Jule's Snowy Day

In twenty years, the snow had never fallen quite this way. It seemed to tell the story of the previous months events. Filled with a falling that was intentional, swift and all encompassing, it covered everything. Meteorologists everywhere were theorizing on everything from global warming to humanities karma. With schools and offices closed and no ability to go anywhere, Jules decided to take a walk.

The brisk air on her cold face felt like an ice bath and yet optimistic. With the exception of a few SUV’s there weren’t any cars or people on the street. Jules looked back and marveled at the single set of footprints she created in the snow and contemplated whether she should turn at the stop sign and keep going or head back. Not ready to go home, Jules decided to go to the corner store and get some snacks.

The clerk looked up from his phone call and nodded as she walked in. After grabbing some chips and chocolate bars, she paid and left the store. As she left the store, she noticed an indent in the relatively undisturbed snow. Steadying her bag to grab it, at a glance it looked like a wallet. A small, black leather wallet. She grabbed it and threw it in her bag and headed home.

“How dem’ streets looking?” Jules grandma yelled as she came barreling through the door, bringing a gust of cold air. “Empty, nobody out in any direction” Jules replied. As Jules headed to her room she snuggled up and kissed her grandma who scoffed at how cold her cheeks and hands were. Giggling all the way to her room Jules plopped on the bed and tried to warm up while fiddling with the remote, looking for a show to watch. Checking her phone which remained dry and devoid of notifications, Jules pursed her lips and sighed and thought of Asthon and Zaria.

Moving in the middle of the school year, made it hard to make new friends. While no one was intentionally cruel, Jules just didn’t click with anyone. Moving back to NY with nana had meant losing contact Zaria was sort of high strung and always wanted to do things a certain way. The friend combo made for a sweet and savory energy and lots of laughs. Jules could tell Ashton anything and he would make her laugh. Zaria always had a plan and could bring logic to any situation. Life in Richmond was great, until it wasn’t. Everything happened so quickly. Everything changed. Everyone seemed to go away when Jule’s needed them most.

Addiction had swooped down like a thief in the night and stole Jules’s sweet mother Ingid. Jule’s dad wasn’t able to cope and was determined to be unfit to care for Jules. Before all of that, life had been as close to normal as possible. Ashton and Zaria’s parents started treating Jules like she had the plague. Jules saw Ashton and Zaria, less and less before she left.

“Oh crap!” After wandering down memory lane, Jules remembered the little black book she picked up in the snow. Pulling it out of the bag, Jules wiped the melted snow off, pulled the band and opened it. It wasn’t a wallet at all, but a little black book, a journal. The first few pages were blank. A few pages in, emerged black ink on the cream pages with words. Written with great effort, it was neat and clear as day.

“ If I didn’t have this space to come, I’m not sure where I’d go. It’s the only safe place I know. Whoever gets this must know, if you’re reading this, I’m dead. That’s ok. It could only end that way. Please don’t be sad or try to look for me. Until I came to NY, I led a simple life. This was never a place for me. Unfortunately, I answered the call of the bright lights and fast life and paid with my life. I have no family, no kids, no one is looking for me. I kept one thing from everyone and if you’re reading this, I want you to have it.”

Baffled, Jules closed the book. “ this can’t be, Jules whispered to herself. A dead person's book??? Secrets????

Jules was freaking out. Should she tell her grandmother? Turn it in to the store? The police? After pacing back and forth and mumbling to herself Jules sat down and returned to reading.

“ Welcome back” it began, “ I know I dropped a lot on you, but please don’t be frightened, don't stop reading and whatever you do, don’t go to the police. It will not do any good.

When you are ready, please go to the following address 52 West Main Street in White Plains. The second brick from the bottom is loose.” Jules closed the book and just stared at the TV.

Jules was terrified, but also intrigued. Knowing full well that Nana wouldn’t let her out of sight in the snow storm, Jules put the book away, and settled to binge watch Shameless on Netflix. Somehow Frank always made her feel so much better about her mother’s journey with addiction.

