January 8, 2018

January 8, 2018 at nearly 8am on an ordinary Thursday morning she slipped away.

As Monique sat motionless in the dark room, she could feel the warm wet tears running down her face onto her lips, she tasted the salt and sorrow of the liquid. She could hear the faint sobs of her father and siblings in the background. But all she could think was now what?

Oh, she knew WHAT was coming. Picking out clothes and jewelry for the funeral display. Standing for hours in a line greeting and smiling as friends and family make their way past her lifeless body. The kind words and delightful memories shared, reliving a lifetime of moments in a row, that create a life.

What she desperately wanted to know was; now what!??

How does she go on in a world where her mom, her friend her confidante is not? Life as she had come to love and cherish was over, never to be the same again and she felt she was about to be submerged into total despair

For now, the task at hand; closing the house up. It had already been sold and they were closing in on the 7 short days they had to get everything out and say their goodbyes.

Goodbye to the that safe place they had spent every single holiday in, and goodbye all the long conversations around the dinner table on Sunday afternoons.

Where grandma and grandpa greeted and enveloped each grandchild. The races and games played in the yard and the “where’s the cheese game", that was all the grandkids favorite. Goodbye to the flower and vegetable garden where they spent endless hours in the summertime.

Goodbye.

What a terrible word, what a terrible feeling.

It was all over now.

This lonely afternoon as she walked through the door, she could see that everything had been removed. It was all gone, seemingly as empty as her heart ❤️.

In the center of the empty room was a clear plastic tub. As she approached the container, she realized it was full of photographs. She sat cross legged on the floor, unlatched, and removed the lid revealing a lifetime of black and white and Kodachrome moments. Memories of People and events that had intentionally and unintentionally formed and shaped this life she had grown accustomed to and now against every fiber of her being was changing again.

She knew when she walked out that door, life would be something she never experienced before or ever again as her mother’s daughter. She felt so alone, everything was changing-so fast

Monique knew she needed to get herself together. After sifting through a few photos, she grabbed the container and loaded it into her car.

As she was driving 01-08-18, 1818 kept floating around in her head. It seemed that everywhere she looked she saw those numbers-now. The price for gas was 1.81, 1818 was the address on the building she shopped at. She glanced up from a book she was reading, and the clock flashed 8:18. Was she going crazy? She decided to just call it a night.

As she crawled into bed and began to sink into her pillow, her phone buzzed, it was a text from a number she didn’t recognize.

“Monique, I know it’s an odd request, please be sure to let me know what you want me to do with the items you’re mom left asap, we need to get things settled in a timely fashion to save any, well trouble “

She felt her heart beginning to race, “who is this”, she demanded. She held the phone closer to her face waiting for the response, finally an answer.

“Oh, I guess you didn’t find the notebook yet, uh, this is a little awkward. Did you find the tub of pictures?! It’s in there”

Monique was startled. Who else but her family knew about the tub of pictures? What things, what trouble?

“Who is this?” She asked, on the verge of tears “I have no idea what you are referring to, my mom didn’t keep a journal or notebook and she certainly never had or did anything to cause trouble!!”

The phone went quiet.

Monique sat in a fetal position crying again remembering that she couldn’t call her mom to ask her to explain or talk her through it, as she always did before. She kept looking at her phone waiting for it to give her some answers.

It didn’t

The following morning, she awoke with her phone in her hands. She noticed the time was 8:18. “This is ridiculous “she said aloud. As she got out of bed, she stepped on a hair clip. “Dammit” she yelled as she hobbled to the bathroom. She felt particularly grumpy, so she grabbed her phone to play some loud music as she got ready.

There was another message from the number she didn’t know....

“01/08/18, 0800. Asap”

She stared at her phone, all at once it rang. She jumped and screamed in surprise throwing her phone in the air. She caught herself laughing and crying and cursing at the same time, as she looked up, she caught her reflection in the mirror. “What is wrong with you?!” She scoffed. Repeating what her therapist had been saying to her for the past few months. “Hey, you, keep living, it’s ok to be scared, that means something big is coming!” She had no idea.

She found her phone lying on the floor. It landed a few feet from where she stood, right next to the plastic tote. As she knelt to pick it up, the tone indicating a missed call rang. She quickly listened to the message.

“Hey Monique, its mom, I’m sorry I missed you, I missed your call last week and really wanted to talk with you today. Anyway, call me if you need me. I love you and miss you. Hugs and kisses, I’ll see ya!” Her voice, that tone; she fell into a puddle of tears.

When she collected herself, she showered and washed all that sadness away, temporarily. As she was about to leave the house, she felt a nagging need to open the tub again. She pulled out pictures, albums, and old drawings from one of the grandkids. Then she noticed at the bottom of the tub was in fact a small well-worn notebook. The cover was a simple black and white picture of her mother and her aunt. They were beautiful, and so young. Taken at what looked to be an amusement park.

How had she never seen this photo before?

On the back of the picture was written “A day full of fun, love and laughter, a moment to change a life.... #759-0818”

She grabbed her phone, that was the number from earlier sending the messages. She quickly dialed and waited for an answer.

“If you’re calling this number, It must be January 2018, and you've found the notebook. Man has the time flown. It’s ok, really, I’m ok. I wanted to explain this but never knew how to. In the back of this notebook is a “key", Take it to the amusement park in this picture. There you will find an old trunk. I want you all to know that I wouldn’t change a thing except to make your lives easier. Remember I’m always here for you I love you, see ya. Mom"

Monique was speechless.

She flipped the photo over, but instead of a "key, 010818 “was scrawled in the margin. Over and over. Monique didn’t know what or how this could be. She called her bother to go with her. As they approached the gate of the park, an old man in coveralls met them. “You must be Monique. “. She and her brother looked confused, “yes” Monique said. “We are here to…” the man interrupted, “follow me “. They followed him into an old house of mirrors and in the back corner was an old chipped up trunk.

“She was a pretty special lady that one, ornery as a wildcat in a chicken house. Not sure how she got into such mischief, but she always seemed to find her way out of trouble” he muttered.

“How did you know our mother” Monique blurted. “Ah, no need to get into all that now, spilt milk an all”, he said “she just made me promise on 01-08-18 to call, and I’m a man of my word, here”. He motioned towards the combination lock on the trunk.

With little hesitation Monique began to turn the dial of the lock. 01 left 08 right 18 right, pull......It opened on the first try

Inside the trunk was the white dress her mother was wearing in the picture and a banker’s bag. (That bank had been closed ever since they could remember.) When she opened the bag there were at least a dozen 100-dollar bills and a gold coin. She could see what looked to be a handle on the bottom of the trunk. She pulled up on it and it revealed a false bottom. As she removed it, she could see hundreds of these coins, and a banker note. The note stated that each gold coin was valued at $2000 apiece.

Monique asked the man where this all came from and he said with the orneriest smile. “Your mother wasn’t always a mother and I wasn’t always this old. We sure had some amazing adventures. Enjoy the rewards of her youth. That life, her family was all she ever wanted and all she found value in. She left this for you to help you find your happiness in hopes you will realize you are rich beyond measure if your family is your treasure”

Monique took another look at the notebook. She saw an entry the day before her mother’s death.

It read:

“08/07/18 I have lived a great life with little regret. My joys came from my children's laughter and smiles. Even though I can’t be there in person always remember, I chose you, nothing was more important or held greater value than you. I will always love you and promise to check in on you. Please use this treasure to help you until you find your own. I will miss you. See ya.

❤️Mom ❤️