A Billion Breaths

"Take this” said a strange man dressed in a long black coat, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere on Nichole’s walk home from school. For some reason she stopped cold in her tracks and gave him her undivided attention. “Hide it somewhere safe”, he said quickly. “When the time is right someone will approach you, and you will need it. DO NOT OPEN IT. DO NOT LOSE IT. DO NOT TELL ANYONE, not even your family Nichole. You’re the one. You’re the one who will save us all. You’re the only one who can know the truth and be trusted with it. Now run. They’re coming." Eleven year old Nichole ran like her life depended on it. She didn’t know why, she didn’t know where to hide the book or who that man was, but she could see it in his face, he was serious, scared, and she trusted him.

"Oh my god," she kept thinking as she quickly hid the little black book in her secret hiding spot with her horseback riding gear. "How did he know my name? Who did he mean by they’re coming? WHAT AM I GOING TO DO? I can't tell mom and dad. They would probably just call the police and open the book like he said not to, BUT TELL NO ONE? WHY ME?WHY NOW?" Her eleven year old mind was racing with questions.

"C'MON HONEY LET'S GO! WE ARE GOING TO BE LATE FOR YOUR RIDING LESSON!" her mother yelled from inside the house.

"COMING!" she quickly shouted. She frantically tucked the book in the locked storage compartment in the bottom of her riding tack trunk, waved goodbye to the pic of her grandfather she kept pinned next to her victory horse show pictures, and ran to meet her mother.

"Honey your late." Her mother said sternly.

"I'm sorry I got carried away cleaning tack." She had no other choice but to tell a white lie. It wasn't a complete lie, she did clean some tack but she couldn't tell her mother the real reason she was held up. That would ruin everything.

"At least you were doing something productive", her mother said with a raised brow. "Wanna listen to some Pearl Jam and grab a sandwich on the way?"

"YES! "Nichole exclaimed with a large grin.

"Valentino's?" her mom asked.

"YES!" That was her favorite. Her mom pushed in the Pearl Jam cassette tape and sped away from their house to the deli down the road with they're favorite song blasting from the car.

After Nichole's riding lesson they went back to the barn, but this time something was different. As proceeded to do her usual routine of untacking her horse, a huge gust of wind swept through the aisleway of the bar.. Suddenly her beautiful thoroughbred reared up in angst from the large unexpected gust of wind and she instantly looked to her mother.

"Put the horse away NOW!" her mother shouted with huge eyes and a vacant concerned stare. Nichole frantically cleaned everything up, and quickly put her horse away. He was still wet but the summer heat and the look in her mothers eyes made it no concern of hers. They quickly left the barn and drove home.

***Ring Ring Ring***

The phone rang only three times before her mother was able to run and grab it from the back master bedroom.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed as she dropped the phone and fell to the floor. Nichole had never seen her mother that way. She never fell apart. She never lost control, and she never, EVER, cried or fell to the floor. All she could see was the phone off the hook, lying on the ground ,and her mother in tears on the floor next to it. She didn't know what to do. All she knew was her life was about to change, forever, and not in the good way most people hope for.

"Your grandfather is dead", her mother said in an almost theatrically numb and void demeanor as she slowly walked passed her and Nichole knew this was the beginning of the end of her life.

Until...

*******22 years later*******

"Mom there's no money and my daughter and I barely have enough eat. What's left of my health is failing. I'm so sick I don't know how I survive. My house is literally falling over. I'm so sick I don't know if I will live to see my daughters third birthday. I need HELP mom. I won't survive much longer without any help." Nichole professed to her mother over the phone.

"After the divorce I lost everything. I'm sorry this is the way it is. You need to look to the government for help. I have nothing left. I'm sorry."

"Are you at least healthy? Did they get all the cancer?" she asked in tears.

"For now, Nichole, for now."

"I love you mom. I promise if I figure out how to get money or help, I'll help everyone. I'll fly you here so you can see my daughter and I ride together like before grandpa died. We can sing Pearl Jam and get sandwiches and hang at the barn like we used to. I promise I'll find a way mom."

"That sounds nice baby. I hope that works out and happens."

***ring ring ring***

"I've got to go! " Nichole replied. "The land line is ringing and I'm actually helping the land lord find a carpenter to fix a cottage here. I think it may be a worker about the job!"

"That sounds nice baby, good luck!"

"Thanks mamma bear. I love you." Nichole quickly got off her cell phone and ran to answer the land line.

"Hello?" she said eagerly.

"Hi there I'm calling about the carpenter job."

"GREAT!" she exclaimed. "So, what's your experience if you don't mind me asking?"

"Actually I used to work in the Secret Service years ago, before the administration changed," he said.

