Adventure Awaits

She didn’t really know him, but after days turned to weeks without seeing him, she got this nervous feeling. Sure, he was older and the weather had turned warm, but she knew it was more than just staying inside with the a/c blasting.

The thing that bothered her the most was that she hadn’t worked up the nerve to sit down and ask him everything about his long life. She wanted to, but felt weird asking. She was shy about things like that. She imagined him having traveled the world, fighting for what was right and falling in love the old-fashioned way.

Then again maybe not. Maybe that was just her imagination getting away from her again. Maybe he was a grumpy old man. Or maybe that’s just what she tells herself so she doesn’t regret not working up the courage to say more.

The days came and went. She went on with her life, but every so often looked at the empty chair on the porch with a quick sadness in her heart.

One day she noticed a truck pull up to the old man’s house. A young couple emerged and entered the house. She looked out her window throughout the day and noticed them taking boxes out and loading them onto their truck.

Around dusk the man knocked on the door. Part of her wanted to ignore it. After all, this was a strange man. She knew they must be related to the old man, but what could he possibly want with her? It was broad daylight and her curiosity couldn’t help but creep in. She opened the door just as he was about to start down her stairs. He turned around.

“Hi! Sorry to bother you I’m Jack, my wife over there is Sarah. My Grandfather was your neighbor.”

“Oh, Yes. I’m Sylvia, are you moving in?”

“No, we’re just cleaning out the place and tying up some loose ends.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, we’ve been going through everything and he wanted you to have this.”

The man handed her a small black notebook.

She gave a quizzical look and said “You must be mistaken. I didn’t know him that well.”

“Well you’re Sylvia of 33 Bark St Apt B aren’t you?”

Confused she said “Yeah, That’s me, but…”

“Well then this is yours.” He said.

“I can’t, it wouldn’t be right.”

“Hey, you’re not going to go against a man’s last wishes, are you?” He smiled.

“I suppose not. When you put it like that.” She gave an awkward giggle “Well, Thanks.”

“No problem. Nice meeting you.” He nodded.

“You as well.” She replied.

She shut the door and felt the weight of the book in her hand. She glided her hand over the smooth leather. Why would he give this to me? What could it be? The answer would be right in the notebook, but she was skeptical. She took a deep breath and opened it. The first page said:

“Dear Sylvia,

This is from Tom Seabright, your neighbor on 35 Bark Ave. I know if you are reading this I have passed on, but don’t be sad. This old man is ready for the next step. Anyway, I know we didn’t talk much, but seeing your friendly hello everyday was nice. You seemed like a curious girl who would have liked to talk more, but I didn’t want to keep you. You had this kindness in your eyes. I could just imagine us being good friends if we both weren’t so shy. Although friendly enough you did seem quiet. I never saw you have friends over and you seemed to be home a lot for a young girl. Obviously, I don’t know you well, but I’m very observant as I sense you are as well. Let me get to the point. I have lived a very long, full life and I want nothing more than for you to do the same. In this notebook, you will find some notes and stories about places I’ve been and things I’ve experienced. I want you to read each part in the place that I talk about. Now it’s very important that you do the whole thing until the end and no peaking ahead! I wish that this brings you happiness just as these experiences have brought happiness to me.

Best of luck,

The old man on the porch

She couldn’t believe what she was reading. Was this for real? Had her imagination finally gotten away from her that she created this in her mind? But no, clear as day this small black notebook was in her hand. No harm could come from continuing to read.

Should she really do it? She was hesitant, but that was typical of her. She mulled it over and finally decided- what’s the harm in trying it out?

Like the letter said, she went to each spot that was indicated at the top of the page before reading the story. She knew it was kind of crazy that this had become her weekend hobby, but she couldn’t help it. She had wanted to know more about the old man’s life and here it was right in front of her. She felt like she was right in the story with him. A few places had changed but she could still imagine.

“The first place I have for you here is my childhood home. Sure, this one may seem like a given. I didn’t exactly choose this adventure for myself, I was born here. However, I think it’s important to go back to places that made you- the places where you grew up because that is when you were your most authentic self. Now I wanted you to do the same and think back to when you were your most authentic self and be that now.”

