I sat down because my knees had begun to shake.
The woman sat beside me but left space between us.
She removed the bag from her shoulder.
« I’ve had this thing forever, » she said quietly. « I use it every summer. »
I touched the edge of the bench.
« Was anything inside it when you bought it? »
She didn’t answer right away.
That silence frightened me more than anything she could have said.
« Was there? »
« A few things. »
« What things? »
« Nothing important. »
« Please don’t decide what’s important. »
She closed her eyes for a second.
« There was an old receipt. A hair tie. Some sand in the bottom. »
« And the keychain? »
« Already attached. »
I looked at it.
Sixteen years had changed it.
The brass was darker now.
One edge had gone almost black.
Yet I knew every scratch.
« That belonged to Gia. »
The woman nodded slowly.
« I figured it belonged to whoever donated the bag. »
