Irene descended the staircase, looking over her narrow shoulders a couple of times to reassure herself that nothing was there.  As Irene walked down the stairs, she continued to resist the urge to run back upstairs, yank open that closet door and pull the China doll from its hiding place to be sure that it was still there , right where she had put it. Not somewhere else. 

Irene entered the kitchen with Sarah in front of her. She picked up a paring knife and began peeling potatoes, splitting them, and plopping them into a pot half filled with cool water. The light brown skin pieces lay scattered on the newspaper that would later be folded around the scraps and thrown in the garbage. Sarah sat at the kitchen table and carefully ripped the lettuce into bit-size pieces then piled them into a glass salad bowl.

"Mom, do you want me to slice the tomatoes?"

"That would be nice," Irene said as she scooped the sliced cucumbers and placed them on top of the lettuce.

Chopping the slim celery stalks, Irene watched her daughter piercing the firm red skin of the tomato. The knife slipped easily through the meat of the tomato leaving a thin line of juice on the cutting board with a seed or two mixed in. Sarah placed the half face down on the cutting board and continued slicing the tomato. When she finished, she slipped the knife under the slices, lifted, and placed them on top of the cucumbers. The colors were fresh and vibrant. Sarah could not resist sneaking a piece. As she put the crisp vegetable in her mouth, savoring its flavor, Irene smiled.

She wondered if the China doll was the right gift for Sarah.