It was a cute house on a typical street that had definitely changed since he last lived there, but it did remind her of her own childhood. It made her think about how she would have never seen herself like this as an adult. She would never have been so nervous and worried all the time. Why did that change?

“The address of this lake is at the top of the page per usual, but I want you to go down around the blue trail until you get to the clearing by the rope swing. At this clearing is where I proposed to my wife. I didn’t know she would be the one at first, but I chose to open my heart and dive right in. As we got to know each other, I loved her more and more. I knew that whatever adventures waited for me in life, I wanted them to be with her. It may not have been the most extravagant proposal, but it was special because it was ours. “

Once she got to the lake, she took the hike to the clearing. Reading his love story made her wonder if she’d ever feel that kind of love for someone herself. Just past the clearing there was the rope swing. She couldn’t believe it was still there. It was so unlike her, but she decided to get on that rope swing, let go and just dive right in.

“This location will bring you to the place I first headed out on my own as a young adult. The feeling was scary, but so freeing. It was a simple life working at a café by day and blowing off steam at the local pub at night. Many may have looked down at that life, but as a young man I was on top of the world.”

It was a quaint town upstate. It wasn’t too far, but she decided to stay in a bed and breakfast anyway. She explored the whole town. She hated bars and staying out late, but she decided in good spirit she would visit the pub. Sure enough it was still there, a typical, old, small town pub. She sat at the end of the bar nursing her drink for a while. As the night went on and people began to light up the night, she went out on the dance floor. She even danced with a stranger. She danced the night away. It was all scary and freeing. Sure, the people would have changed since the old man was here, the music and the styles, but this feeling was timeless.

“Not every place in this book is going to hold good memories. Although this place holds a memory that’s filled with sadness and uncertainty, it’s the moments like this that make you stronger and give you appreciation for the little things. It may look like a field, but this is where I laid for hours after finding out I was drafted for war. Thinking of everything and nothing all at once.”

It may have seemed dramatic, but she laid in the middle of the field for hours, too. As sad as it was to think about, she wanted to feel this, too. She wanted to feel everything in life because it was real.

Before she knew it, a few months had passed and she was on the last adventure. She didn’t want it to be over. She enjoyed getting answers, she enjoyed being a part of the story. What would she do when it was all over? This notebook had given her so much. She had something to do on the weekends now. She didn’t have to avoid the watercooler on Mondays because while everyone else talked about their lives, all she did was read another book or clean the house. This book gave her purpose.

As much as she wanted to avoid turning the last page to prolong her adventure a little longer, her curiosity got her once again. She flipped the page and the only thing there was an address to a bank and information about a safety deposit box with a key taped to the back cover.

Of course, her overactive imagination had her thinking of all the worst-case scenarios. Was this all too good to be true? Was this old man a criminal and he’s left behind the evidence? Was all this a mistake and it was never meant for her? She dreaded doing this last task, but once again her curiosity got the better of her.

She drove straight to the bank and followed the directions. A nice enough woman helped her. The woman’s piercing eyes made her feel like the she was suspicious, but in all reality, she knew no one cared. She was led to the back where the safety deposit boxes were kept and they left her alone with the box.

She took a deep breath and just like the first day with that small, black notebook she opened it without knowing what was in store.

When she opened it, there was a stack of crisp one hundred dollar bills and a letter.

Dear Sylvia,

If you are here, you have made it to the end of the journal, or you have cheated and skipped straight to the end. You don’t seem like the kind of person who would do that, though. If you made it here, you have gone to some of the important places of my life. I wanted to share with you my experiences and adventures so you could experience that there is more outside of your door. Now that we’ve come to the end of my journey, I am leaving you twenty thousand dollars- and don’t worry it is legitimate money. You can check. This is so that you can now have your own adventure. I don’t want you to only have lived my experiences, but I want you to get out there and live your own. This is what I want. Don’t you go against an old man’s last wish.

Love,

The old man on the porch