The Beach House

Normally Tracy loved being at her grandparents beach house, even in the winter. It was her favorite place to be. Staying with Grams and Pops all summer and some Christmases was her greatest joys growing up. Coming here felt like coming home, even empty, the same scents still lingered in the air of cinnamon, pipe tobacco and rose water, grams perfume. Memories rushed to the surface of laughter, adventure and family. Today those memories were crowding close and she found herself continually blinking back the burning tears that threatened to overflow. Tracy had come back to the old beach house to clean out her grandparents things. They were suddenly gone and coming to the beach house would never be the same. She looked out the big bay window that overlooked the beach. The waters were choppy and turbulent, as though they mirrored her inner turmoil.

She'd just arrived and it was late but she couldn't bring herself to go to bed even though she was exhausted from the long hours of being in the car. She kept circling the room touching different things. Pops favorite chair sat in the same corner looking lonely as though it awaited the normalcy of supporting his tall frame, Grams nick knack shelf with all the little trinkets and souvenirs from her travels with Pops and her family stood sentinel against the wall. Pops and Grams were gone. It was hard to fathom not having one but both of them at the same time caused the air in her lungs to still and leave her feeling like she was suffocating.

One day they were here laughing and then Covid-19 came, taking away two of the most important people in her life. She couldn't do anything this evening. She was exhausted so she took a shower and climbed into bed and cried herself to sleep. Morning would come soon enough.

The next morning Tracy decided to start from the top and work her way down. By the time she'd made it to Pops office the sun was a big ball of scorching fire in the sky, so she stopped to make lunch. After lunch she went back to tackle Pops office. Looking around she realized it really wasn't that much to pack up as the space had the bare minimum. A desk, chair and a bookcase. Tracy walked over to Pops desk and took a seat in the chair. She took a moment to look at the room that she never came into as a child. It's not that it was forbidden it was just there wasn't anything in the room that would encourage a child to stay and play. The desk was neat and not many papers sat on top. Tracy pulled open the drawer and there sitting in the middle was a little black book. Curious she pulled it out and began to leaf through it. It looked like financial records showing monthly expenses. Groceries, utilities and wait why was her name listed for that month's expenses? She turned to the next month and the next and the list always ended with Tracy. There were numbers by her name. She pulled out the organized bills that were also in the drawer to try and match the numbers. Finally she found a stack of bank statements that all had her name on it but had not been opened. She opened the first one on the bottom, it was dated the day she was born. It showed a deposit of a thousand dollars. She opened the second one, the same thing on her birth date a thousand dollars was deposited. She looked at the most recent statement sitting on top. This envelope was much thicker. She opened it slowly, heart pounding and mouth dry. She looked at the deposit date that was just this year in January and sure enough a deposit of a thousand dollars had been made. The balance showed a total of twenty thousand dollars! She stared at the balance in shock, why did Pops and Grams deposit this money for me? She checked the drawer again and found an envelope with a card addressed to her. It was a birthday card from Grams and Pops.

Dearest Tracy, we are so proud of the woman you have become. In this envelope is a debit card to an account the we opened the day you were born. It was opened to ensure that you would have help in pursuing your dreams of becoming a nurse. You have spoken of becoming a nurse since you were a little girl, dressing up and allowing us to be your first patients. As you embark on your journey to nursing school, know that no matter what happens we are always here for you and cheering you on. Love you with all our hearts, now go conquer the world! Love Pops and Grams.

Tracey stared at the letters in the card until they blurred together and she couldn't see them anymore. Pops and Grams had done the most amazing thing, they'd believed in her dreams even as a young child and had a made a way to help her achieve it. Tracey hugged the envelope and made a promise to Pops and Grams that she would work hard and make them proud. Whispering softly as she walked out of the room, "Thank you Grams and Pops. I love you both." Tracey turned out the lights and closed the door. Pops and Grams may not be here physically but she knew their spirits were still around giving her courage and strength, just like always.

The End