Unexpected Chance

by Annalisa Nicole

  “What do you think?” I ask. I know he was faced with some tough decisions, not that long ago. I honestly value his opinion.

  “If she were my woman, no question, I’d do it,” he says, then walks back over to Chloe.

  Chloe looks at me with a nod and a smile. I take the envelope into the bedroom and look at what’s inside. Now I understand why Max had no doubts about it. I put the envelope in my briefcase for the time being and join my family in the kitchen.

  Breakfast, which turned into brunch, has worn Savvy out. “Alright, I love you all, but grab your crazy munchkins and get out of our house. Savvy needs to rest,” I tell them.

  “I’m totally fine,” Savvy says. “You all don’t have to go.”

  Samantha, who just finished cleaning the kitchen, winks at me and says, “Aiden’s right, everyone out.”

  Everyone gives Savvy a hug and a kiss goodbye. I get handshakes and hugs in congratulations on our engagement. Finally, everyone is out of our house.

  “Really, I’m not tired at all. You didn’t need to kick everyone out. Your family is the bomb dot com for coming over like that,” she says.

  “They’re your family now too, and I have somewhere I want to take you,” I tell her, taking her right hand in mine.

  “Really, you’re not going to be the rest police?” she asks curiously.

  “I know better than to try and keep you down. I’m lucky I got you in bed last night to rest,” I tell her honestly. Living with this woman is like living inside a tornado. “Let’s go,” I tell her. I grab the envelope out of my briefcase, then lead her out to my car.

  “Where are we going?” she asks, once we’re on the freeway.

  I glance at her out of the corner of my eye, then smile at her. After a quick fifteen minute drive, I pull off the freeway. Her eyes go to the familiar building and she starts to get nervous. “Aiden I don’t want to be here,” she says scared.

  I take her hand, “Trust me. I said last night I wouldn’t let anything or anyone ever hurt you again, and I mean that. You’ll want to see this.”

  Savvy

  I heard Aiden talking to Max last night, I knew he was up to something, but this was the furthest from my mind. We get off the freeway in my old neighborhood. I’m embarrassed for Aiden to even see it. Two rights and a left and we’ll be back where I never want to be again. Two rights and a left, I swore I’d never step foot in that house again.

  “Aiden, please take me back home,” I beg.

  His hand comes to my leg and gives me a squeeze, then travels up my leg to my hand. He laces his fingers in my exposed fingers, then rests his hand gently on my cast. Two rights and a left, I could never forget. Two rights and a left, my heart sinks in my stomach.

  He takes the first right, and the panic starts to creep up the back of my throat. But he doesn’t take the second right. He turns left instead and drives toward town and the local businesses. Instant relief and a huge weight lift from my chest. It’s quickly replaced with more fear. Why are we going into town?

  “Aiden, I don’t want to see her,” I plead.

  “We’re not seeing anyone, I promise. We’re almost there,” he says, squeezing my fingers.

  He turns the car into a storage facility. I’m confused. Why does Aiden have a storage unit in the town that I grew up in? He rolls down his window, then punches in a code on the keypad. The large, black gate slowly rolls to the right. He drives forward, then glances at the front of the envelope he took with him from the house. Then he looks at the large numbers painted on the side of the brick rows. He slowly drives down a row and stops in front of space three twenty-two. He turns off the engine, reaches into the manila envelope, and takes out a key. He turns to me and holds it up between us. “Open the storage locker,” he says.

  “Aiden, I don’t want to,” I tell him scared.

  “We’ll do it together, side by side,” he says, grabs the envelope and gets out of the car. He walks around to my door and opens it. His hand appears in my vision. A large truck pulls up behind us and stops. The driver gets out of the truck and walks over to Aiden. He hands him the keys and shakes his hand. Then he leaves on foot.

  Aiden’s face fills my vision. “Do you trust me?” he asks.

