Its fragrance filled the room. Several dresses of pastel blue, pink, and yellow in fabrics of silk, taffeta, and chiffon were folded and stacked to the far right of the cedar-lined trunk. A pair of Mary Jane dress shoes in black patent leather lay next to the dresses along with a pair of elegant silk pumps. I lifted them to the light. The white iridescent of the silk sparkled like the inside of an oyster shell. For what special event had she bought these? The sound of Mawmaw’s shuffling drew my attention. Finally, she joined me. She entered the room and slowly lowered into the chair next to the bed. Her gaze locked onto the shoes. The glint in her eyes matched that of the shoes. “Your wedding day shoes?” I asked. She shook her head and remained silent. Her eyes never strayed from the pumps in my hand. I sensed they held a painful memory. I turned them over. The soles were clean and unmarred. They’d never been worn. Her gaze followed the shoes as I returned them to the trunk. The earlier glint was gone.
