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“It’s fine.” I brush over his apology. It’s not fine. But they don’t need to feel bad for just bringing his name up. No need for them to tiptoe around like he never existed when they were building a friendship with him too.
“We’ll be downstairs. Come on, foot in mouth, so we can finish the game and I can kick your ass.” Drew yanks Ryan by the arm out of the room.
Exhaling a long breath I go survey the damage to the floor. “Yep, it’s cracked.” I touch and push at the most broken end and realize something. It’s loose. That’s strange. I try to lift the piece with my hand but it’s sticking and I’m afraid of getting a splinter. Okay then. I look around the room and see my grandpa's old letter opener on the bed. Perfect. I push the sharp tip into the groove of the wood and pop it up with a little effort. Not just loose wood it seems, and pull up two more pieces out of the way.
What the heck is this? I get my phone and shine the flashlight over the open space. “Envelopes?” Why are all those envelopes doing down there? “Grandpa had a stash of something, it seems.”
I pull each one out wondering what the hell is in them. I put down the phone, and carefully open the envelope with the letter opener. “Holy cow,” I whisper in disbelief. “Is this what I think it is?” I take out one of the papers and take a closer look, looking at the back and front closely. Holy—it is! Stock certificates, and a lot of them too. I can’t believe this. I put them back in the envelope, a smile spreading across my face, I grab another envelope, open it and almost scream. It’s money! Not just a little money either if there’s more in the other envelopes. Ten, twenties, fifty, and hundred dollar bills.
“Oh Grandpa, god bless your non-trusting bank heart.” I rip open some more envelopes, giddy with joy to find they are also filled with money and more stock certificates. Oh my god! I can’t believe this. All this time all this money was sitting here underneath our feet and heads and none of us had a clue. We could have lost the house and everything and we wouldn’t have known a thing— “Oh my god, the fire.” To think—I don’t want to think about it. Thank god the house didn’t burn down and I had to move in here.
I sit back and look at the envelopes in front of me, relieved, but damn, Grandpa, why didn’t you say anything about this? Wait, maybe he did. I get up and open the drawer I kept the drawings that he kept giving me. The ones I thought were just doodles of a room. Looking at them now and around the room, I realize they weren’t just some random room drawing. It was this room, and always in the corner with or without from what I can seenow,is his writing desk. There’s an X in the corner. I groan at my stupidity, “I’m such a fool.” He was leaving me clues.
“Oh, Grandpa.” I sniff. “You old lovable fool.” We don’t have to worry about losing the only home we have ever known. “You can’t even…” I wipe my eyes, not able to complete the sentence. “You’re not even here and you’re still looking out for us.” I turn around and laugh scooping up all the envelopes on the floor and dumping them on my bed. Running to the door, head shaking, and shouting, “Drew, Ryan, Axel, get your asses up here now!!” I wait for them, trying my hardest to take the smile off my face. When they come up the stairs I give them a stern look.
“I didn’t do anything!” Axel says, with innocent pleading eyes, which almost make me break into a grin.
“Yeah, what he said.” Ryan nods his head in Axel's direction while Drew gives me his patented, ‘I’m bored.’ whatever stares.
“Follow me.” I twirl around, walk back through the door, and point to the bed.
“What's that?” Drew says.
“Boys, Grandpa has come through for us again. Saved our asses.”
Drew stares at me blankly. “What are you talking about?”
“Take a look,” I say, grabbing an envelope and giving them each one. “Open them.”
“Holy shit!” Ryan squeaks. “Are all of these filled with money? Fifties and hundreds?”
“Some of them are filled with stock certificates as good as money and gold.” I smile.
“We’re rich!!” Axel squeals. “I’m getting all the toys I want.” He hops around the room and waves the envelope.
“Wow, Gramps really came through this time. We’re not losing the house?” Drew asks but nods his head like he’s answering his own question. “Clutch Grandpa, always in the nick of time.” His smile was so broad I could see teeth I haven’t seen in years.
A laugh of pure joy and release bubbles up from inside of me and I rush toward them, enveloping them in my arms. “We are not losing our home!” I don’t have to take Thom’s offer! I can afford proper child care for Axel! We can pay all of our unpaid bills! I can go back to school. “We’re going to be okay.” I step back and wipe my eyes and watch them go around me and look through the other envelopes.
I’m so fucking relieved and happy. God, I haven’t felt this light and happy since…Noah.
Twenty
NOAH
“Noah.”
“Hey, Miranda,” I say, putting away my bag in the locker room.
“Thought you might want to know there is someone out there waiting for you.” She smiles with her hands on her duty belt.
“Who?”
“Your ex’s kid brother.”
“What?” Halfway closed, my hand stills on my open locker door. “Which one, and why would they come here to wait for me?”
“Officer James, this is a police precinct. How does someone most likely end up in here, unwillingly?” She holds up her hand and clinks them together. “Silver bracelets.”
