Eleanor sank into her seat, her heart pounding. The plane began its final preparations for departure. Soon, the engines roared to life. The sudden acceleration startled her. Her bag slipped from her lap and spilled its contents onto the floor.
Before she could react, the man beside her bent down to help gather her belongings.
In his hand was a delicate gold locket. It was oval-shaped and set with deep red stones that glimmered even in the subdued cabin light.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” he murmured. “Do you have any idea what this is?”
Eleanor’s eyes widened slightly as she took it back. “It’s my locket.”
“I can see that,” he replied, studying it with renewed interest. “But these aren’t glass. Those are real rubies. High quality, too.”
She frowned. “I wouldn’t know. It belonged to my parents.”
The man straightened, his tone shifting. “I’m Leonard Price. I deal in antique jewelry. Trust me, this piece is worth far more than your plane ticket.”
Eleanor held the locket protectively. “Its value isn’t about money.”
Leonard hesitated, then cleared his throat. “I owe you an apology. I behaved terribly earlier. I shouldn’t have judged you. I’m sorry.”
After a pause, he asked, “You mentioned your parents. How did you come to have it?”
Eleanor took a breath. Her fingers brushed the smooth surface of the locket.
“My father was a military pilot during the Second World War,” she said. “When he left for duty, he gave this to my mother as a promise. He said he would come back for her.”
Leonard listened in silence.
“He never did,” Eleanor continued. “I was four years old. I remember standing at the window with my mother and waiting. She never stopped waiting. Not really.”
She opened the locket. Inside were two faded photographs. One showed a young couple, smiling and inseparable. The other showed a baby wrapped in a blanket.
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