My Second Skin

She sat looking at the letter in her hand in disbelief. Her Uncle John had passed away a month ago and the service had been short because of the pandemic. She never thought that she might be getting a bequest from him. They were not even very close. But the letter was right in front of her. $20,000.00 was hers. She had been given the money for no reason she could come up with but here was the letter, and now she had to decide what to do with it.

She pulled out her favorite Moleskine little black notebook, she had had it for a long time, it was like an old friend to her. She opened the book to the first blank page and started writing notes to herself.

1. Send thank you note to Aunt Sue, she was her uncle’s wife and had sent the note and check over to her.

2. Pay off car, it was older, but she had financed it and didn’t want to pay that bill any longer.

3. Fix the plumbing, the toilet had been running for a while, but there was no money in her normal budget to get it fixed.

4. TV and Xbox for Nate.

Her son Nate had wanted an Xbox for a long time, but her budget would not allow for it, now she could get him one along with a really, really big TV. What do you think? 82-inch TV and mount it to the wall.

She pulled out her little black notebook and started writing again.

5. Research Xbox games for Nate, ask what he likes and see where to find them.

6. Put money in savings account.

That was it, all she could think to do right now. There had to be more, she had never had this much money all at once and didn’t really know what to do with it. Maybe she should ask for advice from someone on what to do next, after the TV of course. Nate deserved the TV and Xbox more than you might know. She was a single mother and had never gotten help from anyone. She had been alone since the beginning and had never complained. She had put herself through school and gotten a good job. Nate was small when she started and didn’t complain at all about the time and attention that school had taken. To tell the truth he really had never know anything else from her. Back then she had had a red Moleskine notebook, to keep up with assignments and such. She couldn’t really remember a time she didn’t have her trusty Moleskine with her, to write down notes, to make a to-do list, or to keep the grocery list before going to the store. It was like her second skin.

She moved across the floor to the table and laid the check and the letter on the kitchen table. Nate would be home in the next few minutes, but the big question was, does she tell him now or surprise him with the TV set up after it was installed? She decided to wait until the TV was installed and film it for her dad, who hadn’t been able to see Nate since the pandemic started. They had used the tablet to see each other but had not been in the same room for months. But his health was not great, so he had to stay away for now. But he understood that. It didn’t make it easier, dad missed his little buddy. Since mom died and now his brother, he was very alone. That’s who she should talk to about the money, dad. Why had it taken her so long to come to that point? Her dad was very important to her and she loved him. Dad would know what to do with the money.

She grabbed her Moleskine notebook again and jotted down

7. Call dad about money.

So, she had her to-do list for the next couple of days, just then Nate walked in the front door from school. He walked over and told mom hi and went to his room to finish any homework that needed to be finished. He had been this way his whole life, really good at school, not like her at all, she had struggled to get her school done. So, she walked in and asked what he was working on, his response was Geometry, “OK, I’m out” they both laughed. She would be telling him soon that it was his Xbox, and the games were his. “What game was it that Josh was playing that you like so much, I was telling grandpa and couldn’t remember the name” she lied. He said “FortNite” he responded. “Oh, that’s it” she made a mental note. “What was the other one that had a ton of shooting?” she asked. “Call of Duty, mom why the sudden interest in the games we play?” he asked suddenly on guard. Her response surprised herself more than her son, “I’m thinking of getting a system for grandpa to keep him busy right now” That got Nate’s attention, “yea, then I could play with him from Josh’s house, that would be fun.”

This last comment gave her an idea, I’ll get 2 Xbox game consoles and then Nate and her father could have a good time together. She knew what to do with her money now. She grabbed her little black Moleskine notebook again and wrote her final entry for the day.

8. Get second Xbox for dad and have installed at his house.