Medallion

Three days before Christmas, she began to decorate her house. Reaching into one of her plastic storage bins she pulled out a small square gift box. She turned it around in her hands and examined it closely.

Best and Co, the name of a classy, now defunct department store, shown on its lid.

Pretty frilly things often leapt out the Best and Co boxes of her childhood.

Silk scarves. Lacy embroidered handkerchiefs. Soft white cotton dress gloves to wear with spring frocks. Little girl-woman things burrowed beneath layers of pink tissue. 

The beige cardboard had faded almost to a tan but the box remained completely intact. Old but sturdy she thought yet the presence of the box puzzled her. Other small boxes dotted the storage bin each holding its special ornament but none were labeled Best and Co. The small gift box stood out as an oddity among its peers. 

Curiosity prevailed and she opened it. There nestled in soft pink tissue was a silver medallion inlaid on both sides with coral and turquoise. She sought the nearest chair. She hadn't seen the piece of jewelry in years. Not since she'd given it to her mother as a gift. 

She'd bought it from a skilled craftsman at a market in Mexico City. A pretty trinket but something she knew her mother would like. And her choice was perfect. Her mother wore it often. The beautiful medallion floated comfortably on her mother's ample breasts moving in concert with each breath. 

But it had disappeared. It had not been among her mother's personal affects after she'd died nor had she even thought to look for it thinking it was missing. Yet there, among Christmas ornaments, in a bin that made its appearance only once a year, lay the long forgotten medallion. Obvious questions begged to be answered but no logic could explain the medallion's presence. 

Then it occurred to her that the date was December 22, what would have been her mother's 101st birthday. She sat back in her chair and smiled. She slowly removed the medallion from the Best and Co box and put it on. And though she did not have ample breasts like her mother, the medallion still suited her and the marvelous gift from the grave rose up and down with each breath she took. ©kcasady