The shoe box Peggy brought me caught my eye, lured me in. I sat at the island in my kitchen, looking at last through the rest of the contents, at the photos of them as girls together, more memorabilia from trips they'd taken, from their time at school. At the bottom, tucked into a corner, sat a cute little toy that squeaked endearingly when I squeezed its small ducky body.

"Cookie must have accidentally sent us a gift," I smiled at Petunia whose head cocked to the side at the ...