Apostle Bracelet - The Open Door

St Andrews, 1937. Elspeth Murray learned courage through love offered without certainty. In St Andrews, she prepared tea on afternoons when the wind moved quickly off the sea and plans often changed. The sugar tongs rested beside the bowl, their two apostles facing away from one another. Her aunt called them St Andrew and St Rule, old figures said to mind thresholds and returns. Elspeth liked that they did not look at each other, as if trust required space. She lifted a cube, hearing the gentle clink against porcelain, and chose to set another cup. When he arrived, conversation came easily. When he did not, she still poured the tea. When the tongs were later made into a bracelet, Elspeth wore it walking the shore. The iron reminded her that hope is not waiting, but opening the door anyway, again and again.