The Expiration Date That Passed

A jar sits at the back of the refrigerator. Its label shows a date from three years ago. No one throws it away. No one opens it. Every week, the refrigerator door opens and closes. The jar shifts slightly, then settles. Occasionally someone picks it up, reads the date, hesitates, and puts it back. The contents inside remain unchanged. The sticker grows more faded with each passing month. The jar will outlive the refrigerator. It will outlive the memory of who bought it. It waits.