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This is my little sister. :)
She doesn't match the description of the
girl in the story but - Oh well. ;) |
While I was cleaning I had the thought of a man trying to buy something and a young woman refusing because she said it was her heart. This short story is a result of that random thought.
(I'd like to say thank you to Elizabeth and Jonathan for giving me helpful advice while I was editing.)
The
Key
CLOSED.
Nathan leaned
back and ran a hand through his hair. Now what was he supposed to do?
The lights were
still on so he peered through the glass. Maybe someone was still
there. He pulled the door handle and to his relief it swung open
easily. A small bell tinkled above him and he shut the door behind
him. The shop seemed empty though an old record player in the corner
rattled out Christmas carols and the whole place smelled like
cookies.
How quaint.
As he stomped the
snow from his boots, his gaze wandered over the odd assortment of
antiques that filled the room in an organized chaos. Surely he'd be
able to find the perfect gift here.
Sarah liked
antiques and said they all had a story - him, he just saw the price
tag on someone's old junk. Still, he knew she'd give him that look if
he presented her with some fancy necklace or new dress.
'Christmas is
time to share gifts from the heart, Nathan.' He could almost hear
her saying that. This was their first Christmas together; he had to
get it right.
“Hello?”
He stepped from
the doorway and began to look around. A vase caught his eye and he
strode over to it. Its smooth surface was a pale blue with flecks of
darker blue scattered over it. A small brown bird was on one side
with its beak wide open as if singing. This was perfect!
He sighed with
relief. This wouldn't be as hard as he had thought. Lifting it
carefully with one hand, he examined it closer. Oh great, it had a
chip on the lip. With an irritated sigh he put it back down and
started looking around for something else. If he was going to get her
some odd piece it shouldn't be broken; he had to draw the line
somewhere.
Nathan made his
way around an old bookcase, stopping briefly to pick up anything that
caught his attention. Still nothing looked right.
Then he saw it.
Sitting on a
small table on a large piece of white flannel was a glass manger
scene. He touched a fragile lamb with one finger and smiled. They
didn't have a manger scene at home; Sarah would be delighted. He
picked up the tiny baby Jesus, no longer than the first digit of his
thumb, and laid it in his palm.
His eyes strayed
to Joseph who stood almost protectively by Mary's side. Just like him
with Sarah. Nathan smiled. Their son was going to be born in a few
months; he would make a good father.
A sudden movement
by his feet made him jump backwards. He looked down and saw a small
girl peeking up at him from under the table with a doll under her
arm.
He stopped, his
eyes drawn to the key hanging around her neck on a delicate chain.
He'd seen that key before. It looked just like his mother's key. When
he was younger she always wore it around her neck; he had almost
forgotten about it. It was so simple. So pretty. That would be
a gift from his heart.
He put the baby
Jesus back and crouched down to look into the girl's dark eyes. She
sat up on her knees and held out a plate that held two cookies, one
of which had a bite out of it. “Do you want one? My mommy made
them!” She grinned, revealing one of her front teeth missing.
He gave her an
awkward smile and shook his head. “No thank you.”
She settled back
and took a large bite of the previously whole cookie. Crumbs tumbled
down her striped sweater and she said around the mouthful, “My name
is Jessa, I'm six. What's your name?”
“Umm, I'm
Nathan.”
“Hello Mr.
Nathan.” She swiped a curly blond strand of hair from her eyes.
He shifted,
already getting uncomfortable in this position. How did one go about
buying from a child?
“Jessa, uh, may
I see your necklace?”
“Okay.” Her
small hands reached up behind her neck and she fumbled with the
clasp. A moment later she handed it to him.
There it was. His
mother's key. He felt a wave of nostalgia and he blinked back the wet
film that suddenly threatened his eyes. No need to scare the child.
“I would like
to buy this from you.” He held up the key, letting it dangle and
turn. “Maybe you could get a nice little present for your mommy.”
“Oh no, Mr.
Nathan, it's not for sale.” She crawled out from under the table
and stood. With a slight wince he did too. Pointing out a display
case that held some jewelry, she continued. “Those ones are nice.
Gran'ma says I can't play with them.”
She reached out
and pulled on the chain. He let go reluctantly, leery of making her
upset. She fastened it back on.
“But I'd like
this necklace. How about forty dollars?” More than it was probably
worth, but now that he had found the perfect gift he didn't want to
lose it.
She shook her
head. “It's not mine. It belongs to my father.”
Ah, so this had
been a gift. No wonder she didn't want to sell it.
A sudden thought
came to him.“What if I get one of those necklaces in the case and
trade with you?”
Her eyes lit up.
Yes, he had figured it out! She was too young to appreciate money,
but a trade she could understand.
To his
disappointment she pursed her lips and shook her head. “You can't
buy this key. Nobody can.”
He rubbed a hand
on the back of his neck. What now?
