The Last Embrace

Emma was elated at the same time stunned beyond words!

She removed all the gold nuggets and throws the vinegar into the sink . She filled the bowl with water and washed the gold, she dried the gold nuggets one by one with a hand towel then let them dry . . . . a moment later she put back the gold nuggets inside the pouch .

The door of Suzanne"s door opened . She went out of her room to find Emma . She found her in the kitchen .

"Emma, you wouldn"t believe it! I found this pouch filled with gold in the bedside table when I woke up this morning and there is also a written message along with it . I was shocked! Who put it there inside my room?" she was puzzled as h.e.l.l .

"Let me see . . . " Emma said .

Suzanne gave the pouch to Emma .

Emma emptied the contents in the table and counted the gold nuggets, it has the same 50 pieces of gold nuggets and there was a written message as well, she reads it .

~~~

Dear Suzanne,

The gold nuggets are real!

Just my small gift for baby Oliver, please spend the money wisely, hope it can help you during difficult times .

Please give baby Oliver a bright future .
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Your friend,

J . E

~~~

The two women looked at each other . Emma gave back the pouch to Suzanne .

"This same person J . E give us gold nuggets, identical pouch for our children and this is getting weirder because we don"t know anyone rich enough to gift us gold, honestly this is unbelievable! So surreal! Who is this J . E? and how can this person get inside our room undetected?" Emma was ma.s.saging her temple--feeling perplexed .

Suzanne sat down on the chair beside Emma . She also has no idea who is this J . E?

Emma wanted to test Suzanne"s gold if it"s real gold as well . "Watch this Suzanne!" she emptied the contents of the pouch into the empty bowl and submerged them with the vinegar .

"What are you doing?" Suzanne was curious .

"Once real gold is submerged in a bowl of vinegar the color won"t fade away unless it"s fake . So if the color stays the same then the gold is real," Emma explained .

They watched the gold nuggets for a few minutes . . . . there are no changes to the color, therefore, the gold nuggets in Suzanne"s pouch are also real .

"So the gold is real—? Not a prank by someone—?" Suzanne asked . She had a hard time believing that it"s real gold .

"Yes! Those gold inside the two pouches is real!" Emma declared with certainty .

Suzanne covered her mouth . "OMG! Then what we will do with the gold?"

Emma stared at her sister-in-law"s face . "The letter said it"s for baby Oliver and baby Emily, and it also says that it can help us during difficult times, therefore, we can sell the gold nuggets during difficult times and then let"s open a bank account and the proceeds of the gold is for baby Oliver and baby Emily"s future . What do you think with my idea, sister?"

Suzanne smiled broadly . "I agree with your suggestion, anyways I"m going to find work starting next week so that we don"t have to depend much on the gold, let"s just keep the gold for rainy days," she said .

"That"s a good idea! Since my mother is already here, she can take care of the kids, I will also start finding a job nearby," Emma said .

The two women smiled at each other .

Suzanne went back to her room bringing her pouch of gold and she put it in the drawer of the closet and lay back on the bed thinking who is this person with initial name as J . E? And how did that person able to enter their house and their room without their knowledge? Before she sleeps last night, she was 100% sure the pouch was not there in the bedside table, the only thing she put in the table was her mobile phone .

Emma also did the same thing, she went back to her room, she put the pouch of gold inside the drawer of her closet and lay back in the bed . She"s wracking her brain who is the person that left the golden pouch in her room? Why she was not able to see that person last night? Did that person come into the room when they were already sleeping?

How about the door of the entrance of the house and the kitchen door?

She rose to her feet and get out the bedroom . . . she checked the two doors, they were still locked!

How about the windows in the bedroom?

She goes back to her room and checked the windows they were still closed and has not been opened .

Strange!

She lies down in the bed and closed her eyes . She put herself to sleep thinking that when she wakes up later it"s all just a dream .

Emma finally goes back to sleep after a few minutes .

Two hours later . . .

Emma woke up and saw that her mother was already out of the bedroom, she was probably sweeping the floor in the veranda and cooking breakfast at this moment .

Then she remembered the gold pouch, she went to her closet and took the pouch, she inspected the contents—the gold nuggets and the letter was still inside, it"s not a dream!

Everything is real!

She sighed, she no longer wants to torture herself where the gold came from, because no matter how hard she tried to guess who is the person who gives them gold . . . she had no idea who is J . E! she will just follow the instruction in the letter and be thankful of the unexpected blessings that comes their way .

She will go to a p.a.w.nshop later in the afternoon and sell one gold nugget and see what will happen . . .

Six hours later .

After lunch, Emma already dressed up to go outside, she took one piece of gold nugget from the pouch and put it in her coin purse and told Suzanne that she will try to sell one nugget to see if the p.a.w.nshop will accept it .

Suzanne watched her sister-in-law get out of the gate, not sure what to expect .

Emma flagged a taxi and went into the main business district in the city to find the best store that can offer her a good price for the gold nugget .

One hour later, Emma had visited a total of ten p.a.w.nshops and stores that buys and sell gold . The last store she visited gave her the highest price of $70 thousand for the piece of gold, she happily sold the gold and after counting the money she put the bundle of paper bills inside her shoulder bag .

She exited the jewelry store and went to the chicken restaurant in the corner, she ordered one bucket of crispy fried chicken, then she dropped by at the next store to buy one gallon of ice cream . Happy with her purchases, she flagged a taxi and went home excitedly .

Thirty minutes later .

Emma arrived home .

Suzanne was holding baby Oliver in her arms in the veranda, obviously waiting for her sister-in-law .

The women locked eyes .

"It"s real gold!" Emma whispered into Suzanne"s ears . She put the shopping bag that contained the bucket of fried chicken and ice cream in the table and opened her shoulder bag, she fished out the bundle of money and showed it to her sister in law .

Suzanne squealed in great delight . "OMG! It"s real! Everything is real!"

"Yes, it is! Let"s get inside! Let"s eat the fried chicken while still crispy!" Emma said .

"Thank you so much, J . E, for the gift!" Suzanne murmured to herself .

They went inside the house and they feasted on the delicious crispy fried chicken and one gallon of raspberry cheesecake ice cream .