Waking up the next morning was a shocker for me. I woke up around noon to an unwelcome present on the kitchen counter. A note from my wife, and divorce papers. At first, I didn’t realize what it was, trying to put together a hangover cure to fix my pounding headache.
The note said, “Dear Abraham, I’m writing this letter because enough is enough. I’ve been with you for the last few years and at first, I was happy. Your job is taking up all your time and you clearly don’t have room for me in your life. I’m sick of it. You’re practically ignoring me.”
Looking at the divorce papers, it stated that she was giving me a run for my money. I honestly didn’t feel like fighting it. In the divorce, I lost everything. Everything. It was a big blow to me. I was cold inside and didn’t have much reason to go on anymore.
The day after I signed the document and gave away everything except for my car, my grandfather's attorney called.
“Hello?”
“This is Abraham, how can I help you?” I responded in a flat voice.
“It’s your grandfather's attorney, I have some important news to tell you.”
“Well hurry up and spit it out!”
“Ah, see your grandfather left a will, I just finished going over it and he left you quite a few things inside of it.”
“Like what?” I responded a little more cheery than I was before.
“Well, he left you his old beach house, although calling it a house might be a stretch and everything on that property.”
“His old fishing cabin?”
“Yup, exactly the one. He said that the beach house and whatever is on that property belongs to you and you alone. So I need you to come by and sign the lease papers so I can transfer the property to you.”
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“Alright, Ill be there in 15 minutes.”
On my way to the office, It was quite hard not to speed. The cabin was the only thing that he wanted me to have, and I wanted to abide by his wishes. After arriving at the office, it took me an hour or so to sign all the required papers and make sure everything was in order. After the attorney went over the papers, he gave me the key to the property and told me to have fun.
Arriving at my grandpas old fishing cabin, was like stepping from one world into another. The beach the cabin was built on was hidden far away from almost all civilization. No one ever came down this road. Ever. The first thing one would notice when driving in was the sand. The sand was a nice soft grainy texture, colored almost a pinkish white. It brought a kind of majesticness to it, looking like something completely out of this world. The beach was inside a bit of a cove, offering nice protection from the elements, creating a safe harbor for boats to stay or launch out of.
Driving into the property, I noticed my grandpa's old brown sea kayak. The one he taught me how to navigate the oceans in. I figured he wanted me to have it and made a vow to take it out at least once. The cabin itself was made out of wood and set on stilts. It had basic amenities, a gas stove, bed, a wind turbine for a little electricity, and a rainwater collector with a huge 1000 gallon water tank sitting on some poles behind it. The texture of the wood made it obvious that the cabin was old, but not old enough to be falling apart, or even being close to that state.
The interior was a little cramped. Looking at the one-room cabin brought back memories. I started to look around immediately for my grandpas old fishing pole. It was a fishing pole that held great value to me. My grandpa caught everything and anything with that pole. After seeing it was in the spot he usually kept it in, I went around and checked the stove to make sure it works, afterward heading and checking the water tank for leaks. With all of that functioning properly I also checked my grandpa's barometer, making sure it was working as intended.
I started up the gas stove and started brewing myself some rooibos tea. Something that would make me comfortable. Now I usually drink coffee, but my grandpa loved his tea. As the tea was brewing I noticed the sun was setting, causing a crimson red glow to reflect off the ocean. It was awe-inspiring and breathtaking. So breathtaking in fact that I stood there stunned for quite an amount of time before the sound of the kettle whistling snapped me out of it.
Quickly brewing myself some tea, I grabbed my mug and ran outside pulling a chair out with me. I sat there and tasted the slightly salty air, watching a crimson sunset. Something clicked inside of me at that moment. Something that I knew was missing.