Abandon Me Once and It's Goodbye Forever
"I'll go see him."
Ettore stood alone at the end of the pier holding a small box. He'd lost a lot of weight, but his clothes were neat, and he'd regained some of his former composure. The vigor that used to light up his eyes was gone, though, replaced by a deep weariness.
When he saw me, he managed a faint smile. "Congratulations on your wedding."
"Thank you."
He handed me the box. "A wedding gift."
I opened it to find a pair of antique earrings shaped like violets, set with pale purple gemstones. Years ago, I'd seen them in an auction catalog and mentioned to him that I liked them.