Treasure Hunt

"Hey Mom."

"Hi baby, you all settled in?"

"Yeah, it's a cute little attic apartment. I think the floors are mostly original to the house"

"Hahaha, You would notice something like that. Just like your Grandfather."

"I miss him."

"I know you do baby, so do I. He would be so proud of you though. He wanted you to go to that school. I know why you chose to do the two years back home..."

"You needed the help with Sissy, you couldn't do it alone, besides all my core classes transferred."

"I know baby and thank you but now you need to be there."

"I know but..."

"Now don't you start, we went over this. He set it all up, you heard his lawyer."

" Yeah but Mom, we saved with me..."

"Stop right there. That money was for you to go to college, the first in this family. He knew how much you wanted to go to that school and he wanted it for you. He set it all up and he made sure you would be able to do it Do not question it. You Will abide by his wishes. Do you understand me?"

"Yes Ma'am"

"Good, you come from a line of amazing carpenters, each one taught by the one that came before, only I broke the chain."

"Mom, you more than broke it"

"Yeah, yeah, keep it up."

"Hehehe"

"As I was saying, None of them had the opportunity you have, I won't take it away from you."

"I understand. I'll try to live up to my heritage, and I'll try not to show up the teachers too much with all that Grandpa taught me. Hahaha"

"Don't get Cocky, you know what Grandpa would say about that"

"Hahaha, I can practically feel his hand across the back of my head already."

"Hahaha, he was quick with that hand. So when do you register?"

"Tomorrow morning"

"So soon? I thought you had more time"

"I did too, found out today that if I want to get the classes I need with the teachers I want best to be there tomorrow."

"Well good luck"

"Thanks"

"I'll let you get some sleep, it's been a long day for you and tomorrow is going to be worse."

"If I can sleep, I'm so wound up and I just keep thinking about..."

"I said Stop, now goodnight." CLICK

"How can I stop thinking about it. When he made his will Grandpa didn't realize how sick Sissy would get or how the medical bills would pile up. How could you send me here when you need the money more" Those thoughts run in circles through my mind as I toss and turn for hours the guilt eating away at me. The excitement of finally being here, of accomplishing my dream dimming next to the reality of what's going on at home. Mom's right though, Grandpa did set it all up, my tuition is taken care of, books, even this apartment is paid up for the next two years. Meanwhile Mom and Sissy are trying not to lose the house. UGH, I sit up and throw the pillow against the wall. I'm done acting like I'm actually going to be able to sleep tonight. It's a lost cause, I haven't slept well since Sissy got sick and Mom announced that "No, we are Not going to use your college money for her hospital bills and that's final." That woman might not have gotten the carpenter gene from Grandpa but she sure got the stubborn gene, in spades.

I sigh, "what am I going to do now? I can't sleep, it's the middle of the night in a strange town so I'm not going for a walk. Internet isn't hooked up yet, so no surfing or gaming. Ok yeah, I know I'm bored, I'm actually considering an old game I used to play with grandpa. Lets see how well they renovated this apartment. " for the rest of the night I crawl across the floor, move furniture as quietly as I can away from the walls. Climb up on step stools then on furniture so I can look at crown moulding and on top of cabinets. Finally I crawl into the closets and it is in the last on that I find it, one of the baseboards has a piece about ten inches long that is completely different from the rest of it. It makes absolutely no sense and makes my eye twitch. It doesn't belong, nothing else in the apartment is wrong, just this one thing. I can't leave it like this, I grab my phone and take a picture of the baseboard around it so I can match it on my home later. Only then do I notice the time, I run to get ready, then race out the door to registration.

Hours later I finally manage to make it back to the apartment, baseboard piece in hand. I pull out my tools and head to the closet. In just minutes I have that horrible piece of baseboard out and I freeze. There's a larger hole behind it then there should be and sticking out of it is what looks like a piece of cloth. I reach in with a pair of pliers and gently pull it out. It's cloth alright, dusty, dirty, grimy, and wrapped around something. Not as old as I think it should be having been hidden though. Now, I'm curious. I quickly put the new piece of baseboard in place, Grandpa would come back and whack me for leaving a job undone like that, then grab that package and head to the couch. I unwrap it and inside I find a little black book. I open it up and start to read.

Hello Alex

WTF? I slam the book closed. Why is a book that I found in a hole in the wall starting with a greeting to me? Ok, this just got interesting. Well, I'm registered for all my classes and they don't start for four days so lets see what happens. I open the book again and keep reading.

I knew you could find this, I just wasn't sure if it would be your first day in the apartment or later than that. No, don't read ahead to find out who it is you'll know soon enough. I hope you have some time to spare because I'm about to take you on a treasure hunt

What follows is three days of me running around this town, getting to know it in a way I never would have on my own. Getting to know a man I thought I already knew, and a woman I never did. I find out during those days that they grew up in this town, met and fell in love here and were married here. They had their first apartment here, where I'm living in fact. He takes me on a tour of all of those places and lets me get to know them in a way that he never let me before. Grandma passed before I was born and it hurt Grandpa too much to talk about her. Now he finally shares her with me. Gives me all his memories of her. It boggles my mind the effort he put in to this. There are boxes hidden in some places with pictures and items inside. In others there are people who give me the boxes and share stories with me about them. I laugh and I cry and after the first day I make sure I carry a few of my Grandpa's old handkerchiefs with me just in case. On the last day, on the last day there is just a key and just two words, The Basement.

I walk downstairs and I find the landlady at the door to the basement.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to get here" Her smile has a hint of tears in it.

"You knew him?"

"Grew up with them both, when you're done downstairs come on up for some tea and we'll talk about them" with that she opens the door "What you want is on the table already" she walks away to her part of the house and I go downstairs.

On a table in the middle of the basement is a beautiful handcrafted wooden chest. I recognise Grandpa's work immediately, the carvings of the plants and flowers all along each side so detailed so perfect. I run my fingers alone them just remembering him teaching me. I shake myself out of it then take out the key and open the chest. Whatever is inside is covered and there is a letter on top. Grandpa still has one more thing he needs to say it seems.

Well Alex when we started this I told you it was a treasure hunt. Now I know you thought all those memories where the treasure and they were, but they weren't all of the treasure. I know your Momma, She won't have used your any of your college money for anything but your college. The house could burn to the ground she still wouldn't touch it. So if anything comes up before you get famous and get tons of money building houses, use this to take care of the family. Love you Grandpa.

Inside the chest there is, in fact, a treasure. Not millions, but after counting it I know we can pay off those medical bills, about $20,000 is in that chest. We won't be losing the house. Grandpa was right about Momma, if he had given her this money before she would have put it in with my college fund along with what Grandpa gave me and she never would have taken it back no matter that she needed it more. The woman is just too stubborn. I stand there and cry for the man who means so much to me, who knew us all so well and who I miss with all my heart. Then I wipe my tears, lock the chest, and go up to have tea with the landlady.