  All I can do is nod my head yes, because I unequivocally do. His hand is back and I reluctantly put mine in his. He helps me out of the car, then we walk over to the storage unit. He hands me the key, then flips the padlock upwards and holds it steady for me. I take a deep breath, put the key in the lock and turn it. Aiden takes off the lock and with a big pull he rolls up the heavy metal door.

  It’s instant recognition. My eyes fill with tears. I’m seven years old again, standing in my house with my mother. I can see it as clear as day, all of our furniture and pictures hanging on the wall in the family room. I can hear my mother singing in the kitchen as I sit at the table coloring, the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven invade my senses. “Go wash up for dinner, Savvy girl,” I hear her say. Her voice, oh her voice. I’ve missed it so much. I take my crayons and coloring book and bring it to my room. I see my pretty pink canopy bed, the dresser with large orange flowers stuck on each drawer. My shelves are filled with books and dolls. I see everything I loved so much and never saw again once I moved into Aunt Molly’s house. It’s all here. Everything I remember that was happy in my childhood is in this storage locker. Memories, sights, sounds, smells, they all play in my mind in vivid color like they’ve been waiting for me to open this door.

  Confusion, sadness, and a million other emotions crowd my brain. Aiden squeezes my right hand and wipes tears from my cheeks that I didn’t even know were there. He lets go of my hand and reaches in the large envelope. He hands me a letter. I shake my head no. I can’t bear to read it. It’s all too much, it’s just too painful. He takes it out of the envelope and hands me the paper. I look up into his eyes and wish a million times over that I didn’t have to take it. He gives me a small kind smile and I take it, knowing how much I trust Aiden. I take a deep breath and open the letter. Aiden stands behind me, gently puts his hands on my shoulders, then wraps an arm around my upper chest, pulling me back into his body. The first thing I do is look at the handwriting. I know my aunt’s handwriting, I could never forget it. She used to leave me lists of chores to do while she was gone at work. This isn’t her handwriting. Aunt Molly’s handwriting is hard and angry looking. This writing is kind with a whimsical slant.

  Savvy,

  You may not remember me. I used to live next door to your aunt Molly. My name is Beth. I didn’t really know you or your aunt; she pretty much kept to herself. I was shocked when she died eight years ago and I received notice that she left specific instructions to me in her will with what to do with her belongings. It was a strange request, but I felt compelled to abide by her dying wishes. She instructed that her house and all her belongings be auctioned off and donated to ALS research, which I’m happy to say there was a very large contribution made in your mother’s name. She left me specific instructions and the key to this storage unit. I have to tell you many times I felt like I should have contacted you sooner. Molly prepaid for this unit for ten years. After the ten years, on your thirty-seventh birthday, I was to contact you and give you the key. I’ve never looked inside the unit. I still live in the house next door to where you used to live, if you have any questions I’d be happy to answer them. When I saw your friend Max pull up to the house, I knew exactly why he was there. After listening to what he said, I hope this unit brings you answers and comfort.

  Beth

  I fold the letter, then look back up at all of my childhood memories. Why would my aunt do this? Why did she have everything but keep it from me? When she moved me into her house, I was given none of my belongings. Not my pretty bed or any of my pretty dolls. I was young, and I just didn’t understand. If my aunt died eight years ago I would have been twenty-seven. That means ten years after that would make me thirty-seven. That’s two years from now. My ears ti
ngle as the significance of the number thirty-seven hits me. That’s how old my mother was when she died. How can someone be so cruel and twisted?

  Aiden is still holding me tight as the memories in front of my eyes get blurry with my tears. All the memories I thought I had forgotten, that I thought were lost forever, come back to me in a rush. From dancing on my mother’s toes in our kitchen, to helping her garden in the back yard, to the way she used to tuck me in at night. Oh my God, my mother’s garden, I remember it, it’s all coming back.

  “Orange tiger lilies,” I whisper.

  She used to line the edge of the grass with flowerbeds of orange tiger lilies. It’s my favorite flower and I had forgotten why. They were my mother’s favorite flower, too. A lifetime of ‘I can dream, can’t I’ took over everything that was happy and good in my memories. As I look around the unit, the good ones flood back to me and fill me with so much joy, that not even the darkest of nights could diminish my smile. That’s what Aiden was waiting for, my smile. He squeezes me tight. I can feel his lips turn up into a smile at my ear.

