Over and Over

Chapter Two

Two

“Happy birthday sweetheart,” said my dad as he handed me a huge pile of presents and cards.  I was sitting in the lounge room of our family home, the home I’d known for all of the fifteen birthdays before this one, surrounded by my whole family, mum, dad and my two younger sisters.  I kissed him on the cheek and dove straight in, wrapping paper flying in all directions as I tore open one expensive present after another.  It was all there, everything I had asked for, the I Pad the Twilight serious in paperback, the full sized poster of Taylor Lautner showing off his abs and the wind up wristwatch. 

I opened the last card on the pile from my sister that had contained a fifty dollar I Tunes card, sat back and grinned.

“I am the luckiest person in the whole wide world!  I love you all!”

“Well sixteen is a special age,” said my mother.  “In the olden days you would have been presented at a debutant ball.”  She looked wistfully at my dad.  “Although those kind of things are out of fashion now sadly.”

At that moment the phone rang and I skipped over to answer it, hoping it would be a well-wisher for me.

“Hello?” I said.

“May I speak with Jessica Links please?”  the voice was stilted and formal, almost dry sounding.

“This is she, who’s this?”

“Hello Jessica, this is Morcomb of Morcomb, Slocomb and Long.  Solicitors.  Happy Birthday.”  There was no joy in the voice at all.

“Solicitors?  What do you want with me?”

“I want you to answer your front door as I’m standing on your doorstep.”

“What?”  I spun around and peered out the front window.  I could indeed see a shape standing by the door.  The shape knocked.  I hung up the phone, glanced at my mum who was still sitting on the couch with a bewildered look on her face and walked slowly over to the door.  I opened it to reveal a short balding man in a featureless grey suit who was putting a mobile phone back into his pocket.

“Miss Links I presume?” he said.

“I’m Jessica,” I said then my dad was by my side.

“Is Jess in trouble?” he said stepping between me and Mr Morcomb.

“No.  On the contrary.  I bring good tidings.  May I come in?”

“Ok,” said dad and stepped aside to allow the old man in.  He walked in a very stiff way like he didn’t get out much.  Dad gestured him over to the kitchen table where he placed his briefcase.  He didn’t sit down, but turned to face me.

“Jessica Links today is your sixteenth birthday am I correct?”

“Yes.”

“Very good.”  He turned back to his briefcase and spun the combination into the locks, snapping it open.  It contained a small parcel, wrapped in old fashioned oil paper and tied up with brown string and a document folder.  He pulled both items out, handing me the parcel.  “In accordance with the last will and testament of Mrs Jessica Wallace I present you with this gift, from her on this your sixteenth birthday.  I must ask you to sign for it before we proceed.”  He handed me a page from the document folder.

“I’ll look at that thanks,” said dad and ran his expert eye over it.  “Well I’ll be damned.”  He handed the paper back to me.  “Sign away sweetheart it’s fine.”

I took the paper and the proffered pen from Mr Morcomb and scribbled my name in the appropriate place.  Mr Morcomb smiled, took the paper and filed it neatly away in his briefcase.

“My work here is done,  good day to you Jessica and once again, happy birthday.”

“But who was Jessica Wallace?” I said

“Your Great aunt on your mothers side.  She died seventeen years ago.  Her will was very specific that I bring that parcel here today on the sixteenth birthday of the first female child in her line born after she died.”

“Weird,” said my sister Tanya.

“How did you find me?” I said

“Oh, we have our ways.  But I really mustn’t delay you from your celebrations.  Good day Miss Links.”

And with that the balding little man in the grey suit was gone out our door and on his way down the street.  I just stood there with that little parcel in my hand and a dumb expression on my face.  I turned to dad.

“Did you know this was coming?”

“No idea,” he said simply, then his eyes fell on the parcel.  “Going to open it?”

“Go on, open it,” said my sister Toni.

“Ok,” I said and started tugging at the string.  Whoever had wrapped it didn’t mean for it come easily and the string wouldn’t break and the knots wouldn’t budge.  We had to get a pair of scissors to cut the string in the end.  I pealed back the old paper to reveal an old red, velvet lined jewellery box.  I turned it so that the hinge was away from me and it opened with a creak.  Inside, sitting neatly in the silk pouch made for it was a gold ring.  The head of the ring was a dragons head with it’s tail in it’s mouth.  The dragons body made up the band on of the ring.  Behind the ring was a note in very neat handwriting that read:

‘Right hand ring finger.’

I glanced up at my two sisters who were by my side now, eyes wide in envy.

“Cool,” said Toni.

“Let me see,” said my youngest sister Valerie.

I handed the pouch to her and she held it up to the light.  The ring was golden but didn’t gleam.

“Going to try it on?” said my mum.

“Sure,” I said and took the package from Valerie.  I placed the index finger and thumb of my left hand on the ring and pulled it from it’s silken prison.  It came away easily and without fuss.  I glanced at the note again and pushed the ring onto the ring finger of my right hand.  It slid on perfectly, fitting like it had been made to go there.

Now, as I know now what that ring was for, it would be nice to say at this point that there was a flash of light or a strange tingling sensation when the ring first sat on my skin.  But there was none of that.  The ring just slotted neatly onto my finger and I held it up for my family to see.

“Gorgeous,” said Toni.

“Do I get one too?” said Valerie.

Dad laughed.

“We didn’t even know that this one was coming Val.  How can we know if there are others?  Besides, this is a lovely gift so lets’ just see it for what it is.  A nice piece of good fortune.”

Val scowled but then quickly hid it as I met her eyes.

“Well that’s the presents out of the way,” said mum.  “Let’s get started on preparations for the party here tonight.”