The baby grand was a gift from a man she no longer knows – in any case, no longer wants to know. He bought it at an estate sale and had it delivered to her apartment, where it now sits in the middle of the room, collecting dust and her unopened mail. At the time, it seemed like a mad, improvisational gesture – something extravagant and wildly inappropriate, like a diamond tiara or a pair of antlers – a gift with no apparent use. She should have known he was going to leave her.
