4.
757 Words
My mother’s letter hit me like a fist. It knocked me out, that’s the case. I fell asleep exhausted in my armchair, my eyes full of tears.
The fire is almost extinguished. Some red ashes resist. I throw two logs over them, hoping the flame will pick up again. I look at the clock in the living room and see that it’s 3 am. One thing is sure, I don’t feel like sleeping anymore and I’m starving.
The letter, dropped at my feet, reminds me of the reasons for my sudden exhaustion. Mom loved me. That’s what I remember. And I can’t believe it… anything can still happen, even when you don’t expect it anymore.
I fly over her few lines again. Thoughtful, I look up at the light until I’m momentarily dazzled by it. My mother always looked up when we talked about God, so for a long time, I believed that God himself was hiding in the lights. Well… I was a kid, of course. Despite everything she’s done, I’m not religious. But I never told her. Every Sunday, I followed her to church, but basically, it was automatic. However, I assure you that I have everything of a good sister. Yes, yes, everything. Starting with my chastity.
She said she would watch over me. I reread her words. I could almost recite them by heart. I need to find the file she mentions.
I throw a very heavy blanket over my shoulders, grab the still-wrapped quiche left on the table and go to her room.
The fire resumed but the house remains freezing. The double layer of socks isn’t enough to warm my freezing toes.
I haven’t set foot in Mom’s room since her funeral. When I open the door, a medical smell jumps in my face. The image of her body in the coffin comes back to me. I dismiss this bad memory with a wave of my hand.
Despite the cold, I open the window wide. A draft, coming from I don’t know where makes the door of the room slam. In the distance, I hear the barking of a dog. A shiver runs through me. What if her spirit was here with me?
“Pfff, come on, Madeline! Pull yourself together. Ghosts only exist in books.”
At the edge of the window, I swallow the quiche in three bites without taking the slightest pleasure. We’ll say enough is enough. I’m already closing the window for fear that everything will fly away. And then, I’m not very reassured either, I must admit. The first house is several tens of metres away.
I look all around me. This room is full of trinkets. My mother loved antiquing, collecting, and ordering tons of little things of no interest. And because of her many subscriptions, she always received lots of free stuff. Everything should be put in the trash, but first… the chest of drawers. With both hands on the handles, a force encourages me to open the drawer. The file is there, with a capital M written in large letters, right in the middle. M for Mary or M for Madeline? Good question.
I take it gently and step back to sit on Mom’s bed, impeccably made.
“What treasure is hidden in here?” I say out loud.
I opened it. There are several letters. The first is a bank account statement, in my name. I fly over the document and scroll down to the credit box. I almost choke on seeing the sum of twelve thousand three hundred and fifty-five pounds. Me, Madeline Jordan, I have so much money in a current account? Not possible! Other records follow; more account books… all with very generous sums, and all in my name.
“Damn, I’m rich, my word!”
There’s a blue card and the PIN number is taped on it. What a fool, my mother! Who knows how long she’s had these documents. Well, luckily thieves aren’t around! My mother didn’t care about anything. It must be said that she was brave. A shotgun has been hiding behind the cabinet for years. She never had to resort to it, but she wouldn’t have hesitated for a second if we had to defend ourselves.
Back to our discovery. I’m safe from want for quite a while with this accumulated windfall in these various accounts. That’s good. As I have nothing to do these next few days, I well deserved a short break.
London… I have to go to London, mom said so!
- Writer
