The Secret

Samiya Ruiz sat on the steps of her run down row home, a cigarette in hand contemplating on what her next move would be. She was anxious, stressed out was an understatement. Looking towards the cloudy sky that was above her asking the universe to make a way. Noise was all around her. People walking up and down her block buying drugs from the drug dealers on the corner. Cars with loud music zooming down the street. She could barely get her thoughts together. But the distractions were nothing compared to the financial hardships she was facing. She was out of work, couldn’t find a job due to the Covid 19 pandemic and living off of her disabled son’s social security check. The rent was due soon, the utility bills were piling up, and she stressed that she wouldn’t have enough. Something was going to get cut off.

Samiya was a proud woman and didn’t feel comfortable asking for handouts. And she didn’t have anyone that she could ask for help. The children’s father was in prison and family both his and hers always made excuses why they couldn’t do this or that. She felt defeated hopeless like she has failed as a mother. There was nothing she could do, it was out of her control. She took the last drag from the cigarette before it got to the butt and tossed it into the street. She went inside locking the door behind her and spent the rest of the evening enjoying quality time with the kids. Hiding the fact that she was conflicted inside. The kids couldn’t see that, she refused for them to see her like that. She had to be strong for them. They had already been through so much. She tucked them in that night with a kiss and I love you’s. Then went to bed.

All night she tossed and turned. Although her body wanted sleep her mind rejected it. Her thoughts were on too many things at once, it was overwhelming and draining. She was tired of barely making it, she needed a breakthrough. She needed change, she needed hope. Before she knew it the sun was coming up. It felt like it went from night to day in minutes. The kids were still sleeping, it was Saturday so they had no school. She took advantage of the time made a cup of coffee and sat on the couch in complete silence. To her surprise it was also quiet outside which was unusual. When all of a sudden the door bell rang.

She almost dropped the coffee cup from being startled by the ring. Who could be visiting her at this time. It was too early for the mail carrier and too early for any family members or friends and they would usually call her before just stopping by. So now fear overcame her. She lived in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, one of the roughest neighborhoods in the city with the highest crime rate due to heroine. Her Citizens app was almost always alerting her of violence happening around her area. She thought what if it’s a murderer or a rapist or something. But she was curious to see who rang her doorbell. She peeked through the window shade but could not see anyone at the door. So she went upstairs to her room went in her closet opened the safe and grabbed her 9mm pistol unlocked it and went back downstairs to answer the door. After asking who’s there a few times and not getting an answer she slowly opened the door with gun in hand ready for anything. No one was there. No one even walked by. The block was quiet. The morning was starting off weird and it was starting to freak her out. She was about to go back inside believing she was hearing things and maybe hallucinating. When something inside of her told her to check the mailbox.

She opened the lid to the mailbox and inside was a little black book. It looked like a journal. She looked all around to see if someone might have left it there by accident but no one was around. She took the book went back inside and locked the door behind her. Now the morning just got weirder. Who would leave a book in her mailbox she thought to herself. She sat back down on her couch and removed the elastic closure that kept it sealed. The front page was an entry made out to her it read

Dear Samiya,

I have seen your struggles and heard your cries. I have blessed you with something to help you get back on your feet. Check the pocket in the back of this book.

Love,

The Secret

Her heart was almost beating outside of her chest. She found the pocket and could half way see a gold envelope sticking out. She pulled the envelope out from the pocket and could feel something was in it because of the thickness of it. She opened the flap and turned it upside down. To her astonishment bills were falling out. Hundred dollar bills. And lots of them, just falling out. Her eyes could not believe what she was seeing, her mind was trying to wrap itself around it. She put her hand in the envelope and pulled out the rest of the money. Oh my God! Oh my God! is what she kept saying. Tears ran down her cheeks. She couldn’t believe it. She gathered up all the money that fell on her lap and the floor. And counted each bill one by one. The total came out to $20,000. It was all in $100 dollar bills. Two hundred bills she counted, she still could not believe it. Who would play a joke on her like this? What if it belonged to a drug dealer? What if it was fake? All these questions started running through her mind. But then she thought about the note to her from The Secret. And went back to read it. She read it a few times before she put the book down. She dropped to her knees and cried.

“I can’t believe this! Who would do something like this? Who is The Secret?” She said to herself

Samiya was overwhelmed in disbelief and gratitude at the same time. She cried like a baby. Never in her life had anyone done something like this for her. She felt undeserving of this gift. But she realized that it was right on time. Now she had more then enough to pay bills and get by for a few months.

Then her cell phone rang. It was her best friend Krystle. She quickly picked up the call excited to share with her what she just found in her mailbox. But Krystle didn’t give her the chance. She too was calling with good news.

“Girl, I gotta tell you something that just happened” she shouted

“Omg, me too! Ok, you first.”

“My mom came in my room this morning as I was feeding the baby and said a man dropped a package off to me. So I asked her who it’s from? She said she ain’t know because he didn’t give her a name, he just said The Secret.”

“Girl, you’re freaking me out right now. I just got a little black book in my mailbox from The Secret”

“Did you see who this guy is Samiya? Because my mom said she couldn’t get a real good glimpse of him, he was wearing all black and had a face mask on.” She asked

“No I didn’t see anyone. Someone just rang my doorbell and left the book, not only that girl but the book had $20,000 in it”

“Mines too! I unwrapped the package and it was a little black book with a note written out to me specifically and $20,000 in an envelope!”

“This is so weird girl, I don’t know anyone who has that kind of money and is that generous. And this person has to know who we are personally because they knew our names and knew where we lived at, I don’t know what to think, I’m shocked but grateful, you know me and the kids really needed this money, it’s like a burden has been lifted off of me, I don’t know girl I just want to cry and thank whoever this Secret guy is”

“ I want to do the same. Now I have enough money to put a deposit down on an apartment for me and my daughter and get my car fixed. Ugh, I’m so happy! I wish I could kiss the guy right about now, I wish I knew who he was cause I would ask him if I can be his wife” she giggled

“ I guess he wants to remain a Secret and that’s ok with me. But girl I’m let you go, I gotta go deposit this in my bank. You know I don’t like to keep cash on me around here”

“ I feel you, I’m go do the same. Love you girl. I’ll talk to you later”

“Love you too, bye bye.”

Samiya hung up the phone. Sat back down on her couch for a few minutes to gather her thoughts. She checked her Facebook, a habit that she’d done everyday. And to her surprise there he was again, The Secret. On her timeline. But not his picture or his identity, just followers posting about a mysterious little black book with $20,000 in it from someone named The Secret. Apparently, this man was going around our poverty stricken neighborhood gifting people with money. He was like the secret Santa of the hood. What Samiya couldn’t figure out was how did he know each person individually along with their hardships and struggles. She couldn’t wrap her mind around it but nevertheless she had this money and could finally take a deep breathe knowing that everything was going to be alright. She had a new found sense of hope in her place of darkness. Good people really do exist. The kids woke up and came downstairs.

“Come here guys, I need a big hug”

They ran to her and she widened her arms to hug all of them at once. She held on to them tight, tears running down her cheeks again.

“I love you guys so much” she told them

“We know mom”

“We love you too” they said.

And she went on with her life. Never finding out who The Secret was but it didn’t matter because whoever he was he changed her life. He changed many lives that day. She kept the little black book as a keepsake and used it to journal her thoughts. She would never forget the day The Secret showed up in her mailbox.