Z U R I

The Whitfields were known for one thing and one thing only, their massive vineyards in Columbia Valley. From sparkling wine to a nice merlot, “W” wines was a household name. It was the standard when it came to wine selections and pairings. Zuri Whitfield could not find her family’s legacy any more daunting. As an heir to the family business she detested the idea of one day becoming the head chair, directing board meetings and securing ad placements to keep the brand alive. Sure, she enjoyed a glass of wine as much as the next person. She just wasn’t so in love with the liqueur that she wanted to dedicate the latter part of her life to it. At 28 years old, she had other dreams. To which her family weren’t privy to. If she shared with her very “traditional” parents that she wanted to study the art of interior design they’d laugh. No need to present the idea, she knew of her father’s response already.

If it were left up to her family she’d be the one to head the company once her father stepped down. This was the one time Zuri wished her parents procreated before her, being the oldest of the two children her parents decided on having had its trials. Massaging her temples, she felt a migraine approaching. It was 1 o’clock in the afternoon & they had just wrapped up the first meeting of the new year. It was important to her dad to start their Q1 strong, all Zuri wanted was a strong drink. She reached for her bag to grab her cell phone, if no one else wanted to go grab a drink with her she knew her best friend would be up for it. Imani & Zuri had been the best of friends since pre-K. The fact that they both had an undying passion for the creative field brought them even closer together. Imani, unlike Zuri, held the unequivocal support of her family to which she passed on to her dearest friend in any way she could.

Not long after confirming their midday drinks, Zuri packed up and left the vineyard office for the day. She made it downtown in record timing, grabbing the first park she saw that wouldn’t result in her being greeted by a tow truck later that day. The bar was only a block away and Imani would be riding back home with Zuri afterwards so she struck out on foot to meet up with her friend and grab that much needed drink. She was too busy admiring her sightings on the way to grab the much needed spirits to notice the little black book that was hurling in her direction. The book landed with a loud SMACK in the middle of her back. Causing her to lurch forward ever so slightly. Embarrassed by seemingly tripping on thin air, Zuri looked around to make sure no one saw what she was now classifying as one of her lowest moments. Regaining her balance she whipped around to see who or what rather, had caused her to stumble. Looking left and then right, she saw nothing. An immediate scowl came across her face, I don’t have time for this she thought. Stomping off in the bar’s direction, Zuri tripped over the black book almost letting what her niece would classify as a “bad word” slip out. Finally looking down, she saw the inanimate object that had been the source of her recent friction. What the-- Bending down to grab the little black book she again looked around to see where it came from. Not seeing anything that seemed to be the point of origin, Zuri began to examine the book itself. She flipped through it’s pages and it was all blank. All but the first page of the book. A list. “To do,” it said. A miniscule list. She scanned the list wondering what stopping by the newest bar in town had to do with the sunflower field over at Stocker Farms but she’d figure that out as soon as she sat down in front of Imani. She tucked the book in her bag & made her way to the bar, Imani would not believe how she came into possession of the book.

After recalling the story about the book and hearing all of Imani’s reasoning behind wanting Zuri to just toss the book into the nearest dumpster, Zuri decided to follow the list. What’s the harm in it? If anything it would be a lively ending to her otherwise dull afternoon. Leaving the bar full of liquid courage, Imani and Zuri headed towards her car. “So we’re really doing this?” Imani asked. Still unsure of the whole situation. “I mean, what else are we doing today?” Zuri asked with a mischievous grin on her face. With that she looked over the list again.

To Do:

1. Head to BitBar, Look under the bottom corner of the Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory Pinball game. Grab the key.

Easy! The BitBar was a really cool hangout spot that housed classic arcade games and a full bar. Zuri and her friends went there often and she loved the Willy Wonka Pinball game almost as much as she loved the movie. They made it there in record timing and headed inside. Work, Work, Work, Work, Work, Work… the music wafted through the rafters as they stalked towards the pinball game. A huddle of kids stood over the machine. Ever the wild card Imani screamed out “They’re giving away free tokens for the games!” the middle schoolers took off towards the counter in pursuit of the goose egg. “I thought you were very much so against this endeavor?” Zuri taunted. Rolling her eyes and in complete denial, Imani retorted “I just want to speed this along.” Reaching under the game Zuri grabbed the key and they booked it out of the bar before someone saw them and got inquisitive. Back to the list.

To Do:

2. Now that you have the key. Head to the Chick-Fil-A off of Wilshire. On the receipt, there’s a giveaway. Find the address on the back.

