Page 34 of His Obsession

“Thanks,” I laugh. “That’s the third time I’ve almost died down here.

“It’s a good thing you have help now, or we’d find you days from now trapped under a pile of this shit,” Lucian jokes as he starts stacking boxes back up.

“Wait,” I yell at him, and he steps back. I see the corner of what looks to be a safe, so I start move boxes over to reveal a fire safe. Lucian steps over to help get it out of the corner and onto the table we have set up. “Why was it hidden?”

“Let’s open it and find out,” he says. “We probably need to move this upstairs where the lighting is better.

I run ahead of him to open the basement door as he brings it up to sets it on the coffee table. It’s a four-digit code from zero to ninety-nine. So, there are endless possibilities for what it wouldbe. Lucian calls Carol, Laura, and Bradley over while I pace the living room, thinking.

“You know her better than anyone,” Lucian says to Carol. “Any idea?”

“Try her birthday,” Bradley suggests.

“She wouldn’t pick that day. She was probably raped on her birthday,” I say.

“Okay, yours,” Bradley counters.

“She gave me up. Why would it be mine?”

“Because she gave you up,” he says. “I doubt she wanted to give you up. She just didn’t want the constant reminder of her rape. She did what she thought was best to protect her mental health.”

“1-0-3-1 doesn’t work,” Lucian says.

“Try... 10-31-19-99,” I say.

“Uh… nope,” he says.

“Same thing, just backward,” I suggest.

“Got it,” he says. As the door to the safe opens up, he moves over so I can sit with him. I stare at the slightly ajar door for a moment before taking a deep breath and opening it.

The first thing I pull out instantly brings tears to my eyes. I hold a small hospital band and stare at it. It has my date of birth on it. The next thing I pull out is a tiny hat, and Lucian wraps his arms around my body to hug me. If I stop, I’ll fall apart. Next, I pull out a silver necklace.

“What’s that?” Laura asks.

“Uh. It’s a necklace. I recognize the symbol,” I say.

“It’s a Wheel of Fortune,” Lucian says. “It’s a symbol of destiny. It has many origins, but it’s most often associated with the Roman Goddess, Fortuna.”

“Woah,” I say as I pull a small statue from the safe.

“That is Fortuna,” Lucian says. “That is likely solid gold.”

“Why did she have it?” I ask.

“Probably an heirloom. The necklace too,” he says.

“Would it be weird if I wore the necklace?” I ask.

“I think it’s safe to say that she put this stuff together for you,” Lucian says, picking up the necklace. I hold my hair up and he clasps the necklace around my neck.

The last thing I pull out of the safe is a leather-bound journal. When I open it, a folded paper falls out.

My dear, sweet Elise,

I don’t know how much longer I have. The cancer has progressed quickly, so I am finding that this will be the only way I can answer the many questions I know you have.

To start off with, I am not your aunt. I am your mother. I’m sorry I lied; I just wasn’t ready to face it yet. Now that I am, it’s too late. They say I could have days or even just hours before I will inevitably slip away.

---