You hold the Key

The alarm clock buzzer buzzed into her dream. It would not stop it's insisting interruption of her rest. There was only one solution. She had to wake up and hit snooze. Oh, she was a snoozer, usually. Today, she couldn't snooze. She had a job interview. She needed this job, so she couldn't be late. She slumped slowly out of bed, into the bathroom, eyes still closed. She opens her eyes to a blurred brown face in mirror, blinks several times before her view became clearer. "Alright, get it together." She coached herself, and proceeded through her morning routine. After about 45 minutes of brushing, washing, moisturizing, and four outfit changes, she was ready to call her Uber. Her ride would be arriving in 4 minutes. She grab an energy bar, her purse and keys and checked the locks. "Here we go." she said out loud while closing the door.

She walked out into the cold, sunny morning. The brightness hurt a bit, but the sun's rays made this 30 degree day a bit warmer. As she attempted to adjust to the sun, simultaneously checking for her ride's license plate, she bumped into a graying middle aged woman with dark glasses. The woman's belongings went everywhere. " Agh! " the woman huffed, "You young people and these cell phones! How about you pay attention!" She felt so embarrassed. "I am so sorry, ma'am! You are right. I wasn't paying attention. Let me help you." "NO!" The middle aged woman snapped. "I don't need your help! Try keeping your eyes out of your phone!" She noticed the lady crying, and wondered if she caused those tears. "Are you okay, ma'am? I do apologize. "I'm fine. Just give me my things, thank you!" she snarled. Just then, her phone pinged for her Uber. The middle aged woman hustled out to hail a taxi. Who takes taxis anymore, she thought to herself, as she watched the lady hurry in and bark at the driver, "To the airport right away!" Just as the middle aged woman was closing the cab door, she looked down and saw a small leather bound black book. "Ma'am, wait! You forgot your..." The taxi sped off. "Book." she finished with a sigh. She stuffed the book in her purse and got into her Uber.

She had an okay interview. She wasn't so confident that she would get the position. Even though it went well, she received the standard, "We'll be in touch" response from her interviewer. As she settled down at home, ready to unwind from her day, she noticed her phone wasn't near. " Where is it?" she said out loud asking no one. She went straight for her purse and poured everything onto the bed. There it was, with a 4% battery life. She reached for her charger, and at the same time grabbed the little leather bound black book. " I forgot all about you", she said caressing the book. It looked brand new. It still had the fresh leather smell, and only a few pages had writing. It was the kind of book that had front and back storage pockets. In the front pocket, there was a folded piece of paper with an address in Arizona. It had no name. In the back pocket, there was a small key. I wonder if this is the taxi lady's address, she thought. I will mail the book, and hopefully she will receive it.

Several months past. The world was shut down due to a global pandemic. Thousands of people lost their jobs. She was one of the thousands.

She went down to the lobby of her apartment building in her pajama pants and mask to check the mail. This is her standard outfit since quarantine began. All she ever received in her mail box were bills she couldn't afford to pay. Her job down sized her, as well as all other new employees when the quarantine order came out in March. This was only two weeks after she was hired for the job, and that was three months ago. Still no signs of reopening the world. She grabbed her mail and scurried back to her apartment. Shuffling through the mail, she found her usual bills, but then, an unusual letter from the address in Arizona that was in the little black book. "Oh, how nice! She probably sent a thank you note. That means she got her black book back," she said out loud to herself. She opened the envelope and was completely speechless by what she saw. It was a check with her name on it for $20,000 ! She had to blink to make sure she was seeing clearly. We she released herself from the shock, she was able to read the letter that was in the envelope with the check:

Dear Kalayna,

My name is Veronica Pemberton. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kindness. When we bumped into each other that day in Boston, I was so upset. I had just buried my dear aunt and was still very distraught. Our collision wasn't entirely your fault, and I knew that at the time. I was too hurt and prideful to admit it. Although I was rude to you, you still went out of your way to ensure that I had my belongings returned to me, and I am forever grateful. You see, my aunt left me and my children a small fortune from her antique shops in Boston. The key that was inside the book was to a safety deposit box in our hometown in Arizona. My aunt created it for me and my children on one of her winter visits. Without that key, we would not have been able to claim our inheritance. The check that I have enclosed is a small token of my family's appreciation. Thank you so much for your kindness. If ever you need anything ( a key, a little black book!) you know where to find me.

My deepest gratitude,

Veronica

As the tears poured from Kalayna's eyes, and she fought to see the words on the page and the numbers and name on the check, she felt her mothers words flood her heart and fill her with understanding,

"The things you do come back to you. Always remember that kindness is key."