The Cabin

The Cabin

The car crept slowly down the dirt road. It was nearing midnight and the sky was inky black. As the rain poured down Riley could only make out the road by the puddles of water that were glinting by the light of the car headlights. Riley had never seen this much rain in her whole life and she was mesmerized by the sheer volume of it. How it ran down the windshield in torrents and was swept off with each swish of the wiper blades. The sound of the rain was deafening on the car roof as each large drop hit in rapid succession.

Up ahead Riley could make out the rough shape of a building through the mist and rain. As she got closer, Riley stopped the car and shifted into park. She squinted through the rain-covered windshield at the rough shape of a peaked roof. Even with the high beams on, she could not quite make out what was ahead.

Riley turned the key in the ignition until the car engine rumbled to a halt and switched off the lights. The rain on the roof, although loud, was a comforting sound. She crawled clumsily into the backseat of the car and struggled to roll out her sleeping bag. The car was so small that she was hunched over and falling over herself while she took the sleeping bag out of its bag and unrolled it onto the back seat. She laughed aloud at how ridiculous she must look. Riley laid down and was fast asleep in moments.

Riley woke with a start, sitting up. Her sleeping bag was all twisted around her and the neat braid of hair that had been so perfect the night before was half-undone. She blinked in the cool air of the car and looked around. Where am I? She thought to herself as she looked around at the foggy windows. She couldn’t see anything of the surroundings outside the car. Half asleep, she remembered the series of events that had brought her to this moment.

Riley had lost her job and Aunt Meg died on same day. It was the worst day of her life. The three months following that day were a blur in Riley’s memory. The funeral, sad attempts at finding a job, and countless sleepless nights. When Riley missed her second rent payment, she was evicted from her apartment.

It was moving day. That morning Riley opened an envelope that had come the day before. It contained the Last Will and Testament from her Aunt Meg’s lawyer. The papers advised Riley that Aunt Meg had left her a cabin. Riley was confused. She had only met Aunt Meg once when she was attending her late maternal Grandmother’s funeral a few years before. Riley’s mother had died shortly after she was born and Riley had little contact with her mother’s side of the family since then. Her Grandmother’s funeral had been awkward and Riley had left at the first opportunity. Why would Aunt Meg leave her a cabin? It made no sense.

As she had nowhere else to go, Riley decided to drive to the cabin and figure out next steps from there. The letter from the lawyer required a signature from Riley to accept the inheritance. Riley finished loading the boxes into her car and slammed the trunk shut. She hopped into the driver’s seat and headed to the Lawyers office to drop off the papers. After Riley was done, she drove out of town towards the cabin. She was on her way! After everything that happened, the next chapter in her life felt hopeful.

Riley shook her head and came back to reality. Her father’s words echoed in her mind “There is no sense in living in the past.” The excitement of the previous day returned as she opened the car door and stepped out into the cool morning air. She had always loved the smell of the forest and breathed in the scent of spruce trees and rain.

She put her hands in her pockets against the chill in the air and surveyed her surroundings. The building that she had seen last night looked to be a large shed. The wood was grey with age and there was moss growing in the cracks in the boards. There was a neatly stacked pile of firewood just outside the door. This must be the woodshed, she thought to herself. Riley walked to the side of the shed and found a large garden. The rows of vegetables were neatly planted and labeled but it was clear that nobody had been here in some time. The weeds were thick and overripe vegetables were hanging on the plants.

Riley glanced around and then realized that there were no other buildings. The “shed” was the only one. The realization struck her with a jolt as she looked at the structure. This ramshackle building was the cabin. All of her fantasies about the beautiful cabin in the woods surrounded by neatly kept gardens crumbled around her. She let out a deep audible sigh and plodded slowly around to the front of the cabin.

Riley stepped up to the door and unlocked the padlock with the key that the lawyer had provided the day before. The lock clicked open smoothly which was a bit of a shock given the outside appearance of the cabin. It wasn’t exactly in the best condition. Riley opened the door and stepped inside. She expected to find a sparsely furnished space; however, the view from the doorway was anything but.

