deathpixie | NanoWrimo - 30 short stories

"Mom, what's this?" Her youngest was there, holding a shoebox for a brand of shoes that went out of style before she was born. it rattled slightly as she held it out.

"Where did you find it?" Gayle took the box, frowning slightly. It could be anything, from Andy's childhood collection of baseball cards to the kids' report cards. She'd never broken the habit of using shoeboxes to store things, even with the wonders of Ikea.

"In the back of the closet," Judy replied, eyes bright and curious. "I didn't open it yet."

"Good idea. It could be one of Kyle's 'pets'." Mother and daughter laughed at the joke, Gayle's eldest's tendency to collect odd specimens well-known. Decayed cellotape flaked and broke as Gayle pulled off the lid, and Judy's anticipation turned to a pout as a pair of faded red sandshoes was revealed.

"It's just a pair of old shoes," Judy complained, picking one up. Sand dribbled out of it, sprinkling its twin. "Ew, they're dirty still!" Dumping the shoe back in the box, she left, curiosity satisfied and seeking out another target. Behind her, Gayle stood stock-still, looking down at the shoes with eyes that were suddenly misty with memory.

"Just for the two weeks, right? We can't have anything more than that?"

"Just that. Anything else is too complicated. We're grown ups, we'll cope."

"Two weeks it is then, Gayle. C'mere."

Two weeks and a lifetime ago. Gayle smiled softly, brushing a finger over the warm canvas, recalling the taste of sun-warmed skin and salt, the curve of Brian's smile, his blonde-streaked brown hair mussed in the mornings. And then the end of the vacation, packing away her beach shoes without even a second thought. Until now.

Judy's shriek outside stirred her again. "Andy's home!" Gayle looked up to see her partner's car pulling in and she set the lid back on the box as she headed for the back door to help carry in the groceries.

"Hi, hon," she said, smiling warmly. Andy looked up from where she was opening the trunk, long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. "Let me give you a hand?"

"Sure."She nodded at the box in Gayle's hands. "Present for me?"

Gayle looked down at the shoebox. "Oh, this? Nothing." She reached the trash can, threw the box and its content in. "Just some old stuff Judy found."

Edit: Still a day behind. Way too much going on right now, but I'll get there.