The Key

The Beginning

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!" My eyes begin to flutter open as I hear my mom's singing. I smile and sit up to see her bright, white teeth surrounded by her perfectly shaped lips. Her curly, natural hair contrasted against her glowing, milk chocolate complexion. She was beautiful...and holding a plate of french toast sticks, the ones from the freezer--my favorite, with a candle sticking out of the pile. "Happy Birthday Dear Nia! Happy Birthday to you! Make a wish baby girl." Her bright smile makes her seem more excited about the day than I am. I close my eyes and wish for the day to go well, then blow out the candles. After all, what more could I wish for?

I take one of the sticks off the plate and lay back down.

"Nope! Still a school day babe! C'mon, get up!" My mom laughs and walks out with the plate.

"Moomm." I groaned dramatically. Can you at least leave the plate please?"

"Nope! They'll be in the kitchen! You can have them when you're up and dressed." She says playfully and walks out of my room. As I glance at her leaving my room, my eyes lock on a trunk up against my wall...one that I've never seen before. I get out of my bed slowly so I can feel the satisfying pop of my ligaments from their resting state.

The trunk certainly looked old with its scratched, scuffed black leather panels and rusting metal corners and handles. I kneeled and unfastened the two latches on either side of keyhole panel in hopes that it would be unlocked since I didn't have the key. Part of me thought it wouldn't be unlocked and that part was right. The keyhole was shaped unlike any other one I'd seen before. The hole was a horizontal line with two circles on the ends of it...sorta like if you draw two Os with a dash in between them, or a double bond between two oxygen atoms, without the lone pairs. O—O What? I like chemistry.

I take a picture of it and get up, deciding to ask my mom about it later. It had to come from her or my dad. My phone vibrated on my nightstand, pulling my attention away from my closet.

Message from Maya

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIS! Where are you?

I replied, Thank You Sis! Love you and I'm getting dressed. Lol be there soon.

I tossed my phone on the bed and grabbed my clothes.

I wore a peach, flowy tank top with light blue jeans and a lightweight tan cardigan, complete with my favorite brown sandals and a long necklace. I love how pastels looked against my caramel skin. After taking my bantu knots out and styling my hair, I brushed my teeth and went to the kitchen.

"There's the 18 year old!" She gushed as she poured coffee into her mug. "You look beautiful as always."

"Thank you mommy!" I blushed, as I do every time she says it. "Where's daddy?" I said as I began eating the room temperature french toast sticks, still good.

"Oh! He had to leave at four this morning for work. He said he left you a voicemail. You didn't see it?"

"I probably got it. I just haven't looked at all my notifications yet."

"Okay. Well make sure you call him back and thank him for your present." She hinted.

"What present? That big trunk in there? What is that anyway?"

"No. That's not it. That one is from your grandmother but I'm talking about this present." She said, sliding my dad's car keys across the table. I look up at her surprised and a bit confused. She's bubbling with excitement. I would usually get dropped off a block away from school because what upperclassman wants to be seen with their parent in the front seat.