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By the time the guests and Mrs. Sasaki had returned to their seats,

each with a small plate containing Mrs. Sasaki’s birthday cake, she was very

happy that her guests like the cake, though through her happiness, she

suddenly remembered the pearl she had so foolishly left at the table, and

casually rising from her chair, she moved across to search for it, but it was just

nowhere to be found. Her guests, sensing uneasiness in Mrs. Sasaki, assisted

her in searching for her solitary pearl. Mrs. Azuma, irked by the fact that the

hostess has caused a scene, decided to settle it by lying, saying that she has

been the one who swallowed the pearl and soon begged for Mrs. Sasaki’s

forgiveness. The five friends simply laughed the event off after Mrs. Sasaki

forgave Mrs. Azuma.

When the party was over, Mrs. Azuma drove herself and her friend

Mrs. Kasuga and accused her of having swallowed the pearl and saying that she

just took the blame to herself. This statement hurt Mrs. Kasuga for she had no

recollection of swallowing a pearl.

Mrs. Yamamoto was surprised that her practical joke took such an

effect on Mrs. Matsumura. As a form of revenge on her, she slipped the pearl she

found on her cake, which happened to be the first slice.

Mrs. Matsumura, having thought of a great scheme to rid herself of

guilt and avoid suspicion, quickly went to a celebrated pearl shop and showed

the attendant the pearl and asking for one slightly larger and possessing better

quality than the original and promptly set off to Mrs. Sasaki’s house.

Mrs. Kasuga, meanwhile, remained upset of being wrongly accused

and cruelly teased by Mrs. Azuma, resolved and went to a celebrated pearl shop

and asked for a pearl she thought to be the same size as Mrs. Sasaki’s. Also to

prove to Mrs. Azuma that she had not eaten the pearl and to rid herself of the

guilt that she might’ve really eaten the pearl by mistake, asked Mrs. Azuma to

accompany her to Mrs. Sasaki’s.

Mrs. Sasaki, meanwhile, has accepted the pearl brought by Mrs.

Matsumura. While puzzling as to why it didn’t fit the ring, she received a surprise

when Mrs. Kasuga arrived accompanied by Mrs. Azuma and gave her another

pearl, which, to her surprise, wobbled loosely in the socket.

The two friends and neighbors meanwhile now felt unusually

uncomfortable around each other since the incident, since Mrs. Kasuga believed

that it really was Mrs. Azuma who had swallowed the pearl while Mrs. Azuma

believed that it was Mrs. Kasuga.

Mrs. Matsumura meanwhile, realized that someone had purposely

placed the pearl in her bag seeing as she didn’t open it until she was on the taxi.

She knew only one person could do that to her. So upon arriving home, she went

to Mrs. Yamamoto’s house to confront her. They argued and Mrs. Yamamoto,

feeling tired of the arguing, ashamed and guilty that her little prank has led to

such drastic events, grabbed a pearl and downed it with water. Mrs. Matsumura,

touched that someone would do such a thing in hopes that it will serve as a

finality, felt her anger dissolve vowed with her that they would be firm friends.

The plot of the pearl was confusing and basically involved a lot of

lying, blame-shifting, sacrificing, covering up and protecting one’s outer

appearance. Very much like politicians, actors and the world’s known faces do up

to this time. They want to appear better than others, even their friends. Deep

down, they all look up to at least one of their friends and most are unconsciously

jealous about one thing or another. Mrs. Azuma and Mrs. Kasuga’s friendship

instantly tumbled down just because of a rather foolish incident, revealing that

their friendship doesn’t have a very strong foundation. While Mrs. Yamamoto and

Mrs. Matsumura were both foolish to act like children. Mrs. Yamamoto should

have had enough maturity to think better before she acts, though Mrs.

Matsumura was at fault too for retaliating when they could have settled all of it in

a mature manner, unlike the way they did in the story which broke a relationship

in the commotion due to rash actions.