to the side to call over her shoulder. “Liars don’t have friends.”
I dropped on my knees and cried my eyes out, knowing that the rest of my life was ruined.