  “Yo, let’s get the truck loaded,” Max says behind us.

  I turn in Aiden’s arms and look into his eyes. We’re taking all of this home? He nods his head at my unspoken question and I jump in his arms. Chloe comes to my side and puts her hand on one arm, while Amelia puts her hand on my other.

  “Yo, broken wing. Get down so Aiden can help us, so we can get this stuff back to your house,” Asher says with a smile.

  “Don’t say that,” Max says.

  “Don’t say what?” Asher asks confused.

  “Don’t say, yo. That’s my line,” Max says. “You’re not cool enough to say, yo,” Max replies.

  “Dude, I’ll show you cool,” Asher says, rolling up his shirt.

  I shake my head at the boys as Aiden sets me on my feet. Everyone gets to work loading all of the boxes and furniture into the truck that had pulled behind his car when we first got here. I was so caught up in all the memories, I didn’t hear anyone back the truck up to the door.

  It only takes about forty-five minutes for everyone to load the truck. Max gets behind the wheel of the truck and drives away, and everyone else follows behind him. It’s ironic the feeling in this unit now. It’s empty and void of the memories, just like I felt every year after my mother passed away. Each year another memory would slip away. Her smell, her smile, her voice, all became harder to hold onto, but they were always there.

  “There’s one more letter in the envelope. I didn’t read it and I’m not sure if you want to see it or not, it’s from your Aunt Molly,” he says, holding out another envelope.

  Loud, wailing sirens of anger fill my ears. Part of me wants to rip the letter to shreds and leave it in the unit. She’s done nothing but make sure my life was a living hell, even after she died. If she wants to offer some pitiful lame excuse in the form of a letter to rest her soul, she has another thing coming. Then another memory flashes in my vision. One I had totally forgotten. I remember how close my mother was to her sister. I remember happy times where my aunt would sit with us and we’d play. Aunt Molly used to sit for hours in the sandbox in the backyard and play with me. She used to tell me I looked just like my mother, that we had the same hair, the same smile, and yes, just like Aiden said, she used to tell me we have the same eyes. She said she could see my mother in my eyes.

  I don’t understand my aunt’s reasons for why she treated me like she did. I can’t fathom losing a sister. Can grief make you do things as heinous and despicable to the daughter of someone you loved so deeply? If looking into my eyes made her think of her sister, wouldn’t you think she would have loved me? If, God forbid, Aiden was taken from me, I could never disown his family out of pure sadness or anger. If anything, I’d want to pull them closer and never let them go. I’d want to hold onto any piece of him that I could get. Because even living with an extension of Aiden would lessen the hurt. Instead, my aunt locked it all away and treated the only person that reminded her of her beloved sister like dog shit.

  I look at the envelope and shake my head no, then fold it and put it in my back pocket. I don’t want to read it, not now, and maybe not ever. Right now I want to live in the happiness of my new found memories.

  As much as I don’t want it to show, I’m pooped. I sink into Jade, which is surprising, because I feel like I’m floating. I run through my memories as Aiden drives us home. We pull into the driveway and into the garage. I haven’t thought about it before and I’m not sure why, but for the first time, I notice the empty spot next to Jade. It never occurred to me until just now that Ruby never came home from the warehouse. I don’t know where she is or what happened to her. I pull my heart out of my stomach and rationalize that it’s alright, if gaining back all of these cherished memories was in exchange for everything I went through and losing Ruby, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I’m just so happy that all the old memories of me and my mother have come back to me.

  Chapter 10

  Aiden

  As much as I can’t control my fiancée, after we get home from the storage unit, I do manage to get Savvy to lie down and take a nap. While Savvy’s napping, the rest of us unload the moving truck into the garage next to my car. Savvy can go through the boxes at her own pace.

