Annette steadied herself before entering the hospital room.  The last time they had seen each other, over forty years ago, had been unpleasant for both.  Preston had called off their engagement and she was returning the ring and other things she had collected during their courtship.  Standing face to face, he unleashed his anger with a vengeance and Annette had never understood the reason.  He had never talked to her like that before, even when he told her he didn’t want to marry.  The scene was surreal and confusing.  She had loved him with her entire heart.  That love combined with her low self-esteem failed to give her the courage to defend herself.  So she had stood there and silently accepted his avalanche of insults and painful verbal jabs.  She was angry with herself for being such a coward, but unable to muster the courage to speak.  It was years before she understood that what he demonstrated was actually pain, not anger.  He wasn't as ready to end the relationship as he professed.  The day she learned the reason for his tirade, her broken heart finally healed.

Betty was sleeping in her recliner when she heard the sound.  She stirred slightly, not awake but not asleep either. It was a familiar sound yet she couldn't identify it in her dazed condition.  Just as she was drifting back into a peaceful slumber, she heard the noise again. 

Wide awake now, she looked around the room to find the source of the racket.  When she saw it, she was shocked that she hadn't been able to identify it sooner.  

"Mother, why did you keep this old handkerchief? It looks like it has been run over by a car. It's filthy. Look how yellow it is. It's not worth anything. We are throwing this out." Ann was trying to move her 78 year old mother into an assisted living facility. Packing up almost 60 years of memories was difficult physically and emotionally.

"Don't you throw out the handkerchief. It is priceless."