"REALLY? My grandfather worked in government, intelligence actually. He died around that time, heart attack. Very sad and unexpected."

"Sorry to hear that", he replied.

"Well, it happens, but enough about me. What's a guy like you doing looking for carpentry work?" she laughed. "Isn't that below your pay grade?"

"Well I just do odd jobs here and there to keep myself busy as I'm retired, and well, not interested in those government type jobs anymore," he said with a chuckle.

"I get it." He had her laughing a bit now too. "Why don't you come by for an interview tomorrow?"

"Sure, I'll be there 10 o' clock?"

"Sounds good!" she said eagerly. "See you then! OH WAIT! What's your NAME?", she laughed as she quickly asked before hanging up the phone.

"Call me Jose."

"Ok Jose." At this point he had given her the giggles and everything sounded funny. "I'll see you tomorrow and thanks again!"

"See you tomorrow Nichole."

She stood there for a moment in deep thought after their conversation.

How did he know my name? I must have mentioned it on the ad. Wait, I swear I didn't. Well maybe I did. Maybe I'm so sleep deprived I forgot. That's so weird, she thought to herself as she put the phone down and finished her nightly chores before bed.

***10 am the next day***

"HEY! Jose! Glad you found it!" Nichole shouted as she greeted Jose.

"Wasn't too hard," he said with a smile. They walked along the property and talked shop about the different ways to complete the restoration of the run down 1920's cottage that provoked the carpenter hunt in the first place. He seemed knowledgeable and trustworthy, so she was excited for once. Most people she had met had not been not very stable or reliable, so finding a person who seemed even the slightest bit capable and honest was a God send.

"Finally," she thought. Maybe her luck was taking a turn for the better and maybe she'd be able to pull this off. Help her landlord and make ends meet with trade work on the ranch.

"Oh if only. "

"So what do you think Jose? I'll give my landlord your information and if it works out hopefully we can have you working here within the month, maybe a live in trade? It could be great!" she exclaimed with a smile.

"Could be," he said with a raised brow. "Thanks a lot Nichole, let me know what he says."

"No thank you Jose! You're a God send!" she said with a grin as she proceeded to walk him out to his truck.

Just as he opened the door to get into the driver's seat he turned to Nichole.

"The little black book," he said quietly under his breath. She instantly gave him a perplexing and shocked stare. "Open it. It's time."

"WHAT?" she said. She hadn't thought of that book in decades. "HOW DID YOU KNOW YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?" she asked with tears in her eyes. She was beyond shocked.

"I was the man who shot your grandfather's assassin." he replied. She froze. The tears pooled in her eyes.

"I knew he was murdered. I knew they lied." She was furious yet relieved to finally know the truth after all these years.

"Just open it", he said just before gently closing the door and driving away. She slowly walked back to her tiny house and stopped at the tack truck outside her front gate, and opened it. In her mind it was now or she'd never do it. She was shaking and hadn't thought of that tiny black book for over twenty years. She opened the tack trunk and reached down into the tiny compartment she had put the book in decades ago, dusted it off, and opened the it.

The first page read:

" To Nichole, my beautiful granddaughter. I'm sorry I wasn't there. I'm sorry we didn't get to know each other better. I'm sorry I'm not there, and haven't been to protect you, provide for you, and keep you safe. These things can happen when you have my job. When you're the head of the defense of the most powerful nation in the world, you become a target, and unfortunately, so too becomes your family.

I'm sorry my death happened this way. I'm sorry it took so long before it was safe to tell you the truth, but dearest Nichole, you're the one. I always knew you had a gift. I always knew you had a genius mind and unshakable heart. You're the one who is going to carry the torch now. Carry it well. Protect the family secrets, protect our intelligence, and safeguard my will.

If you reading this Jose has found you, and it's now time, time for you to rise my dear. I know it must have been beyond hard. Hard to live in extreme poverty, to be hunted and protected without your knowledge, and to have your lives seemingly destroyed all these years. But know, it's was only to protect you. Had you all had the inheritance you deserved you would have been found, or worse, dead or kidnapped for ransom. I love you, I'm always with you, and I'm always watching you.

Take this letter to your uncle. I've left you a trust with 1.6 billion dollars in it. Use it well. Use it wisely. Help you and your family and build a future for what's left of our blood. I always knew you were the one.

I love you,

Grandpa George "

Who knew in a single moment, with a single little black book, her life would be saved and her world changed forever. The truth always comes out, and what Nichole knew now more than ever, was that miracles can happen when you need them the most, and when you least expect it. After all ,even from the grave, her grandfather had saved her and her family, and had breathed breath back into their lives once again.

"As long as I have breath, I have hope."

-An old Arab proverb

THE END.