Garage 122.
Her hands trembled slightly as she inserted the key into the lock.
The metal door creaked as she lifted it open.
A stale scent drifted out immediately. The smell of old paper mixed with cedar filled the air.
Inside the garage sat a large wooden chest placed directly on the concrete floor. Dust coated the surface, and cobwebs clung to the corners.
It looked as though no one had touched it in years.
Rosa wiped the top of the lid and slowly opened the chest.
Letters from the Past
Inside she discovered stacks of carefully preserved items.
Children’s drawings tied with faded ribbons rested beside birthday cards addressed to Harold.
School certificates and small keepsakes filled the chest. Each object seemed to represent moments from a life she had never known about.
Among the items were dozens of letters.
Every one of them was signed with the same name.
Virginia.
At the bottom of the chest Rosa found a worn folder containing several official documents.
As she read through them, a picture slowly began to form.
Sixty-five years earlier, Harold had quietly taken responsibility for a young woman and her newborn daughter after the child’s father disappeared.
The papers revealed that he had paid their rent and covered school expenses.
He had sent monthly financial support for many years.
The letters written to him by the woman had been carefully saved.
Rosa felt the ground shift beneath her understanding of the past.
One painful thought rose immediately in her mind.
Harold had another family.
She lowered herself onto the cold garage floor and covered her mouth.
“Oh Harold,” she whispered.
The Girl Returns
At that moment she heard the crunch of gravel outside the garage.
