Tomas picks up the box and gently tips the contents out onto the floor. There are envelopes in piles held in elastic bands everywhere. It appears as though a highly organised Santa has dropped his sack of letters with present requests from all the children in the neighbourhood. Aunt Grace must have written a few times a month by the looks of it.
However, something else falls out too. It is a little purple velvety box. I move from the sofa to sit on the floor with the envelopes and the box. I can’t resist picking it up and examining it in my hand. Tomas sits on the floor beside me and huddles in close to see the box.
‘It was the ring he’d bought your aunt,’ says Albert.
Marek bought Aunt Grace a ring and she never knew? That’s terrible.
‘You should have sent this to her, Uncle. She should have known,’ says Tomas.
‘I know. I’ve made many mistakes in my life, and I regret that. I try to do things to protect people, but sometimes, I get that wrong. Plus, I blamed her for Marek’s death.’
‘But that sounds spiteful,’ says Tomas.
‘I know. I was stupid. We all make mistakes. Like you and Milena.’
Tomas looks annoyed and makes a cross face at Albert.
‘Old people. Why do they always have to say what they think?’ says Tomas, looking at me.
I shrug my shoulders, unsure what to say. I don’t want to come between Tomas and his uncle. I can’t help wondering who Milena is though. It sounds like a name that has clearly hit a nerve and I suspect it is the woman who was talking to Tomas on the phone.
‘Have you ever known someone who always lets you down?’ Albert asks me.
I think about Craig and the promise he made that we would go on a cruise for our anniversary when he probably knew all along that he was leaving me.
‘Oh yes, indeed.’
‘Well, that’s Milena. He gives her too much time. He’s far too nice, my boy is.’
Tomas starts to fidget, and I notice his ears have gone red. I am not sure if he is annoyed or embarrassed. But it seems that there is more to the story than I first thought. Perhaps Tomas isn’t the type of person to play around after all.
‘Anyway, let’s see what’s in the jewellery box, hey?’ says Tomas.
I press open the box, and inside is the most beautiful diamond solitaire ring.
‘Is that an engagement ring?’ says Tomas.
‘It is. He’d planned on proposing. He was so happy the day he bought it. He got it from a small place in the market with the money he worked hard for. I’ll always remember,’ says Albert.
‘Wow. He had good taste. I wish Aunt Grace could have seen this. I just know it’s exactly what she’d have chosen.’
‘Try it on,’ says Tomas.
‘I can’t try on someone else’s ring.’
‘Yes, you can. Nobody has ever tried it. Someone may as well,’ says Albert.
I remove it from the box and place it on my ring finger. It only goes halfway down my knuckle. Aunt Grace was much daintier than I am. Marek must have even worked out the right size for her.
‘It’s beautiful.’
I pop it carefully into the jewellery box and then place it back inside the cardboard box, even though it is a terrible waste for it not to be worn.
‘Right, are we ready for the next letter then?’ I ask.
I check through the bundles and see some yellowing envelopes. The postal date on the first envelope in the bundle says April 1994.
‘Okay. I’ll start with this.’
