Mae

Mae moved quite a bit in her life. But she didn’t mind, she grew accustomed to not staying in one place for long. She was 30 and had already moved 15 times since she was 20 years old.

She lived alone but every time she moved her mother, father and younger brother would stop everything to help her, it made her appreciate them more than ever. Lately she had been so nostalgic about her childhood, all she did when she was not working was think about the fun she and her brother had growing up.

Mae didn’t understand why she felt inspired to move so often. It always cost a lot of money and even though they didn’t complain, she knew it was not easy on her family. She had to switch jobs quite often, yet somehow would always find a new one quickly and have enough money to pay for rent and all the necessities.

Every time Mae moved she noticed one thing in particular. No matter which city she went to, somehow as soon as she got there, a package wrapped in brown paper would show up. Whether it was left at an apartment she moved into, at a local park lying on the grass, or kids holding one while walking by her, it always made an appearance the first week in a new town.

Though she had come across so many of these mysterious and sometimes seemingly suspicious packages, she had never once opened one.

There were times she was tempted to, especially with the big package left in her last apartment. When she moved in she thought it was a table because it was covered with a beautiful handmade cloth. When she took the tablecloth off to hand wash it she discovered the box. Mae decided to leave it alone for the whole year she lived there. It sat right in the center of the living room. Friends and family would visit almost daily and they would always urge Mae to open it. Although she did want to, she decided to wait longer and see if the previous owner would come back to pick it up. The packages never had any writing on them, so Mae figured they weren’t meant for her.

On Mae’s next move to another apartment, the brown package was delivered by her little brother George. This was the first time the package had shown up directly from someone in her family. It had been the hardest move yet, and her family had complained the most about helping her on this one. They urged her to stop moving so much. So Mae was surprised that her brother would be giving her a present after what a pain she had been. He knocked on the door, handed it to her, and said Mae you must open this, it is from me and the rest of our family. Mae was surprised at how heavy the little box was. She thought to herself, finally after all these years, I can open one of these mysterious packages.

He left her alone to open it. Mae sat down in her living room. And carefully opened one side of the package, she could partially see and feel a heavy piece of wood with a message written on it. As she opened the rest she could see the two words. She read “Wa…” Her eyes suddenly shot open and she was surprised to see her family sitting around her in a hospital room quietly chanting please wake up.

“How long have I been in a coma for?” Mae asked her family. Her brother George answered, “Since you were 20.”