The Fireman's Gold

Annamarie sat sunken into her crescentic shaped seat, quietly observing the events of the day unfold. Her mother, Lorraine driving slowly while on a Bluetooth speaker conversation, discussing the evening plans. Annamarie’s four-year-old birthday celebration was expected to be a small but pleasant gathering of just immediate friends expected to visit. Lorraine channeling to the silence of her daughter, Annamarie sitting listening to her father’s voice through the speaker but not showing signs of emotion. Four-year-old sat, not even disappointed to hear that her father had not arrived home yet while out preparing. With no disappointment in her expression, her father promised a surprise. Lorraine focused on Annamarie’s face through the rearview mirror, glancing fast expecting to hear sadness or something more of her age group. Lorraine pulls into the driveway to start to welcome guests soon to arrive.

Annamarie’s father approached the jewelry counter with an immediate glimpse of a heart-shaped locket that stared at him from the entrance. The complete depiction of innocence and most likely impressing upon his wife that he does think deeply of these occasions. Lorraine accustomed to constant trials since her husband’s job as a firefighter caused a constant interruption. Sounding alarms and radios stood as the back noise to the household of Annamarie cuing and playing. On a regular basis, he would get called to work so his gifts seemed less frequent to him, this bold gesture ought to stand out in her childhood memories more than anything. The heart-shaped locket sat flat but was bulky enough to tilt up where it pointed, the curves at top seemed to be artistically placed uneven, his stare started the conversation with the counter clerk.

The enthused man at the counter wanting to express sales to the already strut father. He asked if this locket were age appropriate for his little girl, Annamarie? The clerk continued to sell him on the style, the quality and making broad attempts at pushing him further to make the purchase. The clerk pulled the gleaming beauty out from its case and what seemed to take forever, the father made his purchase without hesitation. The clerk still selling promising everlasting quality and joy in the piece even years after the purchase, exceptionally durable for such a child. The father with a good grip on his new gold piece starting to turn with phone in hand, slid the jewelry into his pocket. Interrupted again by the clerk, still demanding his attention by offering gift wrap or tissue paper, the clerk was refused as by what a hurry this man was in.

Meanwhile back at his residence, the party had begun and the favors plenty. Presents remained unopened and guests pleasantly taking up the time and adding attention with value to Annamarie’s birthday. Just as any child’s birthday would seem centered coherently around family exchanges. As her father approached to the house, a beep called over the radio demanding full cooperation to all firemen to respond to the scene immediately for support. His car spun around toward the direction of the fire, not needing anything more than the trail of smoke traveling directly upward just miles away.

Mature to his task, the father parks just in periphery location to the grass of the fire, area not totally developed which seemed safer. Dismay to the moment, he realized there was no time to turn back to the car, every second mattered, lowered the necklace slowly to the ground casually trying not to bring the necklace nor lose it. Dust of the first responder running kicked up to cover the ground where it dropped. Surely with this abrupt reaction, within moments of the battle against the fire begun, the hose lay flat, and the ashes of the roof covered the remains of the responders. Annamarie lost her father that evening.

Midway through the birthday event which still graciously continued unbeknownst the tragedy unfolded. Guests started to leave as the dormancy of the missing man unexplained. Lorraine calmly sends her daughter to bed and starts the evening routine, losing hope in placing a call to her husband. The fear of the unknown is what held her in past situations which was no different this time.

Around three o’clock in the morning, Lorraine’s head rose as she realized her husband had not made it home after the party, the clock striking her eyes turns into a call receive. The call led to the news of a funeral and honorable mention to follow. There through the smoke ashes, dust, sot was the necklace – a locket of gold never gifted.

Where the house fell to exist, a highway was later planned to be built. Ten years approximately to that date, sixteen-year-old Henry attending highway patrol with his family’s developmental company. A gleaming yellow element struck young Henry’s attention as he strayed away from the highway markings. Little did he know he was standing beside sot from the deadly rescue. There stuck in its own crevice, a curved heart stuck ever so slightly out from being so encased. The gold stood the test of time and so did the intentions of the father that placed it there. Henry pried the locket from the ground and quickly pocketed the item to examine later.

Henry grew found of a local girl in his neighborhood, now with developed feelings and wishing to nurture his existing thoughts into actual reality. He could not deny dreaming of his teenage love to Annamarie. As he cleaned the necklace gleaming back at him, the idea to gift it to his attraction with no doubt a found idea. Within days Henry planned to gift the necklace to Annamarie for her fourteenth birthday. Little did he know of the coincidence.