A Souls Treasure

Exhausted from planning, hosting, and throwing the biggest birthday bash for my best friend Kelly, I could not wait to take off my shoes, sit back, vegetate, and hit a fatty. Turning 40 was a big deal for Kelly, and she planned on getting polluted. Every time I turned around, she had another drink in her hand, and she was blasted out of her mind from drinking. She must have swallowed every shot she could name. I knew she would go down fast, it was 2:00 a.m. and I was ready to get the heck out of there. Kelly’s boyfriend carried her out of the Plaza over his shoulders and both of them fell into a cab.

I waited for everyone to catch a ride home before jumping into my own cab. The bunion on my left foot was aching so much I had to take my shoes off and I did not care that my feet were getting dirty from walking on the street barefoot. I finally hailed a cab and jumped into the back seat. All I wanted to do is close my eyes, but the cabbie continued to harp on about his day. The sound of his voice slowly faded as I stared out the window. As my eyes started to close I heard my phone ring pulling me out of my slight daze and as I went to answer it, the phone dropped from my hands onto the floor of the cab. As I bent down to pick it up I found a black notebook. It was well-used, faded leather, with tons of paper stuffed deep inside. It looked like it had been there for a few rides because of the footprints on top of it. It was black and the flooring was black, so I guess no one saw it. As I wiped it off, I curiously opened it to see if there was a name or address attached to it.

To my surprise, I found a bunch of love letters to a person name Veronica Jenkins. I couldn’t help myself but open and read the letter. It was written with such heartfelt love and tenderness. You knew this person truly loved this individual, it was so beautiful, that I couldn’t put it down. I quickly asked the driver if he knew anyone named Veronica and with a quick “no”, I knew it wasn’t his.

As we pulled up to my stop, I decided to take the notebook with me so that I could finish the letter. And if I couldn’t find an address within the notebook, I would call the cab company the next day and tell them I accidentally picked it up during my ride. Really, I’m not that sly, just intrigued. I reached the 10th floor and walked towards my apartment. As I got inside, I quickly changed my clothes, washed my face, pulled my hair up, and grabbed a glass of water as I headed to bed. Lighting a fatty, I took a toke, inhaled, and released, awe, relaxation. Setting the glass on the nightstand, I quickly went to wash my feet from the dirty street and then jumped into bed and opened the notebook to finish the letter. This person’s heart was so filled with love for Veronica, it had me in tears. We all want this kind of love, a love that is pure and unconditional. Exhausted by the day’s events, I slowly close my eyes and fall asleep. As I woke, I recall a beautiful dream I had about Veronica believing it was me in the dream, that someone was so madly in love with me and loving every minute of it. Why didn’t I have this kind of love? It is Saturday, nowhere to be except with the letters in the notebook. As I got up to make my morning coffee, I begin to receive text messages from last night’s group making sure that I made it home and asking questions about last night’s events. I chatted back as my coffee brewed and then grab a mug. There is nothing better than a hot cup of coffee to start the day. I open the drapes to add the light of the day to my view, glorious, I love the mornings.

I reach for the notebook, and a blanket, and find a comfy spot on the chaise. As I flip through the notebook, I find a return address on each of the letters. All these letters had been returned, address unknown to a Thomas Jenkins. Was this the owner of the notebook? Did Thomas Jenkins still live at this address? I searched for a phone number but did not find anything. I live in New York and the letters were sent from San Antonio, Texas to an address here in New York City. Was Thomas Jenkins here to find Veronica? Did he find her? Did they finally meet up? I think it was time to investigate the mystery behind the letters. I grabbed my laptop and quickly search for the address listed on the envelope. I found two Thomas Jenkins in San Antonio, Texas. One was aged 55 and the other was 83. Could they be related? Father and Son? Baffled, I knew this would take further investigation. As I open the notebook again, I find a black and white photo of a beautiful woman, with long brown hair. She looked young in this photo, her hair was long and looked like it was from the '80s. I searched her name online, photos came up, but the age of the photo and the images online were so different. I searched for her name in New York City but found nothing.

I called the cab company and told them that I accidentally picked up the notebook from the cab during my ride last night and wanted to find out if anyone called about it. To my surprise, no one called. I then decided to write both Thomas Jenkins about the notebook and see if anyone would respond. I included my addresses, email, and phone number and mailed the letters the very same day. It would take three days for the letters to reach Texas, and who knows if they check their mail every day.

I cannot believe that I spent the entire day fascinated by this story. The more I read the letter the more I fell in love with Thomas Jenkins. A quiet, mysterious soul whose love for another was so deep. Veronica must have been such a fascinating human being. I hope I get a response to my letters.

After spending most of the day involved with this mystery. I decided it was time for a shower and dinner with my friend. I quickly got ready and headed out the door to meet my bestie, Kelly. We met at Luigi’s at 7:00 p.m. and I could not wait to share the story of Veronica. Kelly thought I was crazy to get involved and said that I should take the book back to the cab company, that whoever lost it would recall their steps and remember where they last saw it. I did not give much thought to what she said. We had a few more drinks and we ended our dinner early, both exhausted from the night before.

The rest of the weekend was a blur, and I was back at work getting ready for a marketing meeting. The day passed quickly and then the next. It was now Thursday evening and I found myself at home with a glass of wine when the phone rang. I did not recognize the number and hesitated to answer, but after seeing that it was a 210-area code, I picked it up and said, “Hello!” The man on the other end asked if I was the woman that sent him the letter? He sounded like an older man around 50-60 years in age. I said, yes and the man on the other end said “I’m Thomas Jenkins and the notebook you found belongs to me, I lost it in New York City, about 8 days ago. Where did you find it?” I shared the story of the find, I heard a sigh of relief on the other end of the phone. Happy at the finding he asked if I could mail it back to him because it carried a lot of sentimental value and that he was heartbroken over the loss.

I mentioned that I went through the notebook looking for an address when I stubble across the returned letters. I informed him that I read one of the letters and stated how beautiful his feelings were for Veronica. The phone went silent on the other end, making me nervous. He hesitated and then said that Veronica was his wife, she went missing while on a business trip in New York 10 years ago. She always stayed at the same place during her visits, hence the address on the letters. He mentioned that he returns yearly on the date of her disappearance and spends a week hoping to see her somewhere on the streets. I had to hold back the tears; the story was so sad. He told me he would send me the money I spent to return the notebook. I told him not to bother that it would be my pleasure to return it. He thanked me several times and we hung up. I made a copy of the photo because I wanted to see if I would recognize her while I was out and about in the city. The next day I sent the notebook back and I did not give it another thought.

It was a month since returning the notebook and I was heading home from work. I went to check the mail and to my surprise, I found a letter from Thomas Jenkins. Surprised and excited, I quickly opened the letter right there in the hallway. Enclosed was a beautiful letter of thanks and a check for $20,000. Shocked, I felt my knees get weak as I tried to stand and read the rest of the message. The letter stated please do not return this check it is my reward to you for finding and returning the notebook. It was all I had left of my beautiful wife and the money had been saved as a reward for anyone that had information on her whereabouts. And that he could not think of anyone more deserving of the money. He did ask if we could meet during his next visit. I was dumbfounded and excited all at the same time. I couldn't get to my apartment fast enough. I wanted to call him immediately and thank him for the reward and reply yes to his invite and that I would love to meet him.

Since that letter, we both meet here in New York on the day of his wife's disappearance and have become dear friends ever since. He is like a father to me and I have never been so happy to enjoy and treasure such an experience. I will never take his pain away, but I do know that each time we meet I bring a smile to his soul and that is the biggest gift I can give anyone.