The light from the black

Hello again my little black friend,

It has been a long time since I last wrote inside your pages. But nevertheless, I am doing well. Grandma however, isn’t. She has gotten worse since last week and I have spent all my time with her as much as I can. Dave said that I shouldn’t even try spending my time I have left with her. It would only cause more heartbreak in the end. That was the last time he spoke to me since he has now moved out and in with his new girlfriend. Figures that he was cheating on me it wasn’t like he really cared. Well, I must be going, I will write soon again.

I closed the notebook that my grandmother had given me three years ago. She was sick and it wasn’t getting better. I worried about her so much that I wasn’t bothered that my ex-boyfriend of five years left me because of his unusual need that I was home all the time and not try and spend time with Grandma. Grandma B, or Beveal is her actual name, was so much more to me than my grandmother. She raised me when my parents die when I was only a little girl, not that I remember them though. They were hardly around. I would remember fights with Grandma and my mom often that I learned to just ignore it all after a while. I grew accustomed that I would always be with Grandma and that she would live forever. Then again, I was five years old when I thought that. Now at almost twenty-eight and still have ring on my finger or a man to call my husband, I am losing the one family member that I love so much.

Sighing I got up from my writing chair grabbing my coat and car keys. It was time to go get groceries for the week and while I hated shopping for food, it was a necessity I had to do so I could just continue living. As I made my way to the store, I kept thinking about what I would do once Grandma had passed on. There was no way I could pay all of her expenses after her death, not even if I worked every single day between now and the day, she would leave this earth. Sighing once more I parked my car at the local grocery shop and went about my way.

Denise was working and as I come up to her lane to check out and tall gentleman that I have never seen before in my life was in front of me talking on his cell phone.

“Well, what should we put down then?” He pauses for the other person.

“Ten thousand is not enough Paul. Make it twenty.” He hangs up his call and pays for his items and walks out of the store. I put my items on the conveyor belt and walk up to Denise.

“I wonder what that was all about.” I half ask Denise who just smiles in return.

“Oh, don’t tell me you haven’t heard about the newest competition in our little town Maggie.”

“No, I can’t say I have. What kind of competition is it?” My curiosity had been raised a level or two.

“Well, I wouldn’t be able to give you all the details all I know is that final prize is a cash prize and the gentleman that was before you was the beneficiary of the whole thing. I don’t even know what his name is, but he is sure good looking.” The other ladies nodded their heads in agreement.

A cash prize, and if I heard correctly, he was making the cash prize twenty thousand dollars. I needed that money, even if it wouldn’t help Grandma B it would certainly help ease the financial burden that I would be placed on. I headed home quickly after paying for my groceries to look up any kind of information about the mystery competition and what it all entailed.

Finally, after what felt like several hours of looking, I found the information I was looking for. I sat back in the kitchen chair staring at my screen on my old and busted up laptop. I couldn’t believe what I saw.

Ladies of the beautiful small town of Mazon:

Are you tired of having nothing to do on the weekends?

Tired of having an empty during the night?

Want something to take your mind off of not having a husband or even a boyfriend?

Well look no further. Take a look at the world’s most eligible bachelor that happens to be in town.

Name: Manny Pierce

Business: Computer software program that he built in late teen’s

Worth: More than your hearts desire

Needs: A woman with excellent taste and virtue

Catch: You have to enter in a blind competition of writing a self-biography and publish to the link below.

Time Limit: Any all ladies who are single may enter but must have their biography’s submitted no later than the following Friday at 11:59 p.m.

Hurry the clock is running out!

I clicked on the link and it took me to the site where I had to write and upload the document of my self-proclaiming biography. What good would this do? I sat back and saw my little black notebook that Grandma had given to me. And then a thought had finally occurred to me, grabbing my black notebook I made my way to my printer and started scanning pages to my laptop.

I decided to use certain entries and edit them while still having a sense of privacy of my life before reading and rereading the biography. Once I felt satisfied, I hit submit and waited for the confirmation. I grabbed my black notebook for last time for the day before heading to bed.