“So the key
belongs to your father?”
“Yes.”
Nathan looked
around, wondering again where the shopkeeper was. “Where is he?”
She raised a hand
and pointed an index finger upward, then turned back to crawl under
the table to retrieve her doll.
Nathan soon found
the stairs and climbed them. He would speak to the man. Surely they
could come up with a reasonable price.
The hallway at
the top of the stairs was dark but light shone out from under the
first door.
He knocked and
stepped back, preparing what to say.
A petite elderly
woman opened the door. She blinked at him but didn't seem startled to
see a stranger standing there. “Yes?”
“I, uh, is
Jessa's father here?”
The woman turned
and waved him into the room. “He isn't back from work yet. If you'd
like, you may sit here and wait.”
The cozy room was
pretty bare. A warm fire glowed in a fireplace and two chairs were
drawn up beside it. Near the window was a table covered with crayons
and sheets of paper and three straight backed chairs surrounded it.
Nathan frowned.
The girl had said her father was up here. She must have just been
mistaken, but he didn't have time to wait around.
Sitting down in
the chair she offered him, he decided to go straight to the point.
“I'd like to buy that key your granddaughter wears.”
She lowered
herself into the rocking chair opposite him. “I'm sorry. It's not
for sale.”
“I'm willing to
pay forty dollars for it.” He said quickly.
“Young man,
that key belongs to Jessa and it won't be sold for any price.”
He sighed.
Maybe it was a family heirloom? Maybe he should give up and buy the
manger scene instead. Sarah would still like it and it would make a
nice gift. But before he did he had a question.
“What makes the
key so special?” he asked.
She smiled at him
and began to rock. “Why don't you ask her?
He turned his
head and saw Jessa standing in the doorway. It wouldn't hurt to ask
one more time. “Why won't you sell me that key?”
“Because it's
the key to my heart.” The little girl, half a cookie in hand,
walked over and crawled into her grandmother's lap.”
“The key to
your heart?” He furrowed his eyebrows. What was that supposed to
mean?
Jessa nodded,
then said in a sing-song voice,
“This is the
key to my heart,
My Father holds
it for me.
Someday when the
right man comes
He'll ask to
marry me.
This is the key
to my heart.
It can not be
stolen or bought.
For my heart is
held up in Heaven,
And I'll keep it
safe as I ought.”
She finished the
rhyme and grinned as if pleased with herself. “ Gran'ma says my key
sym- symb -” She furrowed her brow and looked at her grandmother.
“What was that
word again?”
“Symbolizes.”
The lady began to rock the chair again.
Jessa grinned.
“Yeah, my key simblizes that Father God can help me keep my heart
safe until I get married.” She cocked her head at him. “Are you
married Mr. Nathan?”
He swallowed.
“Umm, no.”
“Then who did
you want my necklace for?”
Nathan winced.
The naïve child, a stray strand of blond hair falling over her eyes,
caught him in her curious gaze. How was he supposed to answer that?
“For- for Sarah.”
“Who's Sarah?”
The lady gently
lifted Jessa from her lap, saving him from answering. “Run
downstairs and get Mr. Nathan a cookie would you?”
“But he said he
didn't want one.”
The lady laughed.
“Then I'll eat it for him. Now run along, and bring up the tea
kettle too, would you?”
As the child
disappeared out the door, Nathan stiffened, expecting the woman to
start asking questions but she only picked up needles and a skein of
yarn sitting beside her chair and started knitting.
His thoughts
began to wander. Sarah had given him her heart. He'd never loved
someone as much as he did her. He'd only known her a year but it
seemed forever.
A line from
child's rhyme flitted through his memory.
'Someday when
the right man comes
He'll
ask to marry me.'
He meant to marry
Sarah, he really did – soon. After they settled in a bit more. Her
parents didn't approve and his, well his were both gone. What
mattered was that they were happy, right?
He leaned back in
the chair and let out a low sigh. God wouldn't approve. He'd always
said he would be different from his dad. He didn't curse except on
occasion, he went to church, he provided for Sarah. Their child was
due in the spring and he knew he would not leave like his father had.
But there was one thing he had done just like his father.
He stood and
paced to the small window and looked out over the snow covered
buildings. Colored lights blinked and it had begun to snow harder.
His stomach clenched and he leaned his forehead against the pane.
God? I'm sorry
for all this. . . I didn't mean- I shouldn't have. He closed his
eyes. Please help me make this right.
Ask
her.
The voice
made a shiver run down his spine. A gentle peace made him relax.
Yes,
Lord.
He turned back to
the the old woman and found her watching him with a slight smile on
her face, almost as if she knew.
He took a deep
breath and let it out. He knew the perfect gift to give to Sarah. It
would be from his heart.
“I've changed
my mind. . . I'd like to buy a ring. Two of them.”
~ZA
Copyright © 2012 Ophelia M. Flowers
