Windfall

Windfall

By Mason C. Matthes

There comes a time in a persons life where, they run into a surprise of sorts that can change their life drastically. Whether it’s a realization or a certain scenario, for the better or for worse, the circumstances are endless! That being said, I would like you all to meet Enrique.

Picture Enrique, going by Ricky for short, imagine the Richard jokes... Enrique is a single father of 3, a widower who lost his beloved due to an unexpected annurism, leaving Enrique with his beloved twins, kamelia and kacie, both going on 6 years old, and a young Joshua, 14. So picture Enrique some time later, trying to adjust, trying to comprehend.

It’s breakfast time at Enriques, such a quiet, groggy morning the family was having.

“Joshua eat up, please buddy, We cannot waste some of this food this has to last us until next Friday!” Said Enrique abruptly.

“I’m sorry dad I was just out of it for a minute, I know we can’t waste anything at the moment...I just miss her....” josh replied tiredly.

Enrique gasped while stopping mid freak out “Nononono DONT say tha...”

before finishing the gasp Kamy and Kacie were already whaling ,and cried at the same exact time, “we miss her too whaaaahaaahhhh”

Dad said “hey babies your mother wouldn’t be happy seeing you guys cry over her, but I can bet she misses y’all even more”

“You don’t know that you didn’t even know mom and grandma had a treasure map!” Exclaimed Kacie angrily and sad somehow all at the same time.

Enrique frowned and said

“Huh?”

Kacie, seemingly puzzled, looked up and said “it’s in her little black book ,she showed us!” “Here We’ll show you!”

Walking to his own bedroom led by a couple of kindergartners, Enrique was almost astonished he didn’t know what they were talking about until the showed him the little black book. He always thought it was a diary, so he didn’t bother. “Look it, see!” Said kamelia, cute as could be to her dad.

It was a map of the backyard!

Enrique laughed and said “This is our own home! Y’all want to go on a treasure hunt!?”

Everyone include if Joshua all screamed in excitement and everyone went outside. Enrique made it fun for the kids making them go search random places until the kids seemed to start to get a little bored of not finding whatever it was their mother was leading them to. Finally, Enrique exclaimed “Now ten more paces this way, and....this should be the spot, right under the bird feeder!” Moving the bird feeder, Joshua jumped back a little bit and said

“It’s a...ammo box?” He’d only seen them on war movies which he liked a lot, but had only known what it was by the top of the box that was just sitting almost level, if not a little bit more down than the ground was their.

Enrique, astonished by their findings pull it up and said to the kids “whatever is in here it’s for us all, not for one okay? This is from your mother.”

The twins, excitedly grabbed it and opened it, fighting over the trinkets like moms watches and a little toy Mickey Mouse,Joshua pulled out an envelope, and handed to his father saying “can we together?”

Tearing through it, calm and neat, took out a letter with a key stuck to the letter, saying “this is a letter for emergencies, or I am not here anymore, regardless, please take care of our babies” , (a big heart drawn above the key) followed by an “I love you, sincerely, Rosa.” As Enrique hugged the letter for a second, Joshua said “what is west haven bank and why does it say box 913 under it?”

As Enrique came together he mumbled “I guess we are about to find out.”

So all 4 pile in the mini van and finally come to a west haven bank, where Joshua and the girls are running up to the reception counter exclaiming “ Where is 913, we need to find 913!”

As Enrique galloped up to catch them, he told the teller “I’m sorry they are excited, can you show us 913? My wife left it to us.” Botfly the elderly man at the counter raised his eyebrow and shrugged, waving his hand to motion “okay let’s go” but without saying a word. He brought them to the room and pointed, and boom, their it was, 913. As the twins jumped up and down, Enrique looked to Joshua with a look that said “will you do the honors?”

Before Joshua could even react, he had the lock box open and couldn’t believe what he saw. A massive pile of cash, multiple important documents for social security and 401k plans and even some birth certificates ,and 2 gold rings. Enrique asked for a list of things from the teller that was listed “inside” of the lock box, and their, reading back to himself, was that stack of cheddar was actually 20,000 dollars, Rosas mother had put in the box for the children’s college funds. A tear of sadness and relief came down Enriques face, he didn’t even know how he was going to feed his family the following week and now all of a sudden this falls in his lap, he stood their, prayed to Jesus, gave a thanks to Rosa, and got the kids out of the bank in a hurry.

On the way home with everything they’d come in contact with, Enrique thought to himself “This is my chance to provide for my family forever if I use this money in the right way of an investment!” Since that day, Enrique hasn’t had to look back. Today Enrique owns a landscaping business that is now one of the top 5 in the country. He started it with one truck and pushed and kept pushing until him and his children didn’t have to worry about each paycheck. I push to be more like Enrique, to just keep pushing my leaps of faith until I succeeded in what I was trying to achieve. Whether I’m only 25 or 50 when I do succeed, more or less everyone comes a time in their life they have to face something, nothing lasts forever, but it’s up to you how you get through your own difficult trial and tribulations. Don’t let what you go theough define you!