Bliss

By Prospero Dae

He had given her earrings of white nephrite jade to mark their fifth anniversary, a token of remembrance for five days of uninterrupted bliss, spent chaotically in a cozy cockloft. But in time the passion would dissipate, as grey, wispy fog in an old apple orchard dissolves when first confronted with the opalescent splendor of morning light. Some cruel months elapsed and she returned to him the memento.

Many years later she married a poor man and bore him a son. The boy, at five, was afflicted with a rare blood disorder. An anonymous donation saved the infant’s life.