The glass case in Main Street Jewelry always smelled faintly of ammonia and peppermint.
Clara, who had worked behind the counter since my high school graduation, set the small blue velvet box on the glass between us.
Inside, the gold wristwatch caught the yellow light of the showroom bulbs.
“It is beautiful, Ashley,” Clara said, her voice dropping to the quiet tone people reserved for church or expensive purchases.
I reached out and touched the gold links, finding them cold.
“Matthew will love it,” I said, though my voice caught slightly on his name.
I turned my wedding band around and around my finger, the metal warm against my skin.
Clara smiled, her fingers tapping a rhythm on the glass countertop.
“Five years is a real milestone these days,” she said.
“It is,” I said, pausing to make sure my voice sounded steady. “It feels like we just started out, but then I look at my desk and see how much time has passed.”
“You have accomplished so much,” Clara said, leaning in. “A published novel, that big college fellowship, and now this.”
I felt the familiar, cold pinch in my chest, the small voice that always told me I had just been lucky.
“The total is four hundred and fifty dollars,” Clara said, tapping the keys of the old register.
I pulled four fifty-dollar bills and five fifties from my purse, placing them on the counter.
The paper money looked thin and worn against the polished glass.
Clara slid the bills into the drawer and shut it with a sharp metallic click.
She placed the blue velvet box inside a small white paper bag with silver handles.
“Happy anniversary, early,” Clara said, handing the bag across the counter.
“Thank you, Clara,” I said, taking the bag and feeling the light weight of the watch swing against my fingers.
The street outside was quiet, the autumn wind scattering dry brown leaves across the concrete.
I walked to my station wagon, keeping my hand inside my coat pocket to protect the small bag.
The drive back to our house on Elm Street took less than ten minutes, past the brick library and the bakery where a small coffee now cost four dollars.
