The Revealing

Henry Casille was walking down the street on his way to the park as was common for any pleasant spring morning in the quaint little community he lived in. It was important for him to get his exercise or at least that's what he was told at his last wellness checkup. As his phone vibrated, he reached into his pocket to examine it, all without stopping, to see that the message was from his wife, Mara. They had just celebrated their golden anniversary and were honored with a surprise party by their children and grandchildren. Henry smiled as he returned his phone to his pocket. Such a simple endearing text was typical of her, and it was consistent with the loving and loyal aspects of her character that he had enjoyed for all these years.

As Henry entered the park, he turned down the nature trail that he always walked that would, after a series of winding turns, circle back around and lead back to his home. It was a calm and serene trail, full of trees and bushes that rustled in the wind and wild flowers sporadically and randomly growing that produced the kind of scenery only seen on a postcard. He was in view of the stone table and benches that he would always sit at to rest that marked the approximate halfway point to his journey. As he approached the table, however, it seemed that someone had been there before him today, as it was not bare but contained some objects on it that he could not quite see clearly enough to identify.

As Henry approached the table, it was with complete amazement as he saw that there were four stacks of bills, amounting to twenty thousand dollars, and a small black luxury notebook, bound with a ribbon, lying on the stone. Confused and bewildered as he sat down, the first thing he did was open the notebook. Surely, there would be some explanation for this phenomenon inside. But as he opened the notebook and examined its pages, he was shocked to see that each page was empty.

Without any indication from the notebook as to its owner, there was no way to determine the rightful home of the twenty thousand dollars. Henry grabbed a stack of bills and began to pocket them but as he did, he noticed that the first page of the notebook was suddenly full of writing. As he read the page, a chill of absolute terror, raced through Henry's heart.

The first page of the notebook now contained a story that Henry was all too familiar with. It told of his beginnings, the identity and name that he had left behind by the time he reached his twentieth birthday. Not even Mara knew about this; it was the pinnacle of irony. He had been born into the very world of corruption and privilege that he had spent his entire life fighting against. How hypocritical would he seem if this secret were ever to surface? As disturbing a thought as this was, he placed the first stack of bills into his pocket. After all, there was no way he would fail to destroy this notebook that contained the secret.

While Henry was in the process of obtaining the second stack of bills, he turned the first page in the notebook and as he expected, more writing had appeared. The second page had revealed the story of a later time in his life when he had caved to the opposition in return for a large bribe. The thought had occurred to him that he should simply walk away and forget he ever saw any of this. After all, his secrets appearing in a notebook was quite the supernatural event, and it was concerning him that he might not be able to contain the secrets any longer. But how could he walk away and leave this notebook with the secrets it now contained? He collected the third stack and fourth stack of bills and prepared to leave with the notebook, but curiosity got the best of him. He couldn't help but want to see what the third and fourth page would now contain.

The third page was no surprise at all to him, in fact, he knew his darkest secret would no doubt appear at some point. It told the story of the ultimate betrayal of his wife, the sexual affair he had and the murder he committed to prevent it from ever coming to light. He had refused to let the mistake he had made destroy him in the eyes of his wife and children, so when he broke the relationship off and she threatened to expose him, he permanently silenced her.

The fourth page, however, was the most daunting of all. It did not contain any profound new secrets about Henry's life, but just a simple warning addressed to Henry. If he were to leave this area with the notebook, all three secrets would be guaranteed to be revealed in the most profound and public way. If he were to leave the area without the money, the notebook would be blank once again. The decision was an easy one, after all. What kind of life would he have even with twenty thousand dollars if his reputation, marriage, and freedom were all taken away? He knew that he could not bear to allow Mara to know any of this, after all the years she had spent faithfully loving, supporting, and adoring him.

Returning the stacks of bills to their previous place on the stone table, Henry watched as all of the writing in the notebook began to fade. Relieved, he arose and continued his walk, anxious to depart from that place. As he walked, the guilt of all of his secrets began to consume him, and he decided that he would take a different turn today. Instead of returning home, he would walk the short distance to the town square and purchase a gift for his beloved Mara.

Henry entered the gift shop and proceeded to buy the largest bouquet of roses that the shop offered. During the transaction, though, he could not help but feel that the mood in the shop had changed, and it seemed that every eye was on him. He didn't understand. He left the money and the notebook. How could his secrets have been revealed? As he examined the friends and acquaintances around him, he noticed that most of them were reading from their phones, so he reached for his and touched the first notification that he saw.

What he now began to read was the most shocking surprise of all. It was a journal entry that had appeared on social media without any logical explanation, as the source had never intended to share it. The author was none other than Mara. The entry was a reflection on fifty years of marriage. Rather than being a highlight of the best times in those years, this story told of a woman who was often left at home alone with children, who poured her very essence into supporting all of her husband's endeavors without any reciprocation, and who bitterly regretted not ever doing anything with her life that was just for her. Henry's heart sank as he read the post. It was the shock of his life. He had never even suspected that she harbored feelings that were anywhere near the intensity of what he was reading.

As he began to approach his home, it all began to become more clear. There was a brand new car sitting in the driveway that was not there before but it was quite familiar and recognizable to Henry. It was the style of one she had wanted for years, and the one that he had never even made the effort to buy for her. As Henry entered his home, he embraced and kissed his wife, who seemed ecstatic and surprised to see the large bouquet of roses that he had brought her. He proceeded to sit down on his couch and watch television without saying a single word. After all, he knew he didn't have even the most feeble of legs to stand on.