The Heirloom             by: Stacy Bolan

 

Working the night shift can be a real problem at times. Particularly in my neighborhood. I had only just crawled into bed when some idiot started knocking on my door. I rolled over and looked at my clock, it read 7.00am. Probably just the neighborhood kids again I thought. If I ignore it, they'll go away. I was right, they did go away and I drifted off to sleep.

It was only 12 minutes later that the knocking started again. Ignoring it this time was something that wasn't working. So when my clock read 7.20am, I got out of bed to answer the door. If it was those damn kids again there would be hell to pay.

I finally got to the door and there was a guy in a suit there. I opened the door and he asked, "Are you Mr. Louis Jessup?" I answered, "Yes" and he shoved an envelope in my hands and left. Oh great, I thought that bitch of an ex-wife has served papers on me again. What does she want this time? Well the bitch can wait, I thought and went back to bed.

It was 7.30am and I hoped I could get at least 5 hours sleep before the next interruption. At 1.30pm the telephone rang and still half asleep, I answered it. Wouldn't you know it, a bloody wrong number. After I rolled back over I noticed the time and got up.

Best get the bad news over with I thought as I looked at the envelope. After picking it up, I ripped it open and found an invitation inside to a will reading. The only problem was I had no idea who Prudence Myrtle Jones was. Still it was addressed to me and I would have the time on this shift.

Two days later, I was sitting in a lawyer's rooms with five complete strangers, three women and two men. We chatted whilst we waited and not one of us knew whose will we were there for. When the lawyer entered the room he welcomed us all and then placed a videotape in the VCR in the room. When the video started, we all found out whom we were here for. It was Aggie the old woman I had helped out that cold and rainy day about six months ago.

Aggie had a flat tire and a broken jack. Unfortunately, she had one of those new cars and my jack was useless. I did however, have a car phone and we rang roadside help. Because of the weather, they advised they might be an hour. Being the Good Samaritan I am, I offered to wait with her. We got talking and she seemed to know a lot about sport.

By the time roadside assistance arrived we had become quite friendly. Ever since then, I had visited her every Thursday. It wasn't long before I knew that she had no family. Her only son had died in a plane crash along with his wife and her grandchildren years before. She really just needed company. After the videotape the lawyer handed us all envelopes and left the room.

After chatting with the other people in the room, we all realized we had met Aggie in the same way. The only difference in our stories was the night we visited her. Strangely enough the day she died, none of us were scheduled to see her and none of us ever saw her body before it was cremated.

With no other common thread amongst us, we all went our separate ways. It wasn't until I got home that I remembered the envelope and decided to open it. All it contained was a letter and a password for a safe deposit box at a local bank.

The letter read:

Dear Louis,

I thank you for being a friend to me during my last few months. As you will know by now, you weren't the only person I met by having a flat tire.

Being old and not having any family can be very lonely.

Please know that I considered you and the others my family during my latter days.

Inside this envelope you will find a password for a safety deposit box at the First National Bank here in town. There is nothing of any value in the box, just an old family heirloom I would like you to have.

Just like me, you now have no family and this heirloom will bring you happiness.

Thank you again for being my friend.

 

Prudence Myrtle Jones (Aggie).

 

At first, I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't think I deserved the heirloom. Later, I realized that if I didn't take it I would be dishonoring Aggie's last wish. The next day after getting up I went to the Bank and retrieved the heirloom. It was a ring. I could remember Aggie mentioning the rings I wore when I visited her. I liked the look of the ring and it went well with the others I wore, so I decided to wear it. Little did I know how much that simple choice would effect my life.

Time went by and I had almost forgotten Aggie, when once again I did my Good Samaritan act. This time it was a beautiful young lady and we once again became very friendly. Over time Kerry and I got to know each other well and I think I fell in love with her. The one thing we hadn't done though was make love. It wasn't from a lack of effort on my part though.

Six months later, I knew I loved her and I was sure she felt the same way. I decide to propose to her, but I was in for a big shock when she answered me. Kerry admitted that she loved me too and thanked me for not pushing her to have sex. She told me that she had been brutally raped and almost died when she was only 16 and had not had sex since. She then broke down in tears and admitted that she didn't think she would want sex again, ever.

I loved her and didn't want her to cry. So I hugged her and tried to calm her. Kerry then told me that I was the best friend she ever had. Better even than her girlfriends. As she pulled away from me, we held hands and she said the words that would change my life forever.

"Louis, I would give anything to be able to make love with you and I know you feel the same, don't you?" When I answered. " Yes I would give anything." It happened. I felt a tingle coming from Aggie's ring and then I blacked out. When I came too I was looking at myself.

If I was looking at myself, who was I. I was so stunned that I couldn't speak. Then I heard my voice asking me "Louis is that you, it's me Kerry. I seem to be in your body." "I finally got out two words, "The Ring." Kerry seemed to understand what I meant and held up my hand. It wasn't there. We then both got down on our hands and knees and looked all over the room.

After searching high and low, we were unable to find it. We then looked at each other and then we kissed. Our passions were on fire and before we knew it we had made love for the first time. It was after we had made love that we realized the gift the ring had given us. Kerry then looked at me and said, "Louis the answer to you earlier question is yes, I will marry you.

It was a month later that we stood at the altar and were married. I took Louis as my husband and he took me Kerry as his wife. As we left the church for the reception, I was sure that I spotted Aggie. I am now 6 months pregnant and Aggie if you are out there, I'm having a girl and I'm going to name it Prue after you. Thank you again Aggie, my life could not be better.

 

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