world, but you’re going to be fine. I’m sorry to leave you like
this. I’m sorry that we had to sell—”
“We made that choice together.” What hadn’t they sold?
What more wouldn’t she have given up if she could make her
dad healthy and well again and give them more time?
“I would give anything for you to have your mother’s
necklace back.”
Her dad had been a jeweller. He’d call himself just a regular
person, but the pieces he made were so unique and inspired
and beautiful, crafted with expertise that he’d learned from his
father, who had been taught by his father before him, that his
work garnered major attention and soon he was crafting pieces
for the rich and elite.
When he found out he was sick, the insurance company
denied his claim and he couldn’t work. Even in the midst of all
the turmoil, Coralyn knew what that meant for them. They’d
lose the house and everything in it. She’d been taking a full
course load at college, but she’d switched to night classes and
worked full time during the day. They’d had to sell things that
weren’t vital or necessary, redundant things that weren’t so
redundant, in order to pay the medical bills.
And then things got worse. They lost the business, which
meant losing everything else. The house only had a small
amount of equity in it, and the vehicles hadn’t brought in
much money because they were too new and on payment.
They’d sold everything from her designer bags and shoes to
the furniture in the house, and then, when all that was gone
and they were living in a small apartment, driving a crappy car
that sometimes didn’t even want to start, they’d begun selling
off her dad’s personal pieces. The money didn’t last. Tests,