Grandpa's loose floorboard

In quite some time, Sarah had not been home. As she sat on the train pondering about the last time she had been there, she felt her stomach was in Knots. She had an argument with her mother and stormed out the door. Sarah had not spoken to her for more than 10 years. If it were not for the passing of her grandfather Sarah would not be returning. Sarah felt his Absence already. She always Kept IN touch with him calling him every week since she had moved away. Sarah was his favorite grandchild and was not concerned with making it quite obvious . Now after all these years gone by she will see her mother not to mention her aunts and uncles with her cousins. Sadly it will be bitter sweet as much as she has missed them. The fact remains everyone is there to say their goodbyes to grandpa.

Sarah started meditating on the very last conversation she had with grandpa. She recalled that it was a strange conversation. He asked her if she was still going to school to be a doctor and then proceeded to tell her to make sure when she comes home again that he left something special hidden in a loose floorboard in the family cabin that he wanted her to have it and nobody else. When she asked him what it was, he informed her she would understand to please promise him that she would do it.

Sarah promised him while reminding him that she had no plans to return anytime soon. Grandpa assured her she would one day return. In a sincere voice he told her that she ought to make up with her mother as life is short and if she keeps waiting she may never get that opportunity. Sarah sighed and said perhaps one day soon grandpa. Sarah had no idea how soon that day was coming and shortly after that conversation Sarah received a phone call that grandpa had a heart attack and passed away.

As Sarah arrived by taxi at her mother Margaret’s house she suddenly felt very anxious as she remembered having an argument with her mother. She thought to herself how silly she does not even fully remember what or how the argument started. Margaret was known to be very controlling and her and Sarah had lots of disagreements. As Sarah got out of the taxi her mother came running up to her with tears streaming down her face. Sarah , she cried , “I am so happy you're here I have missed you so much”. I sent you many cards, did you get them? Sarah replied yes every single one. As Sarah entered the house she noticed that . nothing changed much it still all looks the same today as it did ten years ago when she left. You could see the loss in her mother’s eyes; they were puffy from tears of sadness at losing her father. Margaret knew how close Sarah was to her grandfather. She hugged Sarah tightly and it felt good to Sarah for she forgot how it felt to feel her mothers love. Sarah broke down and she apologized to her mother for not keeping in touch. She admitted to Margaret that she did not want to have to tell her she was right. The city is a hard place for a country girl to blend into but she manages. Sarah took her things upstairs to her old room. To her amazement it was just the way she had left it ten years ago. As she flopped her suitcase down on the bed to unpack, she heard voices echoing from downstairs and decided to unpack later and go downstairs to see who arrived.

She was so excited to see her cousin Amy she had not seen her in awhile since Amy only gets into the city periodically. When they were growing up you would have thought they were sisters you did not see one without the other.

Margaret called everyone into the dining room to gather for lunch. All the aunts and uncles and cousins gathered. Sarah was an only child, she latched onto her cousin Amy while growing up, as they were having lunch, they all shared their fondest memories of grandpa. Sarah’s cousin Todd was asking everyone if they had heard the news that there is a lottery ticket out there worth over seven million dollars and no one cashed It in, he was in amazement as he stated he would have rushed to cash it in. Everyone had their ideas and thoughts on it and then the conversation shifted back to grandpa. Amy brought up the family cabin as she reminisced all the summers, they spent there fishing with grandpa and making smores around the fire.

Sarah brought up the pillow fight they had when all the feathers went flying everywhere and all grandpas did was smile and laugh saying kids will be kids. Sarah asked everyone at the table if anyone had visited the cabin recently and everyone replied they were too busy and that the place probably had cobwebs with spiders big enough to eat them for lunch. Sarah sat there with a blank stare while thinking about what her grandfather had said. The funeral was not for two more days and the cabin was only an hour away from her mother’s house.

She pulled her mother to the side and asked her if she could borrow her vehicle as she wanted to take a drive and would be back later in the evening. She shared with her mother that seeing everyone and being home after ten years was a bit overwhelming. She just needed some alone time. Margaret agreed to lend Sarah her car and hugged her, reminding her to be careful.

Sarah carefully slipped out unnoticed as she did not want anyone to tag along and was sure that Amy would have definitely wanted to go with her. After driving for an hour Sarah came up to the long winding road with all the beautiful tall trees , she had forgotten how beautiful it was. She pulled up in front of the cabin and wept as she began thinking of all the fun times she had there with her Grandfather. She finally worked up the nerve to go inside. The place was dusty and looked as if it were deserted for quite some time. She went to where her grandfather told her and located the loose board, when she lifted it there she saw a little black note book. She picked it up and clutched it in her hands while looking up as if she was speaking to her grandfather and said “ok grandpa I got it. She dusted off a chair and sat down on it. As she opened the book it was nothing that she expected, she thought that it would be a diary instead to her surprise there was a lottery ticket dated for the same date of the lottery ticket on the news that was not claimed. With a note written in the book. My dearest Sarah, I know how much you desire to be a doctor and how much college can cost. I knew I had won and did not cash the ticket in , I wanted you to have it. Please make me proud and become a doctor and fulfill your dreams. I will be watching from above and know that you're still my favorite love Grandpa.

Sarah was experiencing so many mixed emotions, happy she could go after her dreams and yet sad because Grandpa was not there. She tucked the black book with the lottery ticket in her purse and went back to the house never saying a word to anyone. She kept her promise to Grandpa and graduated top of her class, she opened her very own practice. She decided to specialize in cardiology in honor of her grandpa.