Chipped and yellowed from years of wear, I would often see her finger them, lovingly, her eyes glazed and distant. They just appeared one day, around her neck.

She didn’t say; I didn’t ask. Papa never noticed them.

She’s gone now, buried in her favorite blue dress—and faded pearls.

R.S. Raniere has taught English and American Literature at the high school/college levels for fifteen years and is now retired. She writes short stories and poetry and has recently completed her first novel. She is a member of the Atlanta Writers Club and has been published in an anthology of poems and short stories by The Heritage Writers Group, as well as in Atlanta Review. She received her Master’s degree in English from Rutgers University. See more at Roseanns-Ramblings.com.