Hidden Secret

A dim light clicks on the attic. Joe slowly looks around at his father's stuff. He pauses as he gathers the courage to clean out the area. He took a deep breath and started grabbing things. A few friends came to help with the clean out. A bright eyed woman looked up and passed the line of bodies running up and down the stairs. She catches a glimmer of Joe's frame and proceeds to pass the herd.

She rubs his back and puts her head on his shoulder. He laid his head against her as she embraced him. He rummaged in his pocket to check his cell phone for the time. It was closing on to 7 pm and there were a few boxes left.

“I got it from here guys. Thanks for all the help. It means a lot. I’ll handle the rest by myself.”

Joe walks over to a far corner to lift a box to move towards the staircase. He discovers a mysterious brown box underneath everything. It had his dad's handwriting on it. He put the box he was holding to the side.

“I swear he plays too much.”

He chuckles while reading the label. This box belongs to my third grandchild. Joe didn’t even plan to have children let alone three. He put the box and left the attic.

The woman was sitting on the couch sifting through the items putting them on two separate piles. She comes across a photo album and cracks it open.

"Hey didn't know you guys had one of these. Why was it put away?"

The woman, named Angelina, flipped through the pages as Joe took a seat next to her. Her fingers ran along the pages as Joe recounted all the memories.

"Here is the photo of my parents' wedding. A few years later they had me. We used to have this board. My folks would pick a state and go. After mom died, my dad thought it would be wrong to not continue. We made it to 40 before he got sick."

"What about the other ten?"

"Funny story. I promised him I'll finish it either on 2 conditions: I have a child or he gets better."

Joe teared up a bit. Being an only child all he had was his dad. Angelina can see the tearing of his eyes. Not sure what to do, she flipped through the pages of the album. She lands on their wedding photo.

"Remember our big day? He was so happy for us. He proudly said I have a daughter."

Joe started laughing. His father refused to remarry. He spent his final years revolving his life around Joe and his accomplishments.

They finished up and headed to bed. A few years had passed and Joe had all but forgotten about the box. While storing some of their own items in the attic he would come across it once more.

Thinking to himself, he moved to break the seal on the box, he hesitated. He paces back and forth contemplating that it can't be helped. He wanted to know what's inside but also wanted to respect his father's wishes. He rationalizes that he has to know and go for the tape to rip it off. As his hand grips the tape he hears his wife calls for him.

" Baby come quick."

Rushing down the stairs, Joe trips and falls. Angelina quickly moves to help him up and checks for wounds. Once she verifies he's ok, a grin comes over her face.

"Well I guess you are going to see the last 10 states."

Joe's expression changed. A sea of emotion washed over him. He was happy, nervous but also scared. After losing his father, dreaded the day where he may have to pass on leaving everyone he ever loved behind. Comforting at the bottom of those stairs.

Years flew by as Joe and Angelina's family grew. From birthdays to traveling, they documented every moment. Friends and family would come over to hear about their travels and what laid on the horizon.

On a brisk September morning, their youngest, Stanley, was up early packing his things. He was heading off to college in a few days. He trotted up to the attic to place some of his keepsakes out of the way. He spotted the old box his grandfather had written on. He grabbed it out of curiosity and brought it into the kitchen where his parents were having breakfast.

"Hey dad, what's in the box?"

Looking up from his paper, he smirked. He shrugged his shoulders and grinned. Angelina looked back over from the kitchen counter where she was standing with her mug.

"It's addressed to you."

Now Stanley was really curious. Knowing his grandfather died well before his older sister was born he wondered why it would be addressed to him. He opened it up to find a note.

"Hopefully if you are reading this, then my dream came true and your father kept his promise. I love you guys. From Poppa Stanley."