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Once the box was open and she saw the contents, the return address made sense. Nestled inside were numerous crystals of varying sizes and colors, and she laid them all out on her desk, along with the information cards that accompanied them. To her amusement, all of them were beneficial in ‘letting go of past hurts’ and ‘nurturing forgiveness’.
There were several crystals that Paige recognized—rose quartz, blue lace agate, rhodonite, moonstone, and peridot. However it was the ones that she didn’t recognize, like unakite jasper, morganite, and chrysoprase, that really captured her attention, and out of those three, the one that resonated the most was the jasper. It was a beautiful green and pink stone, and according to its card was helpful in ‘lifting heavy spirits’ and ‘healing relationships’, both of which had been underlined.
The gift was thoughtful and humorous, and she appreciated the effort he’d put into getting these crystals for her, as well as the message behind them.
PAIGE: Thank you for the rocks.
DAVID: You mean the crystals? And you’re welcome.
Thursday’s gift came in the mail, in a large manilla envelope. It was addressed to her in David’s handwriting, so she knew it was from him, but when she opened it in her kitchen, there were half a dozen pictures drawn by Jacob with a note saying they were for her fridge.
The pictures included one of Scooby-Doo, but there was also a depiction of what was obviously Sputnik, as well as a few rudimentary landscapes, with trees and mountains and a waterfall.
She arranged them all on her fridge, giving the single picture she had on there some company, before sending a picture to David.
PAIGE: Tell Jacob my fridge and I thank him!
DAVID: I will.
On Friday night, when Paige got home after work, it was to find a gift basket outside her apartment door, not unlike the one she’d left for David. However, the contents were geared toward a decadent spa experience, with lavender bubble bath, Epsom salts, facial scrub, body lotion, a vanilla candle, a bottle of wine, and … a Moon Pie.
As Paige was rifling through the basket out in the hall, Mrs. Harte came out and joined her. “I thought about taking this for myself,” she teased. “There’s good stuff in here.”
“Yes, there is.”
Paige opened the Moon Pie and broke it in half, then offered one of the halves to Mrs. Harte, who declined. Paige took a big bite out of one, and as she was chewing, rolled her eyes. “So good. Are you sure you don’t want any?”
“I’m sure. That’s meant for you to enjoy.” Mrs. Harte patted Paige on the shoulder (reaching up to do so) and started back toward her apartment. Halfway there, she stopped and turned around. “David shared a few things with me the other night,” she said gently. “And I can understand why you’re upset with him, but I want to say that during my short time with William, I had to forgive him many, many times. Some times were harder than others, but I loved him and knew there was no one else for me, so I did it … and I never once regretted doing so.”
The backs of Paige’s eyes prickled with the threat of tears. She knew Mrs. Harte would give anything to have her husband back, and it made Paige feel like hanging onto her grievance with David was borderline petty … even if she’d only been hanging onto it for a week. It was starting to feel like something she was doing to make a point, rather than something that came from an honest place, anymore. Because truth be told, most of her disappointment and hurt had been chipped away in the past several days.
She went over and gave Mrs. Harte a hug. “Thank you, Dolly.”
“Oh, dear, you’re welcome. Now, go and enjoy a glass of wine and a long, hot bath.”
A half hour later, as she was doing just that, Paige texted David.
PAIGE: Thank you for the amazing gift basket!
DAVID: You’re welcome. I hope you like everything.
PAIGE: I do. Especially the Moon Pie, which I ate immediately.
PAIGE: Yes, before dinner.
DAVID: The Moon Pie was actually Jacob’s contribution.
PAIGE: Jacob helped you with my gift basket?
DAVID: I ended up having to take him with me to the store, and at some point, a box of Moon Pies wound up in my cart, without my knowledge.
A picture of Jacob holding a box of Moon Pies with an exaggerated triumphant look on his face, appeared, making Paige laugh.
DAVID: Do you know anything about that?
PAIGE: Me? Of course not.
DAVID: Right.
