The Bracelet

Flash Fiction

The Bracelet

Gretta sat at her desk, pen in hand, beautiful light blue note paper before her, empty of words. She was trying to decide what to say to Aunt Lynn.

Uncle Joe was gone. He lived to be eighty-six. Leaving when he did, was a good thing. He’d recently been diagnosed with something that few people survived from, mostly very young people. Everyone knew he was not one to want to spend the remainder of his life bedbound.

Aunt Lynn called to let Gretta know he’d had finally passed. It was expected. She and Joe had no kids of their own and both considered Gretta their child, in a way. They always took her places, on vacations, zoos, parks, anywhere Gretta wanted to go. Gretta’s own parents sometimes went too. But both were workaholics and letting Joe and Lynn take over the outings worked perfectly for them all. When Gretta married, and had kids of her own, they often went on trips with Joe and Lynn. Her kids loved them as much as she did.

Sitting there, watching the candle burn, she couldn’t think of what to say. Uncle Joe was more than an uncle. How could she comfort Aunt Lynn, she couldn’t even comfort herself.

Reaching for her glass of wine, the chain on her wrist sparkled from the candlelight. It wasn’t even a bracelet, it was given to her when she was three, a neckless from Uncle Joe and Aunt Lynn. Aunt Lynn told her that Uncle Joe had picked it out.

Instead of writing a letter, Gretta wrapped the bracelet in a note asking Aunt Lynn to keep it for her, because every time she looked at it, she thought about Uncle Joe.

Aunt Lynn wore it happily for three years, and then it went back to Gretta.