AARYN
It took longer to etch the cuffs than he'd anticipated. So by the time he was done it was dinnertime. He considered leaving the letter for later, but in truth, he wanted it out of the way. Part of the reason his gift had taken longer was because he kept catching himself staring at the satchel that currently hid the wallet his mother had given him, wondering what was inside it. How he would feel reading it. Whether his father was an ass, or just a normal man who'd gotten off-track…
With a snort of distaste for his own melodrama, he carefully placed the cuffs inside the satchel and pulled out the wallet.
The heavy leather was old and worn, but in the way that made it soft and pliable. When he pulled it out of the satchel, it sagged over his fingers, but the parchment within it crackled, unable to hold up the weight of the old leather.
