i. The necklace my best friend gave me as a mark of remembrance that a piece of her heart belongs with me. She stood by me when life hit a trough, and she’s the one I want beside me when I finally reach the crest.
ii. The shirt from my last day of school, with words in all colors of a rainbow, from people I’d lose touch with, to remind me that I was a Monica to a Joey, a soulmate, and the best ex-best friend to someone.
iii. The pashmina my brother brought from Shimla- the first gift to me from his own money. He tells me I’m a work of intricacy: soft and delicate yet, strong and fierce.
iv. The birthday gift from an old friend – a letter telling me how grateful he was for our paths to have crossed each other’s. We haven’t spoken since he wished death upon me. Sometimes, I miss who he used to be.
v. The box, from a boyfriend, full of reasons for having fallen in love with me. He’s saved me from college romances and further heartbreaks, for my heart is exhausted from building its walls back up.
vi. The little pencil holder my cousin made for me; we were inseparable in our childhood. A family feud later, she asked me why I wasn’t dead. I wish we hadn’t grown up at all.
vii. The red jhumki of my mother, her dead ambitions and her hope to witness the success of the daughter she prayed for to be born. She says I’m her most beautiful khwahish to have come true.
vii. The gold watch that matches with my father’s, his blood and sweat, his faith in me to have the courage to make a life of my own. I promise his little kid is going to make him proud.