Forget Me Not

Chapter Thirty-Nine

It was strange how certain things presented themselves to be released when one was finally ready.

Korn hadn't been thinking about the ring he'd given to Knock—the one that had been casually returned. He just woke up one morning and it was the only thought in his head. Searching his house, he found the keepsake box stashed away in the furthest corner of his sock drawer.

When he first bought them, they were a symbol of hope. A symbol of what he thought was possible even though he didn't know how. They had lost all their power; diminishing them to mere trinkets by a reality that demanded more agency and less wishful thinking. Korn no longer felt the need to hold on to them.

On his next trip to the mall, he threw them in his bag in the hope of figuring something out. He could still remember several shops where he could get some advice. A part of his brain had filed the information when he'd been shopping for his father's birthday present and it was finally useful.

He made his way into the first jewellery shop. He had to wait while the shop attendant dealt with a young couple and for a moment, he was taken back in time to all the things he and Mew had done at that age.

"Hi," Korn greeted the young gentleman when he finally gave him his attention.

"How can I help you, sir?"

"I bought a couple of rings some time back and I was wondering what my options are?"

"Do you want to have them resized?" The attendant asked looking confused.

"No. I actually prefer to get rid of them or turn them into something else. I mean...you can do that, right? Melted down and I don't know...?"

He laughed but Korn couldn't fault him. His rather inelegant description was the product of having no idea what he wanted or what was possible.

"Yes, we can melt down the metal and use it for something else. But it wouldn't have the same value as the rings"

"They are in perfectly good condition and they have not been worn so..."

Korn reached for the words to describe the situation but he couldn't do it without delving into the past. He didn't need to explain his failed relationship with Knock to get what he needed. Opting out of the long-winded description, Korn reached for the box and presented it to him.

The attendant opened it slowly. Almost like he dreaded what he might find but he looked up in surprise when he finally noticed the two platinum bands.

"These are lovely," he exclaimed.

Korn grunted.

"It's not standard policy but these are exceptionally well-made and worth quite a bit as a pair. Are you sure you don't want to keep them?"

"Definitely. Sometimes you have to let the past go," he said, the only allusion he was willing to make to their dark history.

"Understood." the young man said decisively. "That brings me back to what I was saying. It's not policy, but you would be best served by trading them in for something completely different. I obviously couldn't offer full value. But you can get something comparable. It would probably be of higher value than if you tried to sell them for the metal."

Korn was pleased with the option. It was more than he'd hoped for. Consulting with the shop attendant, they came up with an estimated value. He was directed to a few display cases with a few different items.

Korn looked around trying to figure out what would work. He'd been over all the items several times but nothing caught his eye. He didn't want to attach something from his past to his present—even if it was once removed. The alternative was to buy something for himself but he wasn't in the market for anything.