Arriving at her apartment building,
Carmen sprinted up the wooden stairs to reach her home. With hands shaking from adrenaline, she
managed to slide her key into the lock and turn it. Opening the door, she
rushed to her trash can and rummaged through it to find her father’s last
words, which she had discarded in disgust after receiving them.
Uncovering the letter, Carmen took it out and brushed it
off. Uncrumpling the paper, she read it
for the first time.
Dear Carmen,
Honey,
I know you are ashamed of my nefarious activities, as you have often called
them, but I want you to know that I have always loved you. My life of crime was
not always what it seemed to be. Regrettably, my crimes, rather than a
wholesome job, put our food on the table, but I didn’t always steal for
financial gain. Some items I have taken were to protect the innocent. I stole
from those who didn’t regret harming others. These types of items are locked
away in a secret safe I my office. With my passing, I entrust you with the sole
access to this safe. Under no circumstances should the contents of this safe
fall into the wrong hands. I am depending on you to keep them secure.
Wonder and shock swam through
Carmen’s thoughts as she skimmed the rest of the letter while memorizing his
instruction. Her eyes reached the end of the crinkled page. Not believing what
she saw, she reread the last lines of the letter, wanting more to have been
written.
I can never express just how sorry I am to have
caused you to hate me so much, but throughout it all, know that I did
everything for you and your mother. I love you always.
For the last time,
Your Father
Refolding the letter, Carmen tried
to calm her mixed emotions. More questions rather than answers arose in her
mind at the conclusion of her father’s words.
Setting the letter on the floor,
Carmen rose to her feet and made her way to the car in a daze. Slipping into
the leather interior, she silently watched the landscape fade around the
speeding car.
Arriving at her father’s house, she
cautiously took a step out of the car, feeling unsteady. Remembering she was on
a time schedule, she glanced down and saw she had twenty minutes left.
A sense of foreboding set in as
Carmen shuffled to the front door, desiring to be anywhere else. She knocked
and wanted to melt under the pressure from the memories assaulting her mind at
revisiting her childhood home after seven years.
The door opened to reveal the
housekeeper, whose shocked expression prompted Carmen to speak, “Umm. Hi,
Maryellen. I need to get something from my father’s office.”
As Maryellen stood in astonishment
for a few more moments, Carmen took that time to examine the changes to
Maryellen that had befallen her over the past seven years. She noticed
Maryellen’s shortly cropped hair had completely whitened and the wrinkles, from
a hard life, had deepened. Even with
Maryellen’s obvious signs of aging, there was also a spark of fire behind her
eyes that bespoke of an unending flow of energy and vigor.
Maryellen hastily shook her head to
dislodge her surprise. A pleasant smile bloomed upon her weathered face and she
exclaimed, “Carmen, I never thought I would see your beautiful face again! It’s
a great pleasure to see you again! Come right in.”
Feeling comforted by Maryellen’s
kind words, the stress Carmen had experience over the course of the past few hours
overflowed and her last bit of strength fled. Not being able to hold her tears
back any longer, Carmen sobbed. Maryellen gently wrapped Carmen in her arms as
she revealed her whole ordeal in a torrent of words.
Minutes later, Carmen began to
collect herself and she pushed out of Maryellen’s arms, only to immediately
miss their soothing comfort. Remembering how Maryellen had been like a second
mother to Carmen, she gratefully thanked Maryellen and wiped away the
tearstains drenching her face.
Unexpectedly, Maryellen grabbed hold
of Carmen’s hand and dragged her to her father’s office. “Hurry child. Open the
safe.” Maryellen prompted.
To Be Continued…
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