Sharing a Secret

Josh moved the heavy box off the shelf with a little difficulty and gingerly lowered it to the floor.

He stood up straight again and stretched a little, trying to loosen up the slight ache in his back. As he looked up his attention was caught by a smaller box that had been on the shelf behind it. Something was written on the side.

He reached up and into the darkened space to bring the box out. As it came into the light he saw that it quite clearly said “Noah” in green marker pen. He put the small box down onto the bigger box on the floor.

Josh rubbed his hand across his stumble roughened jaw as he contemplated it. Decisively he took the lid off and peered inside.

His chest contracted as he saw a black velvet ring box. He levered it open and found his father’s wedding ring inside. He thought of the similar box that was currently sitting on the kitchen table – containing its pair and the matching engagement ring – and tears welled in his eyes. He snapped the box shut again and put it back.

The box also contained various papers. He didn’t dare touch the ones that looked suspiciously like love letters. He shifted the papers aside and found his fingers touching leather. He pulled out a brown folding wallet, slightly beaten up around the edges.

He held it in his hands for a moment, imagining it in his father’s hands. Then he flipped it open.

Still inside were credit cards, an old work ID pass, a train ticket and a photo of his parents on their wedding day. Josh smiled at how happy they looked, and at how dated their clothes were. He tried to pull it out to take a better look and found there were actually several photos in a little bunch.

He drew in a long breath as he moved aside the wedding picture and saw the one beneath. He wasn’t altogether surprised that it was a photo of him and Joanie. Not many of them existed, most had been lost in the fire, but this one had been kept safe in whatever succession of wallets had preceded this one. He smiled at his beaming self and equally beaming sibling.

With another deep breath, he moved on the next… and frowned hard.

He turned it over, and there, scrawled on the back in his father’s hand, were the words assuring him that he was seeing what he thought he was.

Josh and Donna, Connecticut, 1998.

He turned it back over and looked again at the final smiling couple.

They’d stopped by his parents’ house when they passing nearby on the campaign trail. His mother had insisted on them staying for dinner and, afterwards, they’d sat on the couch drinking the disgusting apple tea that was his mother’s latest health thing. Whilst they were being polite, she’d reached for a camera, saying that it was so rare that she had her son home that she needed to capture the moment. Donna had tried to move away but she’d insisted that Donna stay and be photographed too. According to this picture, they’d then moved closer, looked at each other sideways and smiled like they were sharing a secret.

Josh stared at the picture and was struck by how much they looked like a couple. He winced, wondering if it had always looked this obvious to everyone else and they’d been the only ones who hadn’t seen it.

He leant a little closer and looked again.

“Wow.” He murmured quietly. “Look how much hair I’ve got there!”

“Josh?” Donna’s voice called from outside.

“In here.” He called back.

A few seconds later she came into the room. Her hair was tied into a messy ponytail and covered with a blue handkerchief. Little tendrils were escaping and curling around her face. Her top was a little damp in the armpits and her jeans were dusty. She wiped her hands on her jeans and put them on her hips.

“You said you’d come help me with cleaning the kitchen.” She reminded him.

“Yeah, sorry, I was moving these boxes and got a little side-tracked.” He gestured at the open box in front of him.

Her stance softened, her hands dropping to her sides.

“What have you found?” She asked softly.

“Oh, some papers, dad’s wedding ring, some pictures.” He replied.

Held up the photo in his hand, then turned it around and offered it so she could see it. She leant forward over the boxes and squinted at it.

“It was in my dad’s wallet.” He added.

She looked up at him sharply, first in surprise but then half her mouth turned into a smile. Then into a full smile as she straightened up.

“You’re going all mushy now, aren’t you?” He asked, gently mocking.

“Of course I am!” She said, sounding a little choked. “Is there a picture of you and Mandy in there?” She asked.

“No.” He replied, wincing.

“You see why then.” She said, as if it should be obvious.

He frowned at her and she put one hand back on her hip, sceptically.

“I don’t!” He replied, shrugging.

“You’d been with Mandy for how long at that point?” She asked, as if she was talking to a small child.

“A few years.” He said, wincing again.

“So surely there should have been a picture of you and Mandy in there.” She gave him an intent look. “I met your father a grand total of once Josh. As your assistant.”

He thought about that for a moment.

“Dad did really like you.” He finally replied, looking back down at the box of his father’s things that his mother had chosen to keep. “Did I ever tell you that?” He smiled. “He called you ‘the Ever Capable Donna’.”

“You never did.” She said in that small choked voice.

“I thought he meant it as a chastisement of me.” He laughed self-deprecatingly. He looked at the picture again. “But now I think about it, maybe he was trying to tell me something.”

“Now who’s reading too much into an old picture?” She mocked softly.

He looked up at her.

“Maybe you’re right.” He agreed with a smile. He held up the picture again and glanced at it briefly before looking back at her. “It’s a good picture though.” He said. “Maybe I’ll put it in my wallet.”

He grinned goofily at her and she laughed.

“Come on.” She said. “That kitchen won’t clean itself.”

“I’ll be there in a minute.” He replied, looking back down at the box.

“Okay.” She agreed.

She started to turn to leave, but then turned back. He was still staring at the box.

“I love you.” She said sincerely.

He looked up at her and smiled.

“I love you more.” He replied.

She laughed and threw up her hands. She then put them on her hips as she started to walk out.

“If you’re gonna get childish about it!” She exclaimed, obviously teasing.

Josh laughed and looked at the picture of them one more time.

“Definitely sharing a secret.” He murmured.

He gathered up the photos – looking at them again, one by one – then drew out his own wallet from his pocket and put all of them inside.

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