Claudia awoke early the next morning, exhausted emotionally but energized at the same time. She dreamt of Abe last night which had become normal, but as she lay there in the pre-dawn light she reflected on last night’s dream. Unlike previous nights, Abe wasn’t reaching out to her or walking away from her rather last night it was images of Abe as he lived his life. Laughing and engaging in activities he loved while he was alive. She smiled as the images danced in her head, Abe lighting the grill and prepping for a weekend in the woods.
“The dream couldn’t have been just a mere coincidence,” Claudia thought. “Abe was trying to telling me something, a clue maybe?”
Claudia mulled this thought over as she made coffee and carried it back into the bedroom. As the coffee cooled and she showered, the thought wouldn’t be dismissed that her dream had significance. Slipping into her comfortable navy sweats and Abe’s soft and favorite t-shirt emblazoned with Animal from the Muppets, Claudia grabbed her coffee cup and made her way to the kitchen and made herself another cup.
As the coffee brewed, Claudia grabbed some paper and a pen making a list of all the likely places Abe could have hidden this family treasure.
- Boat
- Camper
- Under the bed
- Hidden compartment in his desk?
- Back of the file cabinet
A smile graced Claudia’s face, not one of those fake, insincere smiles she had been flashing to family and friends since Abe’s death. This smile came from the heart and lit-up her face as she thought about Abe. Unbeknownst to Claudia, the healing process had begun and she was going to be fine in the coming months. Abe might be physically absent but his presence and love would be felt for the remainder of her days.
“The boat and the camper are the least likely I think. I’m going to tackle those first.” As she sipped her coffee, she realized that she had begun to talk out loud to herself to fill the silence. Shrugging her shoulders, she decided that if it brought her comfort than it wasn’t hurting anyone.
As the door to the garage silently shut behind her, Claudia made her way to the boat. The three car-garage held their SUV and the boat. The camper was stored at a facility a couple of miles down the road. “Boat first, no sense driving over there if the treasure is hidden in the boat.”
She climbed into the loving restored boat and the memories came flooding back. Abe hunched over the crumbling and rotting wood as he assured her that despite it’s outward appearance now, one day she would be a thing of beauty. Claudia shook her head now, as she had all those years ago, smiling at the memory and the beautiful boat Abe had restored. Over the next hour or two, every cushion and cubby hole was thoroughly searched and although she found a pair of lost earrings and a couple half-finished paperbacks there was nothing resembling a family treasure hundreds of years old.
Her hair had slipped out of it’s pony tail and as she re-secured her hair, she surveyed the mess she had made, there were cushions haphazardly placed, cubbyholes half-way closed, and bits and pieces of their life scattered on every available surface. The sight brought a heavy hearted smile to her face and Claudia sat down with an audible “thud” as she surveyed the mess. “Oh Abe, I miss you. I miss reaching out and feeling you beside me. And most of all, I miss knowing that we will never again have a sunset boat trip on the lake.” The tears flowed but she made no effort to stop them, nor did she feel guilty for the first time since that phone call a month ago for being alive without him.
The tears passed as she straightened up the boat. Once the boat was once again immaculate, Claudia climbed down and brushed herself off. Without sparing second thought for how she must look, she grabbed the keys to the car and the camper and headed out. The camper was only fifteen minutes down the road and Claudia made it without really paying attention to where she was going. Pulling up to the camper, another wave of memories engulfed her. Another of Abe’s restoration projects, this one an old motorhome from the 1970’s. She remembered the look on his face as he proudly drove up in the thing as she came out the front door.
“Abe seriously, it is in worse condition than the half-finished boat you are reviving in the garage. What are we supposed to do with this, this thing?” her voice was filled with contempt, confusion and exasperation all at the same time.
Abe had smiled as he parked the motorhome and walked over to her. “Don’t worry honey bunch, it will be lovely and we can spend our golden years escaping into the woods and away from the hustle and bustle. Just imagine, our own private hide-away just ready and waiting for us whenever we want. I promise it will be perfect.”
Claudia shook her head, trying to clear the memories. “Oh Abe, it is beautiful and I would have loved to spend time in the woods with you.” Again, the tears started as she slipped from the SUV and unlocked the camper.
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