Serendipity

There are some people that believe that magic only exists in books and movies but it’s all around us if we’re open and willing to embrace it.

For the first time in 60 years, I'm going to share my story to show the world what magic truly is. I chose today because it’s Valentine's Day which commemorates the day my story began.

Be warned, after reading this story you may find bits of magic prancing around in your life. Like perfume, you can't spray it on someone else without getting a little on yourself.

The year was 1961. I was 20 years old and exactly where I wanted to be in life. I was young, beautiful and full of life. I landed a job at Morris Savings and Loan. This wasn't typical for a young girl in the 60's.

Oh, and Charlie! He was the perfect man for me, tall, handsome, and romantic. He spoiled me and brought the world to my fingertips. Once engaged, we decided to look for a home to buy. He insisted I pick it. This was easy since I've known where I've wanted to live since I was a girl, my grandmother’s house. It’s on top of a hill overlooking the bay and city skyscrapers.

My mother had died giving birth to me so my dad raised me. I spent every summer with my grandmother, Violet Mae; she was my world. She was eccentric and mystical. Once, she gave me a single puzzle piece and told me it was magical, to always keep it and, “Find your magic.” So, I promised I would. She passed when I was ten years old.

But on this Valentine’s Day, I woke up to Charlie planting kisses on my cheeks and handing me a breakfast tray. He said, "I love you Clara Rose, don't forget your puzzle piece on the tray." Then he went to work in his brand-new car.

The breakfast was glorious. I picked up my puzzle piece and got ready for work. I drove my beloved, 1949 Studebaker, to work which was only a mile away.

Once there, the smell of money was thick in the air. I helped customers open accounts and track transactions in their little black books that the bank gave to all its customers.

Deep within the minutiae of the day's tasks, I spotted Gary, the bank manager, glaring at me. I was reminded of yesterday’s incident with him. Gary got fresh with me and I slapped him. I hoped he had forgotten.

Gary came over, tapped my shoulder and gestured me to his office. He said I was fired and that I was pretty enough to land a husband and that's what I should do. I drove home sobbing. All I wanted was Charlie's embrace. As I parked my car, Charlie's car was already there. I was confused but also relieved; maybe he was planning a romantic surprise for Valentine’s Day.

When I got to the door, I heard voices. I went in and I saw him in our bed with a slender blonde, with smeared lipstick. He jumped up and exclaimed, “Sweetheart, let me explain!"

I was shocked! I ran to my car; the pain was inconceivable. I tried to start old Stu before Charlie ran towards me. I leapt from the car and ran away as he yelled, "Honey let's talk!" I took one last look at him and left him behind.

It started to rain as I walked aimlessly, crying, alone, and getting soaked. I found myself in front of my grandmother’s home. The house was dark; it had been empty for a decade. It was dilapidated and looked as sad as I felt.

It was unlocked so I went in and let out a loud shriek of pain that had been roaring inside me. The house creaked and groaned with the wind. Water was leaking from the roof and splattering into a puddle nearby. "The house is crying with me." I thought. I saw the old fireplace mantle and envisioned it with my grandmother’s knick knacks and pictures. My body shivered. I remembered that wood used to be stored in the basement and headed downstairs. I found them underneath the cabinet. "Matches?" I whispered, as I opened the cabinet. Inside was an old cigar box, right next to an oil lamp.

I set the lamp on the ground and opened the cigar box. “Matches!” I proclaimed. I snatched them up, causing the cigar box to fall to the ground and scattering its contents on the floor. I saw an emblem I recognized on a little black book. I struck a match and lit the lamp. I took a better look at the book. To my surprise, gold lettering gleamed, MORRIS SAVINGS AND LOAN. I scrolled through the pages and saw my name written in beautiful cursive, Clara Rose Darling. There were several deposits that began even before I was born.

I put the book in my pocket and picked up a photo of a lady and two young children less than three years old. As I studied the photo, I realized it was gran, a boy and me.

Bang! I was startled by the slam of a door. The photo dropped as I grabbed for the lamp. I made my way up the stairs to find a tall, brown eyed, man with a smooth round face, who was staring at me. He was wearing a trench coat and fedora with water dripping from its brim.

"What are...who are you?" he asked in an angry tone.

"Relax! I'm leaving." I answered.

"Well excuse me. I found a homeless person in my house so I have questions." he demanded.

Now, I don't know if it was what he said or how he said it or maybe I was just looking for a fight, but I felt enraged by him.

