Last night I had a dream about the St. Vincent de Paul store in Bremerton. The dream was so real and detailed, from the smell of the place to the likely content of each rack and display counter, I woke up expecting to have an excellent thrifted wool coat to wear.
But it was just a dream, and I sat on the edge of the bed looking at the river and thinking about all the bits and pieces I dragged from the states to our new home in England. It is probably time to get rid of some of the ephemera of that old life.
There is one thing I will always keep. I’ve been wearing this wedding ring since my grandmother bought it for one dollar at the St. Vincent store, before the move from the old bank building. She just liked the look of it, and didn’t know that it was actually white gold, or that it wouldn’t fit any of the grownups in the family.
Since I have tiny hands that never grew the ring fit me, and I’ve been wearing it since I was a little kid.
The ring has nothing to do with my marital status. It reminds me of my grandmother, and growing up on the peninsula.