Grandma looked directly at Dad and said, “The cello was never yours to sell.” The document in his hand was a notarized deed of gift transferring ownership of the instrument to Nora three years earlier, along with its appraisal, serial number, photographs, and insurance records. Grandma had kept possession only because Nora was still young and the music room provided safer storage. Legally, my parents had sold property belonging to someone else. Andrew had already contacted the collector, who had purchased the cello believing my father had authority to sell it. Once he saw the ownership documents, he agreed to preserve the instrument while the transaction was formally unwound rather than risk becoming part of a larger dispute.
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