A Piece for Peace

The gift that keeps on giving is one when received, it is given away at some point. Anything held on for too long can deteriorate one’s spirit and soul. For Francesca, who straddles along through her neighborhood while carrying bags of groceries on a dusky Friday afternoon, she is not only beat from work but by several tragedies as well.

Recently about a month ago she had lost her best friend due to an accident. And just last year she had lost both of her parents, and two years back her older brother.

In the notion of love, it is wise to know when to let go at the right time. Doing so saves the good memories and experiences from any kind of loss. Francesca knows love, as well as loss yet what she doesn’t know is that on this afternoon, it was going to change her life.

Bushed from cleaning several offices back to back, it was always known that Friday’s were always the busiest day. Yet for Francesca, she carries on her job in honor and vigor work ethic. Without any complaints, her mother and father had taught her to do the best that she can and do it quietly, because actions speak louder than words.

Along the way, Francesca halts in her stride and slowly lays the bags on the ground. In order to regain strength she takes a long pause standing in the middle of the block.

“Only three blocks away,” said Francesca.

As she stands there while scanning her surroundings, by the curbside just under the streetlight’s shine over was a cardboard box. Approaching closer, on the side it had written “Do Not Open” in black marker.

Never to take a huge risk or to break any rule, Francesca decides to dare herself and take the opportunity to see what’s inside.

“Why not?” Francesca whispers to herself as she gets ready to slide the lids open.

Inside were a bunch of rolled up cash in rubber bands. In her excitement, she immediately picks up a roll and inspects it. These were archaic one hundred dollar bill and as Francesca checks the date on one, it stated: 1947.

To her amazement, she realizes now that she is instantly rich. And not because she just found this lump sum of cash in this box but rather they are worth more than its original value due to the year it was printed.

Laying down the cash, she sees this black book with a folded note on top and picks it up. In opening the note, it reads:

Whomever shall find this, read this book from front to back. You will know what to do with the $$$.

“Interesting,” said Francesca who cautiously looks to see if anyone was around and if this was a set up. Alas not a soul or car in sight, all clear for her to take her prize and go.

She stuffs the groceries bags into box, making it easier to carry everything all at once and jolts on home as fast as anyone can say hallelujah.

Upon reaching her apartment complex and entering in, she lays the box down and locks the door behind her just to be safe and secure. Many thoughts are scrambling through her head as she readily stores all of her groceries away in the kitchen.

Attending to the box now, she asks, “Why would someone do this?”

Reaching in to pick up the black book, she gently rubs her hand on top of the furry skinned cover. Then opening to the first page, there are handwritten sentences and it reads:

This book is a gift, as like life.

In life, we always arrive to lose the ones we love but never forever.

This book connects us to long lost love but if you had no love, the money is yours to keep.

Be truthful and full of truth you shall see.

Puzzled yet intrigued, she continues to read on to the next page:

To pick the past or future.

Funds = to buy the things that will bring you joy but temporarily.

Book = to reconnect to those who are gone and forever.

The toughest choice necessitates the honorable decision.

Now is your choice.

Francesca now pears up ahead of the living room onto a shelf where several photos frame stood up. There were the photos of her parents, her brother and her best friend. She continues on to the next page:

On to a blank page, write something to anyone who is long gone.

If there are no pages left to write, then the money is yours to keep.

If you got what you were asking for, retreat this gift just how you found it for others to experience.

Long lost is never lost long, love is forever.

On the next page, someone had written in illegible cursive script and on the next page over, the response was typed out in courier font. Francesca get comfy on the sofa and reads all of the writings. In some moments she begins to tear.

She sits through the whole book reading page by page. More tears come pouring out of her as she reads on and at times she giggles at some sentences. Somehow this was more of a joy to her than finding the money itself. One of the best reads she had ever come by too.

“These are wonderful words and such lovely responses. This cannot be real.” Francesca declared in disbelief. Just as she turns to the next page, they're all blank and now it was her turn to try.

In her haste she goes to find a pen. Rummaging through her things, she finds some but as she strikes them on a piece of scrap paper, all were empty. Now that she reminds herself, she was suppose to buy some pens earlier this week.

“Dammit, just my luck!” shouts Francesca as she covers her face with her hands in shame. “I guess tomorrow it is. But I cannot go to sleep with this on my mind.”

Minutes to midnight, it is impossible to go purchase some from any store, let alone asking the neighbors at this time of the night. Looking on back to her photos, there was something sticking out behind. She reaches to grab it and to her surprise, it was a pen and went along to test it out on the scrap paper.

“Yes!” Francesca gushes in joy. She runs over to the book and as she gets ready to write, she looks back at the photos. Who is she going to write to?

She did determine to write to her brother, since he was gone the longest but she was in need to communicate to all of them. Therefore she decides instead to muster and write to all them at once. She began to write her words as tiny as she can just so she can fill the whole page in order to reach each member.

After spending an hour writing all that she could, she finishes up and says, “Now what? Let’s wait till the morning to see if this magically works. If not I am keeping the cash. It's a win-win regardless.”

Distraught and tired, Francesca yawns and lies down, she dozes away asleep on the sofa.

Waking up the next morning, she hurries to check the book before anything else. But there was a problem: the black book was missing.

“I left here on the sofa. Where did it go?” she said.

She searches frantically everywhere for it, checking under the sofa, on the book shelves, on the table and even to the other rooms. Nothing.

She freaks out on the possibly someone came in and took it. But it was impossible because the door was locked and while living on the fifth floor, there was no way for someone to come through the window from the fire escape without making a noise that could have woken her up.

Francesca, stumped and baffled, lands on the sofa in gaze of the ceiling. She then glances over at the photos and there was it was, the black book placed in between the frames.

“How did that get there?” Francesca said.

She grabs the book and in suspense with her eyes closed, she cautiously opens to the page.

In opening her eyes and to her surprise, the words typed out on the whole page from top to bottom without leaving any space and unlike any other page in the book. She reads them with tears of joy and on occasion laughs. Feeling connected and alive, she rereads it another time absorbing all that was written back to her.

Francesca got the closure she needed and all that unblocked feeling dissipated away. It puts her at ease knowing that they are all watching her with love from above.

By placing the book back into the box, she rereads the initial note again and notices that the words front and back were underlined, denoting there was more to this.

Bringing out the book yet again and referring to the last page, it was written there:

This gift is for all.

Add on whatever fund you can and give it away.

For the funds are for those who had never loved or been in love.

Pass it on, and go love.

She now knows what she has to do and as she head on over to her purse, she pulls out a one dollar bill. She attaches it to one of the rolls of cash and says, “For this one dollar I gained more than I lost. And I do not need this money, it belongs to those who were never loved or in love.”

She packed everything the way she found it and also adds in the pen for good luck and just in case the next person runs into the same kind of trouble.

As she heads out of the building and walks some streets ahead, she places the box on a curbside with words written "" Francesca walks away, without looking back, in peace and in high hopes. The black book had freed her inside and out. As for the money, free for anyone now to take.