My Best Friend

The Letter

So, Livvie signed all the papers to turn custody of 4-month old Camryn over to me. A hospital nurse accompanied me to my car with the car seat Livvie had bought several months before she went to the hospital. The nurse helped me strap Camryn into her new seat and I hopped in and started the car. Livvie, knowing she was dying, had given me the keys to the small apartment she'd been living in since her ex had left and sold their place out from under her.

"Well, Cami, let's go see what your momma left for us at her home," I cooed to my niece.
As I carried the infant up the steps to Livvie's apartment, I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket to call Danielle. Her phone rang twice and she picked up.
"Hello, Mackenzie! What's going on?" Dani sounded very chipper.
"Dani, I'm in Princeton now, could you come I need to confide in someone and I can't tell my parents yet," I explained, and told her the address.
"Of course, Kenzie, I'll tell my parents and head over right away," Dani told me.
After we hung up, I opened the apartment door and stepped in. Inside I could tell Livvie had planned for me to take custody of Camryn. I set her down in the playpen that Livvie had set up next to her couch with blankets and toys, and walked over to the kitchen counter. On it was an envelope that read "Mackenzie Davis". I opened it and found a letter written by Livvie.

'Kenzie,
By now I've seen you again and told you that I won't survive the birth of my daughter, Camryn and that I want you to take custody of her for me. You probably put her in the playpen that I set up with toys for her. There are other toys not yet open in the den of the apartment. I also have collected some clothes for her on one side of my bedroom closet. You won't have any problem getting what money I have, I haven't kept any in a bank. Look beside my bed under the loose floorboard and you'll find all my savings. The fridge is fully stocked as well as the pantry for you and Camryn as long as you want to stay here. And the lease is paid in full for the next 5 months so you have time to decide what to do. I'll always love you and hope you'll be able to raise Camryn to be a smart, beautiful young lady.
Your sister forever,
Livvie'

I was just finishing reading the letter when I heard a knock on the door.
I opened it to find Dani.
"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you'd be right here," I was shocked, "Livvie left 5 years ago because she thought she was in love and eloped and didn't feel like she could tell any of us. A year ago she got pregnant and her husband left. According to her doctor, there were complications during the birth and she is dying so, she turned over custody of her daughter, Camryn to me. There she is in the playpen."
"Whoa, Liv has a daughter," Dani was as shocked as I had been, "Did she, I don't know, leave anything for you?"

"Yeah, she left the playpen and items in it and toys in the closet in of the den. She also fully paid the lease here for 5 months so I don't have to make a rush decision on where to raise Camryn. And I was just about to check her bedroom to see what else she left."

We walked into the closet and found only a quarter of the closet was filled with Liv's clothes while three quarters of it were filled with girl's clothes for every season from infant sized through 2T with a whole assortment in every size. In infant, there were onesies, pants and sleepers, from 3 months to 2T there were shirts, pants, shorts, skirts, full outfits for all seasons, dresses and holiday outfits.

"Wow," Dani and I said at the same time.
"She wasn't making it up when she said she left clothes for Camryn," I said after the shock had worn down.
Then we looked in the bathroom and found every baby item possible from diapers and wipes to medicines in case Camryn got sick. We looked next to the bed for her money stash and found close to $5,000 stashed under the floorboards.
"Wow, that's a lot of money," Dani said. I decided after exploring the apartment to call my parents to explain what I was planning on doing.
I dialed their number and waited for them to pick up the phone.