Dear my little black friend,

Today was sort of a success with Grandma. I didn’t dare tell her about the competition, though it won’t be long before she finds out about it. Then if I win, oh boy, that will be a sight and a phone call to see. Anyways things at the house are quiet and I miss having grandma home. Things have not been easy, and it has been making my routine go off the rails. I miss having to take care of her, but she is where she needs to be to get better, which between you and me, it’s definitely not going to be anytime soon if you ask me. Well anyways, this is goodnight my friend. May I write to you soon.

The following morning, I awoke to my alarm as I turned it off and started to get ready for my job as a part time editor for the local newspaper. Mazon was a small southern town and not many people actually watched the news. Weather reports would come to the town by one of two ways, one; the town local legend, Billy could tell you if the rain was coming in from the north or the south or if a cold front was coming from the east or the west, and two; the mayor would get reports from the closest city and then confirm them with Billy. Everything else was gossip from local towns folk who have lived here their whole lives and it made my life easier knowing that my grandmother was on of those last few people who know damn near everything about this town.

Of course, I knew the front-page news for this week’s edition happened to be all about the $20,000 grand prize competition that was happening all this month. Today’s paper had all the entries from all the ladies who sent in their own versions of biographies. Including mine, grimacing I ignored what I saw and went about my way of my job making sure that all edits were done and finalized the paper and sent it to my boss the Senior Editor. I just hoped he wouldn’t say anything about my entry in the paper as I took my purse out of my desk and shut down my computer for the day. Technically I was allowed to leave for the day once all edits on my end were done so as I was packing my things to go home for the day, my phone rang. Answering it I nearly jumped out of my skin.

“Hello, is this Margaretta Mae Ollie? I would love to be the one to tell you that out of all the entries that Mr. Pierce has chosen yours without looking at all the others. So, congratulations you won the $20,000 Grand Prize. We will officially announce this next of course and we all hope that you keep this information to yourself as Mr. Pierce likes to keep his personal life very private.”

“Uh, thank you. I will keep that to myself and respect Mr. Pierce’s powerful image.” I hung up the phone and quickly grabbed my things and hurried home without much of goodbye to anyone at the printing house.

As I got home, I grabbed my black notebook and wrote something I never thought I would.

My friend, things are about to change and it’s a good change. As in $20,000 richer that I have won just because of you my friend. You helped me and I cannot believe I won this, my life has been hard with grandma in the hospital and with her not getting better, I felt there was no end in site but now life will get better, and I will finally see that light at the end of the tunnel that I haven’t been able to see in the last year. Thank you, even if you are a small leather-bound black journal you are more to me than I ever thought. You hold my thoughts, my feelings, and my dreams within your pages and you protect them with everything. I never thought I would ever see the end, but I do now. Now all we do is wait for the check.

I closed my journal and laid it on my kitchen table and prayed that I was semi dreaming and that I actually didn’t just win the grand prize but slightly hoped that it wasn’t a dream at the same time. Life was going to get better slowly all I had to do was think positive. And write in my black notebook.

TWO WEEKS LATER

It has been two weeks since I received the grand prize money from Manny. Turns out he actually wanted to get to know more about my life and understand what I was going through. Grandma B passed away the day after the announcement and I was unprepared for it. Crying I somehow managed to get through with meeting Manny but ended up running as my memories of Grandma flooded my mind. Doctor’s called to finally give me their final diagnosis on her death saying it was her heart that finally was ready to go. Today though was her funeral all paid in full thanks to Manny. He surprisingly is very persistent when he wants something, and I couldn’t ask for anything better than him. Still, I wasn’t ready to fully commit and he was ok with that. And as for the $20,000 grand prize, well it went to savings for me to use on a rainy day. Sure, it’s not exciting but it works for me and I rather keep it than spend it and my black notebook stays by side never leaving as I write in it everyday just as a reminder for what I won with it.