I rubbed my gold wedding band, wondering how many of our secrets had already worn away.
“Richard reviews the mail before it even lands on the counter,” I said. “He knows every envelope that comes through that slot.”
“The credit union has paperless options, Mary, and you will use my email address for the login,” Caroline said, tapping her pen against the wood. “I already checked. You just need a fifty-dollar deposit to open it.”
“Fifty dollars is more than I have in my purse right now,” I said. “He only gives me cash for the weekly groceries, and he keeps the receipts.”
Caroline tapped her keys twice against the table.
“What about grandmother’s silver spoons in the attic?” she asked. “They are yours, not his. He doesn’t even know they exist.”
I thought of the heavy mahogany box, and whether the silver key was still hidden behind the grandfather clock.
“They must be worth something,” I whispered.
“Take them,” Caroline said, leaning closer. “Bring them to my house this afternoon, along with anything else of value you can carry out of here without him noticing.”
“I can’t just steal my own things, Caroline.”
“It isn’t stealing if it was left to you,” Caroline said, her voice rising before she caught herself. “You are stronger than you think, Mary, but you have to start moving.”
I looked at the legal pad, where she had written a single number: one thousand two hundred.
