Better Than the Lottery
Jackie couldn't believe how easy it was.
Growing up in the abyss of the orphanage, she always dreamed she was someone important but forgotten. She dreamed that one day, she would be rescued from the strict nuns and the numbing loneliness. She knew the nuns treated her differently; that she was somewhat of a ‘pet’ to the Mother Superior. Never one to question, she used her preferential status to fuel her dreams of a better life filled with family and friends.
It started with a sudden desire to find out who her real parents were. Why did they leave her at the orphanage? Jackie had no memory of them nor was the nuns forthcoming about her arrival at the orphanage. Not surprisingly, inquiries to SimNation’s Bureau of Vital Statistics regarding her birth certificate yielded nothing but frustration. The sims in the bureau were all talk and no skill.
All it actually took was a call to the rectory. Father Shanahan, who was due to retire at the end of the summer, listened to her tale with growing shock and horror. He promised to look in the rectory's records for her birth certificate.
He couldn't believe the town had held such a secret for so long. Of course, he remembered the night Jackie appeared at the orphanage. It was he who left the gate open for the long black Benz to pull silently up and unload its precious cargo. It was he who baptized the child, and instructed Sister Therese to be silent on what she had witnessed that night. It was he who had trusted the town fathers to do the right thing, and return the child to her birthright when she was no longer in danger.
Over the years, he lost track of the child. He knew Sister Therese watched over her and trusted she was safe and ignorant of her heritage. Eventually, he forgot the drama and intrigue of the Cresswells just like the rest of the town. But Jackie’s call changed all that in a flash. The flood of images and emotions filled his soul with guilt.
He fell to his knees and prayed for forgiveness. When he was spent, he stood and went to retrieve the birth certificate...locked away so many years ago in the rectory safe. Immediately he made a copy of the document, for safekeeping. He then called Jackie and asked her to meet him at the town hall.
Three days later, Jackie received a call from Malcolm Landgraab. It was he who pushed for the National Historic Landmark status for the property, preventing the town from taking over the home.
"I remember the parties there before your mother went away.” he said with a smile in his voice. “I was a little boy, barely 10 I think...but I remember your mother dancing in the fountain. I've instructed my law firm to work on your behalf to get the paperwork in order. That may take a few months, but rest assured...Cresswell's Bluff belongs to YOU, as Eliza Cresswell-Layton's daughter. Feel free to move in whenever you want.
I've already sent over a cleaning crew to remove the dust covers and landscapers for the gardens...consider it a gift from your daughter Vanessa's employer. She's the best stock analyst we've ever had.
On behalf of the Landgraab Foundation, welcome home!"
Jackie drove slowly up the drive from the river. She could hear the sea crashing in the distance. The whisper of the dogwood trees soothed her nerves as she entered the front door. As she explored the house, she came to what was obviously a study.
Above the fireplace were portraits of Samuel and Anna Cresswell, her ancestors...her benefactors.
She was home.