  After the last box is placed in the garage, everyone comes together in the driveway. Not a word is spoken. If you would have told me just a few short years ago that my siblings would all be married, most with kids, and that I’d be engaged, I would have laughed in your face.

  Asher was in such a dark place after his first wife died. I never thought I’d see a smile on his face again. He was consumed by grief and I never understood how Willow had the power to show him he still had so much more love to give, until I met Savvy. Now I understand. Here he is today, married, with two kids and a third on the way. He moves heaven and earth for their happiness and goes above and beyond to be there for all of us.

  Amelia was so broken, and no one knew why until Kyle came into her life. I never understood how someone could come into your life and change it drastically for the better, until I met Savvy. Now I get it. Now she’s happy and married with a beautiful son. She’s been through so much to get where she is, but she’s here. She’s beautiful and vibrant and so in love.

  Adrian had been sad and depressed since high school. When Shay came back into his life, she put that spark back into his eyes. I never understood how a woman could ignite such a fire, until I met Savvy. This fire in my soul feels fucking fantastic. As a family, we’ve had to learn to forgive and to accept. We value and hold close to our hearts, what’s ours. There’s nothing we won’t do for each other. Adrian and Shay had to overcome so many obstacles, but by each other’s side they conquered them together. When they thought they’d never have a child of their own, they adopted. By the grace of God, they were able to conceive and gave us our father’s namesake, Sammy. Even the timing seemed divine. He came into this world when our family needed it most.

  The day our father died was an end to the greatest man that ever walked the face of this earth. He was my hero and my mentor. None of us have been the same since he died. I’ll miss him every day for the rest of my life. Our mother has stepped into a role that seems impossible to fill, but she does it with grace and dignity that honors our father’s memory.

  I never would have guessed Max would be the perfect addition to this family as our brother. He’s been such an important part to each of our lives. He dropped everything and put his life on the line to rescue Amelia. Through his selflessness, he met another important addition to our family, Chloe. Having Kyle’s twin sister marry Max was just so perfect. Max never thought he deserved to be loved, but Chloe brought something to his life that no other woman could. Chloe was so broken and honestly, we were on the brink of losing her. Max did what he had to do to get her to see she was so much more than her deepest scar could ever be. The two of them helped each other like no one else could. I never understood how two
people were so right for each other, until I met Savvy. Now I understand. That feeling when you find the person that was meant only for you is indescribable.

  Ava was so focused on her career that she had forgotten about her own happiness in the process. My parents couldn’t even reach her. She was so focused on reaching her goals that she forgot to live her own life. When Jax came into her life, it took the act of a greater power to show her she, too, deserved to be happy. I’ll never forget the look on Jax’s face when Ava was in the hospital. I didn’t understand how one human being could love someone so deeply, until I met Savvy. I understood what it was like for Jax to see Ava hurt. I’ll live the rest of my life to make sure nothing ever hurts Savvy again.

  Being the second oldest, I take it on myself to make sure my family is safe, and I’ll do anything to keep them that way. I couldn’t ask for better husbands for my sisters or better wives for my brothers. I pound my fist on my heart in thanks above for the angel that came crashing into my life and saved me too from my own bitterness. I was selfishly jealous that my siblings were happy and had families of their own. I filled my heart with anger and closed the door. Savvy crashed into my life and forced that door wide open, and filled my heart with love.

  “Alright. I’m out of here before all you sappy-eyed freaks start a round of Kumbaya,” Max says, pulling his wife’s head to his lips. He lets her go then reaches his hand out to me. I place my hand in his, then he pulls me in for a bro hug.

  I watch as the last car pulls away, then I close the garage door and head into the house. Quietly I head down the hall to our bedroom door. Opening the door, I see Savvy laying on her side with her casted arm resting on a pillow. Walking to the side of the bed, I look down at the most beautiful, amazing woman. I pull a chunk of hair off of her cheek and smooth it behind her ear. She needs her rest. I turn and head out of the room. Just as I put my hand on the doorknob, she says, “Aiden,” in a sweet, sleepy voice.