Marjorie reminded me to keep the order and the payment records safe and available.

I put the originals in their proper folders and stopped carrying the whole engagement file from room to room.

The sealed ring envelope remained unopened.

Sometimes I noticed it when looking for a receipt and felt the old loss again.

I didn’t need to throw it away to prove I had finished negotiating with Elliott.

I didn’t need to wear it to prove the good years had existed.

It could remain a piece of personal property whose future use I had not decided.