Queenie's Secrets

“Let’s hope it works this time.” Simone said to her sisters as she inserted the key into the door lock. The last time they tried this, the key would not work. But that was three years ago, and things were different now.

The key turned easily. Opening the door, Simone thought about the last time that they were at their mother’s house. Queenie, which is all their mother was ever called, told them to never come back. They did not see her for over two years. Then, two months ago, she called with the news of her cancer, and they responded just as all good daughters would. The final month that Queenie spent at Simone’s home in hospice care had been rough for all of them, but they were glad they could provide some comfort for Queenie at the end.

And now they were back at her house. Ellie, Tina, and Dara followed Simone into the living room and looked around. They let out a collective sigh. “Not too bad,” Dara whispered. “I thought it would be worse.” With that, their thoughts returned to the last week they spent in the house.

※※※※※※

Queenie, with her husband. Harry, lived in the Pocono’s for fifteen years. It was a three-hour drive, but the girls managed visits every year or so in the summertime. However, after Harry died Queenie stopped allowing anyone to visit, even though she would visit her daughter’s homes every couple of months. They just figured that it was too much work for Queenie to have visitors. Then, three years ago, Queenie ended up in a nearby hospital with pneumonia. When it was near time for Queenie to return home, Ellie and Tina went to Queenie’s house to prepare a nice homecoming while Simone and Dara visited with Queenie at the hospital. That was when they discovered that the key that Queenie had given them for emergency use did not work. Spotting an open window on the second floor and a nearby ladder, Ellie and Tina climbed into what they described as “a living nightmare.”

※※※※※※

Ellie carefully climbed over the window ledge into the dining room of Queenie’s bi-level home. She looked around in disbelief. The dining room table, chairs, and surrounding floor were covered with newspapers, magazines, trash, and grocery bags. She could not even see past the immediate area. Tina pushed her way in behind Ellie. “OMG! What is going on??”

Ellie sent a text to Simone and Dara asking them to come to the house immediately, but to not tell Queenie. Tina squeezed past Ellie. “There is a path!” The girls followed the narrow path and found the kitchen and then the living room in the same condition.

“Ellie, this is bad. This is really, really bad.”

“I know. How in the world did this happen?”

※※※※※※

Simone and Dara looked at Ellie in disbelief. They were all sitting on the front steps of Queenie’s house.

“Apparently, Queenie is a hoarder,” Ellie said. “The house is completely full of newspapers, books, trash, mail, and bags of groceries from who knows when. We found one bag with food that expired two years ago!”

“This is just so sad to me,” Tina said. “I bet this is why she would not let us visit.”

“This must have been happening for a long time. Why didn’t we know?” Dara asked.

No one had an answer.

“Ok,” Simone said as she stood up. “Let’s get to work”

※※※※※※

Queenie walked into the house and looked around. She could see the flowers in the center of the dining room table. The couch and love seat were situated in front of the television. Bookcases and a curio cabinet lined a sidewall. Queenie slowly walked to the kitchen. All the surfaces were free of clutter and wiped clean. She slowly turned to face her daughters. “What have you done?” she whispered. “Where are all my things?”

Dara quickly crossed the room and put her arms around Queenie. “Aren’t you excited that we cleaned up for you? Look how nice everything is? You have lots of room to walk around. And you can see the TV now.”

“Queenie, we got rid of all the stuff that you didn’t need,” Ellie said. “The only place we weren’t able clean out is the room that has a lock on it. We couldn’t find the key. Do you have it? We can get that room cleaned out by tomorrow.”

“Get out.” Queenie suddenly stated in a loud voice. ”I can’t believe that you all did this to me. I didn’t need your help. I don’t want your help!”

“But Queenie….” Tina stammered. “We only wanted you to live better.”

“Well, this is my house. Not yours! GET OUT!. Right now. And NEVER come back!”

※※※※※※

Now Queenie was gone. The four girls wandered around the house, checking the small piles of Queenie’s “stuff” in various corners, relieved that there was not too much to deal with. Simone stopped in front of the room with the lock. “I think we should start here. Where is the keyring that had Queenie’s house key on it?”

Dara brought the keyring over and quickly found the right key for the lock. The door opened and a look of shock crossed their faces. The room was pristine. It was lined with shelves that contained music boxes, ceramic angels, snow globes, and almost all the gifts that the girls had given Queenie over the years.

“This is incredible,” Dara said. “Why would Queenie keep this room locked? Everything is beautiful!”