Saturday morning Jules woke up early and got her chores done. Peeking out the window Jules could see that most of the snow was melting and traffic was picking up. “I see you’re up and at em early” Nana observed as she emerged from her room. “ ‘I’m headed out to the museum and then the library, I’ve got that project due.” Jules reminded Nana. That’s right! Well you be careful out there, and check in throughout the day.” After promising to be safe and saying her goodbyes, Jules set out for Grand Central station. Observing the traffic, Jules figured it would be faster to catch the number 6 train. No matter what the weather was doing, the subway was the heart of the city. The trains were the arteries that kept everything afloat. The stairs were well salted and people seemingly moved about in unison to their separate destinations.

There were no seats available, so Jules stood and stared at the blurred scenery as the train whipped through the tunnel. “Grand Central Station terminal! “ the conductor announced. Jules hurriedly got off and moved like she knew exactly where she was going. Standing by the clock in the middle of the terminal, Jules was unsure what to do. Staring at the board she saw that there was a train to North White Plains on track 31. Jules went to the ticket counter and paid for a round trip ticket and made her way to the track. Jules' brain was running a one hundred miles an hour. “ What if this was some sort of set up? What was so important to find? Who was the mysterious person that left it? So many questions! Jules must’ve been daydreaming a little too hard because the next thing she knew, a conductor was asking her if she needed help. Embarrassed, Jules confirmed if it was the correct train and how long it would take to get to White Plains. The conductor told her about 30 minutes, Jules thanked him and boarded the train.

With the house to herself for a while, nana Hazel began to play music and look through old photo albums. Looking at pictures of Ingrid as a child always made her smile. Ingrid was so happy and always smiling in pictures. Shaking her head at a picture of Ingrid on the first day of Junior Highschool, a tear rolled down her eyes. School was always hard for Ingrid and it got really bad around the 8th grade. One day Ingrid got jumped and sexually assaulted by a group of boys. She came home bloody and bruised pretty bad. Hazel took her to the emergency room, the boys all got sent to juvie, but Ingid closed up like a clam afterwards. Doctors, therapists, mentors, programs, it seemed nothing could bring back that happy cheerful child. The wedge between Ingrid and her only daughter grew.

When Ingrid became 18, she unceremoniously packed a single bag and left. A few yrs later she showed up with some guy she said she married in vegas, pregnant. Except for a few brief phone calls over the years, the very next time Hazel saw her daughter was to identify the body.

Protective services threatened to put Jules in Foster care when Hazel stepped in. Hazel saw this as a chance to get some piece of Ingrid's sweet spirit back. So far, she was right. Jules was vibrant, beautiful and sweet. Even with all the transition, Jules was making good grades and was a big help around the house.

“ White Plains!!! Station Stop WHITE PLAINS” The announcement blared. Jules exited the train and looked around. “Sweet!” Jules said as she looked around. Jules hopped in a cab and headed to her destination. Jules' heart was beating out of her chest. The “ what if’s came back. As they pulled up to the address Jules relaxed. It was a quiet dead end street. No one was outside. “ Stay right here” Jules instructed the driver. Jules hopped out and looked around and went straight to the lion. The snow had melted some, and she was able to see a brick slightly different than the others. She pushed it and it fell. Jules reached in and felt what seemed to be a small bag. She pulled it out. She threw the bag in her bag and got back in the cab.

Jules headed back home. She had been texting nana all day like she was studying for a big test. Jules felt bad lying, but she also knew how overprotective nana was. The ride home seemed so much longer and Jules couldn’t stop thinking about what was in the bag. Finally, Jules could smell nana’s cooking calling her in the hallway. “ That smells like my new favorite chili nana, is it my birthday already?” Jules joked as she came through the door. “It might not be your birthday, but I’m gonna bless you anyway” Nana teased. Jules washed up for dinner and headed back to the dining room to eat. The entire time Jules was making small talk, she was thinking about that bag.

Jules finished her food and headed back to her room. Pulling the bag out of her book bag, she noticed that it wasn’t very heavy. Inside the bag was cash, with a note. “This money is all money I earned legally, and was able to hide from all the greedy people in my life, now it’s yours. Live life boldly and in color always.” Shook, Jules felt a tear on her hot cheek. In some bizarre way, Jules felt her mother's presence and she knew what she had to do. Jules began counting the money, it was $20,000.00 Jules screamed into her pillow and calmly gathered herself to prepare to tell her grandmother all about her adventure.