Zuri felt like she deserved a milkshake. Sure she’d just had a drink but she was craving something sweet and what she didn’t finish she knew Imani would take down the rest. They hopped back in Zuri’s Kia Stinger GT & took off towards Chick-Fil-A. Getting more excited about completing this list. Of course, the line for pickup was wrapped. If it were any other restaurant they would’ve cringed at the wait time but Chick-Fil-A is known for its impeccable service and quick drive thru times. This would be a breeze. She was next up & never been more anxious to order a milkshake in her life. “Thanks for choosing Chick-Fil-A! What can I get started for you today?” the cheery voice exuded through the speaker. “Yes, I’ll take a large vanilla milkshake. That’ll be all.” Zuri said. Looking around as if someone were to jump out at any second now. “Pull forward!” the cheery voice cascaded over their ears. Zuri pulled forward and parked in the first empty spot she saw. Pulling out the receipt she sipped on the milkshake then handed the frothy goodness to Imani. “13508 Westminster Drive. That’s the address.” Zuri turned toward her best friend who was getting lost in the vanilla thickness. “Well! Let’s look it up!” Imani pulled out her phone and opened her GPS . “It’s only 3 miles from here!” Zuri looked over at the map & then looked back to the list.

To Do:

3. Now that you have the address, I’m sure you’ve plotted your route to get there. Yes? Good. Aisle 4. Blue & yellow floral box. The flower on the box. That’s what you’re looking for.

Back in the car, Zuri turned on one of her faves. She needed a little theme music to go along with this newfound adventure. She glanced over at her best friend & she was going bar for bar. Zuri chuckled to herself knowingly. Imani may be the voice of reason in their 10 year friendship but she was also always down for the ride. You’ve arrived. Cool as always, her GPS let them know that they’d made it to their next stop. They both looked at each other & back at the building. Sephora?! Whoever drafted this list had a flair about them that she was beginning to hold near and dear to her heart. No strangers to the lush, beauty store the girls sauntered through the double doors. Aisle 4, Aisle 4. Repeating it to herself she made a sharp right onto the aisle with Imani in tow. That’s it. Her breath caught as she spotted the box. Top shelf. Blue and yellow floral box. Just as her eyes were locking in on it, Imani was pulling it down from the shelf. “Sunflowers?” Imani asked, a little bit confused. Zuri went straight to the list in her pocket. Knowing that it would connect the dots for them.

To Do:

4. If you’re staring in utter confusion as to the connection of a key from an arcade and a photo of a few sunflowers, I can tell you however, I’d rather show you. It’s the last stop on our list. Stocker Farms. When you pull into the gate make an immediate left. The last sunflower patch on your right.

This is it. She thought as she stood in front of the entrance sign to Stocker Farms. The farm had a host of things for visitors to do. Including one of the farm’s most popular attractions, the sunflower fields. Not one to be distracted by the minor things, Imani grabbed Zuri by the hand and marched on. “Focus!” she said as they made their way through the herd of people by the front entryway. Immediate left. Last patch on the right. Luckily, the patches were numbered. Slowly approaching the last sunflower patch, she could have sworn she saw a golden glow wafting over the tall, sun goddesses. She suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned to Imani. “What if… what if we get murdered?! What if this whole thing was just a sick and twisted way to lure their prey right in the trap?” Zuri asked, eyes bulged, sweat newly forming on her temple. “Now is NOT the time to play the ‘What If’ game.” Imani stood in front of her dearest friend. “We’re going to enter this patch and find out what this key is for. So, get it together!” Nodding her head, Zuri took one last look at the list.

To Do:

5. Now that you’re here. Welcome. Take two steps to the left. One step forward. Two steps to the right. There, you should see a mountain of fertilizer. Use the tools given to you when you arrived at the fields and dig until you find it. You’ll know ‘It’ when you see it.

Looking at each other they dropped the buckets meant for the sunflowers and got to work. Digging as fast and as stealthy as possible. The first sign of resistance against her shovel Zuri stopped and threw it to the side. She dug a metal tool box out of the loose soil. Shakingly, she went for the key in her pocket and unlocked the box. Imani had to work extremely hard to contain the scream wanting to escape her lips. Cash. Wads and Wads of cash. 20,000 to be exact. Under the money was a note. We hope you enjoyed this mini scavenger hunt and we hope this money aids you in your ascension and growth. Love, Mom & Dad.

In her shock and awe Zuri just sat in the dirt. Breaking the silence Imani asked, “Wait, so why’d they throw the little book at you instead of just handing it to you?” Zuri just looked up with a smirk on her face. Her parents were not the simple type.

xxx