Be sure to keep my ruby choker and the pearl and emerald set for the person you will marry, she said during one of these walks. I'm not planning on getting married any time soon, I told her, and she said that she wished she could say the same for dying. Ultimately, I disobeyed her. After she was gone I was unable to open up and examine the contents of all those flat red boxes she'd kept hidden in a suitcase on her closet shelf, never mind set something aside for the sake of my future happiness.
The narrator reflects on a conversation with a woman who expresses her wishes regarding valuable items, like a ruby choker and a pearl and emerald set, meant for the narrator's future spouse. The narrator feels unprepared for marriage, indicating a carefree attitude towards the future. However, the woman's poignant remark about dying highlights the contrast between her acceptance of life's impermanence and the narrator's reluctance to confront significant change.
After the woman’s passing, the narrator grapples with the burden of her advice and wishes. The physical remnants, stored in flat red boxes, symbolize unexamined emotions and unresolved decisions about love and future happiness. The narrator's inability to face these items reflects a wider struggle with loss and the complexity of moving forward, ultimately leading to feelings of regret for not heeding the woman's wishes.