“Maybe these were the treasures that she wanted to keep safe,” Tina said quietly.

Ellie walked over to the far corner of the room and looked down at a wooden chest sitting on the bottom shelf. “Did any of you give this box to Queenie?” she asked. “This is not like anything else in the room.” No one answered.

“Let’s open it!” Tina said excitedly. She lifted the box and placed it on the plush carpet. The girls all took a seat on the floor as Tina lifted the lid.

“Oh, there’s only a notebook in here,” Tina said, disappointed.

Simone reached in a pulled out the black leather notebook. She opened to the first page and began to read.

To My Four Angels

If you are reading this it means that I am no longer with you. There is so much that I wish I had told you all, but what I want you to know is that I regret staying away from you for so long. I know that you were trying to make my life better—and you did. But you should know that this locked room was not my only secret.

Dear Simone,

Long ago I told you that my parents, your grandparents, died when I was young. That was not true. I ran away from home when I was 16 because I was ashamed of my parents and never saw them again. They were both deaf and that made my life hard. I was angry at them and embarrassed by them. I found out they passed away right before you were born.

I read somewhere that the thoughts that you have while you are pregnant can affect the baby that you are carrying. I also read that the name you give your child can impact their lives. Did you know that your name means “to hear or listen”? I thought about my parents a lot when I was pregnant with you. I regretted that I never reached out to them. Having a granddaughter would have made them so happy. But thinking of them also made me worry that you would have a hearing problem also. So, I chose the name “Simone” and not only is your hearing perfect, but your profession matches your name. I am so proud that you help others with your psychology practice. You “hear” people when they talk to you and you help them by listening.

Simone turned the page. She handed the notebook to Ellie.

Dear Ellie,

“Ellie” means “creative” and “one who works with everyone.” Your grandfather used to paint. He especially loved painting landscapes. However, I did not inherit any of his talents, even though I did enjoy painting. The best that I could do was “paint-by-numbers”—and even that was not very good. I was happy to discover that his talent was passed to you. Every time I look at the sculptures and paintings that you gave me over the years, it makes me smile. Your stories about your art students always made me laugh. I know you are helping others find themselves every day. Your name truly fits you.

Ellie handed the notebook to Tina as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

Dear Tina,

I do not know if you have ever heard of hyperemesis, but it was a condition that I had when I was pregnant with you. I had difficulty keeping food in my stomach and the doctor warned me that you may be small. Somehow, tea made me feel better and I drank it every day. I don’t know why, but I was not worried about you. I knew in my heart that you would be healthy, even if you were tiny. You have probably guessed that I named you Tina because it means “tiny”—and you are! But what surprised me was your love for tea parties! You wanted to have a tea party every day and you would drive Simone and Ellie crazy trying to get them to play. Opening “Tina’s Tea Room” was the only logical career for you. Now you get to have that tea party all day, every day. It’s perfect!

Dara grabbed the book and quickly began to read.

Dear Dara,

Although I was sick when I was pregnant with Tina, it was only mild compared to when I carried you. I was ordered bed rest and your Aunt Laura came to stay with us to help out. The doctor feared that you would suffer some brain damage or intellectual deficiency. I was so scared and prayed every day that you would be okay. When I wasn’t praying, I was reading. I named you “Dara” because it means “wisdom” If a name could influence who you became, I wanted to give you every chance, despite what the doctor told me. Well, something worked, because you are probably the smartest person that I know! I am jealous that, as a publisher, you are around books every day. As you know, I have collected many books over the years, but ended up only reading a fraction of them. Cherish your work—it is a gift!

Dara turned to the last page.

There is another secret that I wish to share. I found out about my parents passing away because an insurance agent found me to tell me that they left me some money. We were always so poor-I would never have expected it. I know now that they wanted the best for me, as I want the best for all of you. That is why I am passing my inheritance on to the four of you to share. Please remember that I love you all and always live your best life.

Queenie

Dara pulled off the key taped to the page. “What does it go to? She asked.

Looking around, Simone spotted a large angel music box with a keyhole in the front. She grabbed it and inserted the key. Turning it, a door opened. Ellie reached in and pulled out an envelope. “Four stacks of cash!” she exclaimed. “$20,000” The sisters looked at each other in disbelief.

“There is something else in here,” Simone said. She reached in and pulled out a notebook, similar to the one they had already found. Simone looked at her sisters, took a deep breath, and opened to the first page.

The Story of My Life

※※※※※※