"You're home? This is my grandmother’s home. What are you doing here? It's late and this place is falling apart. Maybe I should be worried about you being here more than me!" I yelled.

Once I heard myself say it, I heard how ridiculous it sounded. I then confirmed, I was just looking for a fight.

He darted back, "No, this is my home. I just purchased it and came to check the property before leaving on a business trip, only to find a strange woman in my basement."

"I'm not a strange... I, I, I," I replied, as I slammed the door behind me. I wandered the streets and waited for the bank to open from a cafe nearby.

When it opened, I walked to the counter, handed the little black book to the teller and stated that I wanted to close the account. "Wait one moment mam. I have to confer with my manager on transactions this large." he responded.

"This large? What do you mean?" I questioned. He firmly replied, "One moment, please."

I hated the idea of facing Gary but I was determined. Gary sprouted from the back with a smirk.

"Woah! Clara Rose looks like hell!" he announced.

"Thanks, nice to see you too." I said with a smile.

"Now, what's the issue?" he asked the teller, barely containing his excitement.

The teller whispered in his ear and Gary belted out, "$20,000 dollars?"

His smirk vanished; my heart fluttered.

"$20,000 dollars?" I asked as my stomach flipped. Gary fumbled through the book and asked me to keep the account open since the amount was so large. My, how the tables turned.

"All of it, large bills please." I stated.

By the time they emptied their vault into my hands, I was bursting. They handed me a bag full of money, I pulled my sunglasses from my pocket and slid them on, as I waved goodbye and said, "Have a nice life, Gary."

I had all this money and endless possibilities. I returned to the cafe and was still reeling. "Thank you, grandma." I whispered over and over as I sipped my coffee. I thought about the events of the prior day, which now, seemed so far away.

Suddenly, last night's confrontation with the man in the hat snuck into my thoughts. I began wishing I could apologize to him for my behavior. Unfortunately, he said he was going on a trip.

A trip, that's what I needed. I finished my coffee and headed to the train station. “Where would I go?” I asked myself. So, I decided I would take the very next train. I walked up to the ticket master and blurted, "Give me a ticket for the next train headed to the farthest destination."

The ticket master laughed and replied, “10:20a.m. to Rapid City, South Dakota." I took a seat in the lounge and was deeply invested in a national geographic, when a man's voice whispered, "Excuse me, Miss, do you have the time?"

I answered without looking up, "It's close to 10a.m. There's a clock on the wall."

"Yes, but do you have the time to talk to me?" he asked.

The question compelled me to capture his eyes with mine. My mind surged for a moment; it was the man from last night's encounter. We both smiled and began to speak.

" I'm sorry about..." I began.

" No, it was me.” he interrupted.

"Please excuse my behavior. It was the worst day of my life and I'm normally a nice person."

He smiled and continued, "Well, I happen to be a great listener." I took comfort in his words.

He pulled a photo from his pocket and showed it to me. It was the photo from the basement.

"Is this little girl in the photo, you?" he asked.

"Yes, and my grandmother, but I'm not sure about the boy."

He snickered and cleared his throat.

"Well, that boy is me, and the woman in that picture was my grandparent’s neighbor. When I visited, I always came to see her. Her name was “Violet Mae”” we both said in unison.

Our eyes locked as her name leapt from our mouths. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bitten and worn single puzzle piece. My heart began to race; I reached into my purse and pulled out my single puzzle piece that looked almost as worn as his.

I held it out to him and explained, "This is my magical charm that she gave me and always told me to, “Find my magic.”"

He was stricken with my words and responded, "Well, Violet Mae gave this to me and promised that someday this puzzle piece will complete my life and lead to happiness. I didn't know what that meant until this very moment.”

He examined my puzzle piece and then linked the pieces together perfectly.

I was stunned. He was stunned.

We talked and talked like we were charmed by a spell; hours felt like minutes. Love is funny like that. We had hardly noticed that our trains had come and gone. Now, one would have thought that missing our trains would have snapped us out of our enchantment, but it only intrigued us more. We were busy falling in love.

Not any type of love, no, the type of love that changes a person forever. We were soul mates and we both knew it. We moved into gran’s old house and made it ours. Just three short months later, we were married. I was pregnant the following year and we had a little girl, Lily June. We opened an accounting firm shortly after our daughter was born and truly- lived, happily for the rest of our lives. Life can take magical twists and turns that appear random and sometimes they are painful, but really, it's just life's way of trying to nudge you into the right spot for magic to sprinkle upon you.