I looked at that cardigan for a long time. For one awful moment at the funeral, I had thought I had lost my husband twice, once to death and once to a secret I didn’t understand.
Then I opened the box again, took out the ring, wrapped it in Walter’s note, and slipped them both into a little velvet pouch.
I had thought I had lost my husband twice.
***
The next morning, before the cemetery filled with visitors, Toby drove me out to Walter’s grave.
He parked close, glancing at me in the rearview. “Want me to come with you, Grandma?”
I nodded. “Just for a minute, love. Your grandfather never liked to be alone for long.”
He offered me his arm as I climbed out, steady as his grandfather used to be. The