The cabin was a small one-room space but it was neatly arranged and decorated. Riley exhaled loudly and smiled. She didn’t realize that she had been holding her breath as she walked through the door. This cozy living space was definitely misleading from the outside. There were soft rugs all over the rough-hewn timber floor. A wood burning stove stood in the corner with a comfortable chair in front of it. With the bookshelf filled with books beside it, the spot was clearly a favorite reading spot for Aunt Meg.

As she took in the details of the cabin, Riley stepped inside further but stopped when it felt like a board gave-way slightly under her foot. She knelt down on the floor and moved the soft cream-colored rug aside to expose the floorboards. The board that had moved was out of place slightly and looked like it had been removed recently. Was something hidden underneath?

Riley wedged her fingers under the end of the board and lifted. It came up easily in her hand. There was definitely something under the floorboards. She removed two more boards and brought out her cell phone to use as a flashlight. The beam of light shone through the shadows under the floor joists and Riley could see a small metal box. Her heart beat faster as she pulled the metal box up out of the hole and put it on the floor in front of her.

With shaking hands Riley opened the clasp on the front of the metal box and lifted the lid open on squeaky hinges. Then she peered inside and gasped. The box was filled with crisp 20-dollar bills wrapped in elastic bands. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. How much money was in here? She quickly counted one of the bundles and determined that there must be at least $20,000 in the box. Riley tilted her head back and laughed. “Oh, Aunt Meg!” she yelled out loud as the laughter continued uncontrollably. This was an unexpected surprise, and so very welcome.

After she calmed down, Riley packed the money back into the box but stopped when she noticed the edge of a small black notebook peeking out from underneath the money. As she reached in and pulled it out, a slip of paper fell out. Riley put the slip of paper to the side. She ran her hands over the smooth surface of the moleskin notebook. She remembered using these books in High School and it brought back good memories. The edges were worn and white where the black paper had been rubbed off during use. She smiled and opened it.

The book was filled with pictures of Aunt Meg as a young adult. Each page contained notes and stories about her growing up in a small town in Northern Alberta. Riley flicked through the pages and stopped when she came to a picture of Aunt Meg with a man. It was a black and white photo but the man in the picture was unmistakable. It was her father. Riley’s eyes grew wide as she continued to turn the pages, in rapid succession now.

The pictures showed the courtship of Aunt Meg and her father. They were laughing and smiling. There were wedding photos and then, to her surprise, a baby. Riley’s hands shook again when she pulled out the picture of Aunt Meg, her father, and the baby, to take a closer look. She turned over the photo. Written on the back in the same elegant cursive handwriting was Riley Marie, March 12, 1972. That was her name!

Riley dropped the book and photo on the floor and shuffled back as if the picture had burned her. What was going on? She thought to herself. How is this possible? She distinctly remembered her father telling her how her mother was gone. Riley had always assumed that her mother had died. Her father always got extremely uncomfortable when Riley brought up the topic so she learned early on not to ask too many questions. Was Aunt Meg her mother? Her mind raced and tears welled in her eyes as she made the connections in her mind. The unanswered questions and gruff way that her father dismissed the topic now made complete sense.

Riley crawled back to the book. When she picked it back up, she again noticed the slip of paper that had fallen out. She opened it and read:

My Dearest Riley,

If you are reading this, then I am gone. I have been sick for a long time and I knew that this day would eventually come.

You must have so many questions and I am sorry that I am not there to answer them for you. I have watched you grow up from afar and while I wanted so badly to be a part of your life, I knew that it was best for you that I stay away. Your father is a good man and I am grateful that you had him to guide you.

I left you my cabin and the ten acres of land that it sits on, as I knew there would be nobody in the family that would want it. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I have. In this box is the little bit of money that I have managed to save over the years. I hope that it helps you to follow your dreams.

The notebook has been with me from the beginning. Helping me to document my thoughts and feelings. I have often flipped through its pages to remind me how precious life is. I hope it helps to show you how much love I have always had for you and your father. I am always here for you if you need me. All you need to do is think of me and I will be there.

Love always,

Mom

Riley held the book and paper to her chest and closed her eyes while the tears rolled down her cheeks. She didn’t understand why her mother had stayed away but she was filled with so much love at the same time. She looked around at the cabin and again at the box. This was exactly what she needed to get back on her feet and do some soul searching in the process. The little black moleskin notebook was an unexpected, yet wonderful, gift.