The garage-sale bureau had a letter taped to the bottom of a drawer.

It was a dream come true. You love mysteries. You love old things. You love bargain hunting. It was like someone had arranged the perfect find for you.

This was $172 WELL spent. You loaded your hatchback and your mind whirred all the way home. What providence would the letter reveal? Who had owned the bureau, or better yet, who had made it? Where had it lived, what had it seen? When was the letter written? Did it tell of highs or lows in its ornate copperplate script?

Immediately upon unloading the bureau you slid out the drawer, right there in the driveway. You untaped the envelope. Broke the yellowing glued seal. Then slid out a single sheet of paper. “Happy Anniversary Honey!” you read in your husband’s familiar scrawl.