Heart Keys by DementedViking, http://www.deviantart.com/art/Heart-Keys-78977694
Part IV Heart Keys by DementedViking, http://www.deviantart.com/art/Heart-Keys-78977694
Ying hurried out of the shop and onto the street where she had room and air to think. No family? She’d always assumed there would be a family. There had never been a rush before. She was only twenty-seven. As she walked to her apartment, the briefcase she carried seemed heavier than usual. Like a boulder, trapping her in a job she was no longer sure she wanted. Her steps were slow, not at all her usual brisk pace. Her eye caught every woman with a child that came along the sidewalk. It occurred to her there weren’t a lot of those. There were plenty of shops, even a toy store but not a lot of children. Why?
At home unusually early, only five p.m. she changed into casual clothes and took a walk to the park. Ying sat on a bench near the playground and watched. Moms with little kids in close view chatted on benches. Kids screamed with delight as they raced each other up slide ladders or dared each other to swing higher. Mothers called to children and they left in ones and twos, to go home and make supper, Ying guessed. What was that like? Get supper on the stove, get the kids washed, send a fast kiss hubby’s way when he came home? Maybe it was all rush, rush. Ying remembered soccer practices and games, or skating lessons, or piano lessons most every night of the week. Sure, there were sit down dinners but generally only on Sunday.
Is that what she wanted? Domestic bliss? She shook her head. It hadn’t seemed important before today. She pulled the key from her pocket and studied it as it lay in the palm of her hand. The scroll work on it was now free of dirt. The key was beautiful—more art than function. She mused on the original owner and the castle study. Was it a den, books lining the walls, or a lab, beakers and flames and mysterious bubbling colored potions? An alchemist, Eleanor had told her. Ying pictured an old man in robes and a pointed hat, more wizard than scientist. More Merlin than Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Slipping the key into her pocket she rose and wandered through the park, trying to sort her thoughts.
Her cell rang. A glance at the screen showed a picture of her mother. “Hey, Mom.” Appropriate her mother would call now.
“Ying. I was thinking of you and decided to call.”
The woman must be psychic. “Nice to hear from you, Mom. How are you and Dad?”
“We’re fine. Your father insisted on fixing the bathroom sink himself. Now the sink is completely broken. We have to use the guest bath.”
Ying chuckled. Her father was an excellent attorney, but a terrible handyman. “Ouch. Will it cost much?”
“More than it would have.” Her mother’s voice was dry. “Anyway, I thought you’d like to know your old best friend, Lena, is having a baby.”
Ying rolled her eyes. This was how her mother reminded her that they wanted grand-children. “How nice. She’s been married, what, three years? Her wedding was so beautiful.”
“Yes, it was.”
There’s another hint. “I took off of work early today. I’m in the park.”
“Good. You work too hard. No wonder you’re so skinny. Men don’t like boney girls.”
“Mom! I’m perfectly healthy. I work out and eat right, that’s all.”
“Hmmpf,” sounded clearly over the cell. “Maybe. Are you coming home for Thanksgiving?”
“Thanksgiving is four months away. I’ll see. I’m a new partner, I don’t want to seem too privileged.”
“You didn’t come last year.”
There was that tone. “True. I was trying to make partner, Mom.”
“Well, now you’re a partner. You come home.”
“I’ll do my best, Mom. Look. I have to go.” Ying blew a kiss into the phone. “Tell Dad I love him.”
“I will.” She blew a kiss back to her daughter. “Find a husband!” She clicked off.
There it was. Ying wondered when she’d toss that into the conversation. She slid the phone into her pocket. What if I do want children? What if that’s what makes me happy? Were any of the other owners women? Perhaps the key would work differently for a woman? Ying stopped in the shade of a huge maple and pulled the key out of her pocket. A short distance away, a young family was spreading out a blanket, the two toddlers hindering in their efforts to help. She smiled as they all laughed at the mess they were making. So, key. What do you think? If I want a successful family and success in business, can you give that to me? She stroked the key, wrapped her hand around it and closed her eyes. Ying formed a picture in her mind of a husband and a child, laughing at the beach, her taking a picture.
A wave of nausea roiled her stomach. She opened her hand and stared at the key. “What did you give me, key? What did you do?”
Thank You!
Part IV: 842 Words