When I discovered what my mother had surreptitiously placed in the casket during my grandmother’s funeral, I was appalled…
There was silence in the church. A distant relative wept silently against the wall while the priest recited a prayer in silence.
Grandmother was peacefully lying there with a white shawl over her head, as though she had just fallen asleep after a long life.
When I saw her face, I couldn’t believe that I would never again see her pour tea into her favorite metal-holder glasses or hear her giggle.
My mom was standing next to me, stiff and strained, like she was scared to cry. She approached the coffin slowly when it was time to say farewell.
At first, I assumed she was merely trying to speak something to Grandma or touch her hand one final time. However, I watched her discreetly look about, remove something from her pocket, and then, in a nearly imperceptible motion, put it inside.
It was a little black sack, I saw. It wasn’t the appropriate moment or location, so I refrained from asking what it was.
When we got home after the burial, I was unable to contain myself any longer:
I noticed that you placed something in Grandma’s coffin, Mom. What was it?
After a prolonged period of silence, she sighed and whispered quietly. Her response astounded me 
It wasn’t your grandfather’s ring; it was her wedding band.
I gave her a startled look.
She had a fiancé when she was very young. Nikolai was his name. He was slain while serving in the army, and he never returned. She also retained the ring he gave her for the rest of her life. She was unable to discard it, even when she married your grandfather. She once said to me, “I want him to recognize me by the ring if he’s waiting for me somewhere up there.” He was the only person she ever loved.
After wiping away her tears, my mother continued:
I believe they are now reunited.
