The Hidden Truth

Chapter 2

"Box number?" He grumbled, annoyed; eyes tired yet highlighted with some life and will to get through his shift.

Anastasia rocked in her footing. "Um, I don't know the number. It belonged to my father. I didn't even know he had a deposit box until today." She mentioned, looking at him with worried eyes.

He sighed heavily and pulled out his notepad and pen. "What is your father's name?"

"Frank Windsor."

The security guard paused his pen before it hit the paper. He glanced up, his eyes confused and bewildered. "Frank Windsor? The same Frank Windsor from Calvary Lane?" Confused and becoming a little more intrigued, Anastasia nodded slowly with a quiver in her brow. The security guard's face suddenly exploded with a bright smile, much like a little boy who had just seen his favorite baseball player. "You're Frank Windsor's daughter! I am so sorry for my rude demeanor. Come with me." He spoke, leading her into the room with excitement. Her curiosity shattered her anxiety-ridden facade and brought her to life again.

"You knew my father?" She inquired, walking beside him to a box that he unlocked with his set of keys.

"Oh, yes! By golly, your father saved my life!" He exclaimed with pure joy. "I knew Frank from years ago when I was just graduating high school. I was a train wreck of a young man and my mother didn't know what else to do with me. She met your father at church one Sunday and befriended him. She would talk about me and how I was a druggy, fooling around, and was stuck at rock bottom. And, boy, I was! Frank told my mother about how he went through the same thing when he was my age, and his pastor, from way back when helped lift him up. Well, one day, my mother invited your father and mother over for dinner and we had the most eye-opening conversation in my life. I quit my drugs and my fooling around right there and made something out of my life."

In awe, Anastasia listened and watched as he grabbed a small key from the box and moved down the room, searching for another box within the wall. "He did all that? My father?" She breathed in admiration.

"Yes! Now I work as an elementary teacher at the school down the road and work here part-time. I needed to save up more money for the baby. My wife's due next month." He smiled brightly after finding the right box and turning to Anastasia. She was beaming with excitement at the mention of a baby.

"Oh, that's amazing! Is this your first?" She asked.

He beamed, nodding. "Yes. I'm so excited. I get to be a father!"

She laughed at his overjoyed excitement. He sighed after his boiling excitement simmered and opened his palm to her, urging her to take the key. "Your father left this key to me. He told me to keep it safe until you came around requesting his deposit box. I kept it in my own box to keep it out of anyone's hands." He explained, then he turned to a box at eye level. "You may do the honors. 708."

Looking upon the box as curiosity and excitement bubbled in her system once again, she gently took the key between her fingers and pushed the key into the lock. It fit perfectly. With the twist of her wrist, it unlocked and she pulled out the drawer. Inside were a good many things, unorganized and jumbled as if thrown into the box in a rush. There were pieces of expensive jewelry-probably a family heirloom-, a file folder with a sticky note, and a few rolls of cash-twenty dollar bills. Shocked, she took her time to go through each individual piece. She examined the jewelry which were a few necklaces and rings made out of pure gold and diamond that seemed centuries old. She looked at the cash but refrained from touching so much money right there in her presence. Her eyes drifted to the plain file, underneath all the glitz and glamour of the valuable items. She pulled it out, examining it curiously. It was thin and light, its contents only being a few sheets of paper. She looked at the sticky note, realizing it was her father's handwriting.