My Obsession

The Memories Within

“Huh…” Mom had never mentioned this box before, nor did I ever know it was there. I gingerly lifted it out of its hiding space and went to the bed, sitting down. There was a fine layer of dust on top, showing that it hadn’t been touched in a very long time. I undid the knot in the twine, watching it come unraveled and falling to either side of it.

I slowly picked up the lid and sat it to the side, not wanting to get durst all over myself. Inside, photos and trinkets littered the whole box, a small envelope with a slit in the top off to the side. “Oh, these are from grandma!” I found a picture of her in a wedding dress, grandpa standing next to her with a large grin. Compared to him, grandma seemed reserved; barely smiling even.

I see the photo to the side, digging around to see what else was there. There were news clippings that fell apart when I touched them, some sticking together slightly better. I found the birth announcement for my mother, and a couple that had stories of a business booming in the area. They mentioned the founder being successful with his company, a couple things highlighted by hand.

There was a pressed daisy; the petals as fine as paper, some falling off into my hand. A couple small trinkets, a swan and a wolf that looked like they were made of tin with small loops at the end, charms that were detailed and beautiful. I shook the box slightly when I pulled out the letter, hearing a slight rattle as something else moved about the paper. I rooted around for a second and then found what made the noise. “Oh my!”

It was a large gold ring, the stone in the middle an impossible shade of purple. It was heavy in my hand, the smooth stone catching in the light and letting off small little sparkles. Curiosity overtook me, slipping the ring onto my middle finger on my right hand. It went on like butter, settling in perfectly and looking like it was made to go there. “Grandma never mentioned you..” I whispered as I held up my hand to look at it.

Sighing, I opened the letter and gently unfolded it, not wanting to rip the delicate paper.

Dearest Daisy,

I am so sorry my love that I have not come to you in person. Please forgive me for sending my cousin in my place. I fear that if I see you again, I will not be able to stop myself and claim you wholly with all of my heart.

Keep the ring, it suits you so well, but I cannot be with you as we intended and dreamed. Tensions are high here and having you around will be unsafe for your health as well as the people who would wish it on you. Marry that Grant man and forget about me entirely, live your life and burn the memories that we have to make it easier on you if you must.

My graceful swan, please know that this wolf will only hunt you down if you come here again; please from the bottom of my heart, do not tempt me so. For I must choose duty over love for the sake of peace. Hate me if you must, for I will hate myself until the day I take my last breath. Forget the night we shared last week like it had never happened, for the memory of your gentle touch against my body will mock me as the coward I am for turning you away.

I am sorry. A. G.

Damn, grandma… I had never known any of this about her, nor did I think my mom did as well. I remembered my grandma from when I was younger, her funeral happening when I was seven. She had seemed happy with grandpa, from at least what I could tell.

I knew Grandpa and Grandma had mom early after the wedding, supposedly she came early too. “Wait… could mom be…” No, mom was grandpa’s daughter; I was sure. She looked almost like him and had his same mannerisms too. But I couldn’t even ask him. He had passed last spring, all three of the buried in the same cemetery now.

I put everything back in the box, deciding it would come with me as well; going back and forth over a few hours and pulling keepsakes that were left and putting them in my car. I made calls to goodwill, food donation banks, and even a small consignment shop for the clothing, making sure to turn out every pocket for even one penny that might have been left.

Soon, the house was basically empty, all save for the old couch that no one seemed to want. I ordered in some Chinese food, scrolled on my phone until well past midnight, and used the last blanket to cuddle up on the rickety thing, deciding it was better than the car. Soon enough though, my alarm was blaring for me to get up at seven in the morning. I yawned and began to pack up my overnight stuff, and using the bathroom in the house for one last time and right at eight a knock sounded on the front door.

“Hello?” I opened the front door, seeing a woman with a red blazer and a stack of papers in her hands.

“Dorothy?” She gave me a look up and down, seeing me in my baggy pajama pants and ripped band tee shirt.

“Yes?”

“I’m Jill from Green Acres Realty! Are you ready to sign everything?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I didn’t want to lose this last tie to my family, but being able to afford even a slice of bread sometime soon seemed like the best choice right now. My mom would have understood as well as my grandparents. “When will the money transfer over?”

“Three business days at most.” She nodded as she went over to the couch, sitting down with a slight hesitation at the worn and stained fabric. “I just need you to sign here… here… and here.” She indicates spots along the papers, having me sign and initial different spots here and there. “Last one!” She sighed after I went through what seemed like a billion different pages, my eyes swimming at all of the technical jargon.

“So who’s buying this area anyways? I know it’s a business, but I’m not too familiar with them.” I also knew that they were trying to build a luxury area to bring in tourists, the hills and valleys around here breathtaking to view.

“Wolf Enterprises. They specialize in commercial building and have their fingers just about in every pie. To be honest, you were the only holdout in the area. Now that everything’s finalized, they have big plans to follow through on.” Jill beamed, taking all of her papers and restocking them.

“Do you need anything else from me then?” I glanced around at the living room again, taking in the floral wall paper and the chipped crown molding.

“No, no. They are interested in immediate possession though.”

“As soon as the money clears, I’ll sign and send you that one.” I indicated the paper I had in my hand, not really trusting the business deal and hoping for the money.

“Alright, I’ll let them know.” She stood up and went to the door. “Thank you for doing business with us!”

“Yah… Sure…” I watched her go and sighed, leaving out the front door too and locking up. I left the key to the house under the cracked flower pot and went to my car. Hopping in, I turned it on and let my eyes roam over the exterior of my family home for one last time. I’d had birthday parties, family get together, I had even lost my first tooth in there. This was more than likely going to be the last time I ever saw this old Victorian house standing and I was the last one who would remember the history in its walls.

“Bye house..” I said under my breath as I started the car and pulled out of the drive, heading to the city.