ode to the old boyfriend

i was going through a box of stuff today that has been in the closet at my parents old house since i was in highschool. all sorts of stuff that i had forgotten that i had. in it, i found a little box of jewelry, the kind you find at any tourist place. it was given to me by an old boyfriend. i remember thinking when i broke up with him that i didn't know what to do with the stuff. i hadn't really liked it in the first place, i didn't really feel right throwing it away, so i just tucked it into the box and forgot about it. but going through it today, i still can't figure out why i and everyone else i know hangs on to stuff like that.
why? "perhaps, some scientists believe, it will help them in the afterlife"
is it because i felt guilty about stomping on the heart of a sensitive 16 year old boy? i couldn't bear to admit even after i stopped seeing him that i didn't like his present, maybe felt guilty that i was happy to be done with the relationship?
i still couldn't throw it away today. i put on one of the necklaces and wore it around for awhile, but it feels wierd, like grave robbing or something. i'll just tuck it away again and forget about it. maybe the next time i pull it out, i'l know what to do with it.