The storage bill arrived at their home because the old mailbox had been removed during renovations to an office building. Selma recognized the name of their former business. Two years earlier they had closed the shop, sold the remaining stock, and shared the loss. She was still repaying a loan from her sister because of it. The bill said that the storage unit had been rented continuously for thirty months.
Amir said it was a mistake. He had kept a few empty shelves that nobody wanted. Selma offered to help take them to the scrapyard at the weekend. He immediately began listing commitments: the car inspection, a colleague's birthday, repairs to the water heater. As he spoke, he collected crumbs from the table into a perfectly straight line. He used to do that when lying to suppliers.
She did not go to the storage unit alone. The next day she asked for their old business records and placed the bill in front of him. "Show me what we're paying for." Amir first talked about her lack of trust, then about how badly the shop's failure had affected him. Finally, he took a key from his glasses case. Selma put on her coat. He fetched his, and they went together.
Inside stood boxes of goods she remembered as having been sold. Beside the wall was a table with packages ready for shipping. Amir had continued selling through online listings. He told customers he was the sole owner. He kept the proceeds in a separate account, convinced that one day he would restart the business and surprise her. He could not explain why that plan required her to remain in debt to her sister.
Selma photographed the stock and called the accountant they had previously used. She arranged a review of the records with both of them present. Amir asked whether she was leaving him. She told him that she was counting boxes at the moment and would not let him use that question to escape the conversation. They remained in the unit until evening, working together on the same real problem for the first time in a long while.
Selling the remaining goods took seven weeks. Some of the money went back to her sister; the rest was allocated after their obligations had been checked. Amir proposed starting another business together. Selma declined. They still lived together, but for the first time she had an account that only she could access. When confirmation arrived that the storage rental had ended, she put it on the refrigerator. She did not take it down when visitors came.