“A nautilus shell. I've never found one before."
It was a nice big one, a rare find, not too damaged by the battering waves. Alex couldn't know it, but it was Mamma's favorite kind of shell. The nautilus is a symbol of harmony and peace, she used to say.
"You can have it if you want," he said, holding the shell out to her.
"No. You found it." Rosa kept her hands at her sides even though she wanted it desperately.
"I'm not good at keeping things." He wound up as if to throw it back into the surf.
"Don't! If you're not going to keep it, I will," Rosa said, grabbing it from him.
"I wasn't really going to throw it away," he said. "I just wanted you to have it.”