what's in the box?

 
 
Several months ago my mother received a statement from the bank regarding a yearly fee on a lockbox my Daddy had. 

"He didn't have a lockbox!" Mom exclaimed.  "I would have known that!" 

So Mom and I went to the bank several months ago and found out that, indeed, my daddy did have a lockbox; and indeed, the fee was due. 

Mama plainly told her favorite banker, "Well, we want to get the stuff out of it and close that box because George passed away in 2006!" 

You would think that would have been an easy task, but it wasn't.  Mom was told to find the lockbox key or it would cost a lot of money to drill open the lockbox to see the contents. 

 
Recently, I went over to Mom's house and scrounged around looking for the lockbox key.  I brought home a bunch  with pink locks; so today Mom and I took them to the bank appointment with the lockbox wizard and immediately discovered that our pink keys nowhere matched the lockbox key. 

For months now Mom and I have discussed what could be in the lockbox that my father had.

 
"Do you suppose he has money in it?"  Mom asked.

"Mom, don't be silly!  If Daddy had money in it, why was he always playing the lottery?"

 
Well, Mom and I pondered and wondered and imagined for months until another bank statement was sent this week.  So we decided to take the plunge.

"What if he has another child somewhere?"  I asked.  "And the paternity papers are in there."

"What if it's dirty magazines?" Mom wondered.

 
But, we did know one thing for certain.  "It probably wasn't money!"

 
"What did the lockbox even look like?" I wondered.  Obviously, I don't have one!

 
A sense of excitement floated through the air today as Mom and I anticipated the revealing of the lockbox contents. 

But, in the meantime, I felt I needed to document this event in case the box contained millions of dollars.  "May I take your picture?"  I asked of the Diebold guy picking the lock.  "NO!" he stated. 

"But, I write a blog and need photographs to make it better.   "This is a BIG day for us!"   We may be millionaires in a few minutes!" 

Alas.  The lockbox picker gave me permission to photograph his arm and one of the bankers said I could photograph certain things . . . but not others. 

"But I write a blog and I have to have photographs," I whined.  Finally, I gave up and did the best I could under bank rules.

I took obscure photographs of safes dating back to the 1800's!

 
Meanwhile, Mama sat there, being almost 88 years old in her shorts with a grin on her face and being a cancer survivor to boot.  She was really hoping the lockbox contained millions.

 
And the next thing you know, a long green box was pulled slowly out of its hole.  "SHAKE IT!"  I blurted.  So the banker shook the long green box.  But I didn't hear anything.  Neither did Mama.

 
And there you have it!  Mama paid $73 to view an empty lockbox!

I was relieved, in a way.  I didn't want to see dirty magazines in that box and I most certainly didn't want to see any paternity papers!  Silly me! 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Mary Anne Gilmer]

Too funny. Just like Capone's safe. The real question is...what used to be in there?? LOL