The Journey

The rain was pounding on the window as she struggled to get everyone out of the bar; last call was always challenging on a Friday night and tonight proved no different. Finally the last customer left and she locked the front door. Normally she would start washing the tables but instead she fell into a chair and began to sob. The night had really taken it out of her, the past year had really been a shit show and she could hold her fraught no more.

Kit began the year on top of the world. She was newly married and a baby on the way. Things really couldn’t have been any better. Her husband Jon, was a cop and although she was proud beyond measure, it also left her feeling dread when he was on duty. Typically Greenbrook was pretty safe but over the past few years, hard drugs had made their way into town and with them all the challenges. By summer, a week barely went by that there wasn’t an overdose or a break in. Desperation was everywhere. Shopkeepers kept guns under their counters, homeowners had security systems and cameras installed. It felt as though there wasn’t anywhere safe.

Earlier that day, they had been to the doctor and found out they were having a baby girl. They were euphoric. So when she kissed him goodbye before he left for nightshift, never in a million years would she have believed it would be the last. He interrupted a store robbery, got caught in the crossfire, bullet to the right frontal lobe, dead instantly. Due to the stress, Kit was put on bedrest for the remainder of her pregnancy. Until the baby came, the day to day was a complete blur. Looking at the delicate beauty of her newborn girl, she knew what she had to do. Her Mom had tended to her every need since her Jon died and agreed to take the baby so she could get herself straight, it was best. She needed to get away and left the next day. She drove for 3 days straight, only stopping for gas. When her weary soul could go no further, she ended stopping at a bar.

Finally her sobbing slowed and she started on the task of cleaning up. Once the tables were cleaned, she started putting the chairs up. She was on the last chair, when something hit her leg. It was a black book. With the dim lighting, it was hard to see but there were no markings on the outside. She threw it in her purse and went back to her room. She threw her bag on the bed and went to shower. She plopped down on the bed, still in her towel and heaved a heavy sigh. She knew she couldn’t live like this forever. She reached for her purse; it spilled out all over the bed. She picked up the black book and started to thumb through. Oddly there was only one page with anything written on it. It was an address. The address was strange, no town just a street name and number. She closed the book and went to bed.

A few days had passed; she kept looking at the address, wondering what the importance was. She had been surprised that no one had come looking for the book. She was growing more curious by the minute, for the first time in months she wasn’t drowning in despair. She pulled out her phone and opened the maps app, half-heartedly entering the address because she wasn’t expecting to get a match. But match she did and showed it was a short 180 kilometers drive. That was that; she had the next couple days off and would make the drive to the mystery address.

She was up and out the door by 9 and the couple hour drive gave her time to let her imagination go wild. Although she really didn’t think it would turn out to be anything other than a random house address. Really, what else could it be? That was the question she kept asking herself over and over the whole drive. Finally she was close, she slowed the car down and looked carefully but it was a dead end street, no house. She thought about just turning the car around but after all of this, she had to get out and at least cross the street to the clearing. Thankfully the spring sun was shining down and felt surprisingly nice against her face. Working nights as a bartender didn’t leave much time for sunshine, which worked out great because she felt much more at ease in the darkness. She walked across the clearing to a big birch tree; she could see something crammed in between the branches. Once she got close she looked around, there was literally nothing to see. She put her hand into the branches and pulled out a green reusable tote bag. There was something in there but she couldn’t tell what just yet.

She ran back to her car, looking around to see if there was anyone around, but nothing. Her heart was pounding, half due to the running and the other half because she felt like she had just taken something that wasn’t hers and was going to get caught any second. She took a big gulp of coffee and a deep breath and prepared herself to open the bag. She put her hand in and pulled out what felt like a heavy block. It was wrapped over and over again with plastic bags, she kept unwrapping. Finally the last bag was off and she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. It was cash. An extremely large wad of cash! Flipping through the wad, she realized there had to have been close to a hundred thousand dollars. What? How could this be? This kind of thing only happens in movies. Her heart felt like it was going to come out of her chest; she was sweating and had started to breathe heavily. She got out of the car and looked around, there was no movement. She finally started to get herself together, her thoughts turned to her little girl and the extreme guilt she felt for leaving her. All the pictures just weren’t enough anymore. In that moment, the fog lifted and she knew it was time to go home.

While driving back to pick up her stuff from the room she was renting, she had realized that this money was enough to give her a fresh start. She quickly packed up her stuff and wrote a quick thank you note and to say goodbye. She pulled out her phone and started to call her Mom but stopped and decided to surprise her. Now that her mind was set, she couldn’t wait. She had no idea how she would explain the money or if she would just keep it her secret. She stopped at a Motel about two hours from her Moms to take a nap and a shower. She hid the money in her clothes and began the final leg of her journey. She was overcome with emotion when she pulled in the driveway of her childhood home and took a moment to gather herself before heading up to the door. She knocked lightly and then slowly turned the knob and let herself in. She had barely shut the door before her Mom came around the corner holding her baby girl.

She had replayed this moment in her mind over and over again during her time away but nothing came close to the reality of it. Her Mom grabbed and told her how much she loved her and how glad she was to have her home. As her Mom handed her the baby, she looked deep in her Mom’s eyes and said Thank you.