Zip — 116099

On the back of the photo, a note read: “You told me you’d wait for the music to stop. The music stopped years ago, but the doll still has one more piece inside.”

Inside, tucked under layers of Russian newspapers, was an old, hand-painted Matryoshka doll. Its lacquer was chipped, showing a faded blue shawl and a defiant smile. Taped to the bottom of the doll was a Polaroid of a young man in a Marine uniform, standing in front of the Embassy gates in the 1990s. 116099 zip

In Nebraska, a zip code is just a location. But in the mailroom of 116099, it was the only way to say goodbye. On the back of the photo, a note