A Picture Worth A Million Words
As she took another look at the painting, her lips parted in realization at what she was seeing. She leaned closer, after removing the translucent varnish by the edge of her knife, to get a better look.
She gasped at the undeniable evidence as she'd realized that the man she knew for fifty years was not at all who she thought.
A World-Shattering Discovery
Esmerelda Ford made a world-shattering discovery at seventy-one-years of age, and it was the last thing to come to mind that week. This all began as she tried to break away from this sadness.
To feel the memory of her late husband close to her again, she thought to go through his old belongings. Yet, instead she uncovered a fifty-year-old secret that left her without words.
An All-Consuming Void
The yellow walls that were supposed to be whispers of sweet memories and a full life, were suffocating her as she sat alone in the silence of her own home. The loss of her husband, Mark Johnson, had left her consumed by emptiness.
The void almost getting bigger every passing day and the weight of being alone, started to get to Esmerelda. When she had gone down to the basement into her husband’s man-cave, she was only looking for a distraction from the grief
A Thought
At first, it had not crossed Esmerelda’s mind to go down to the man - cave, but it came to her as she passed the corridor.
This was Mark’s peaceful retreat, he spent several hours down in this spot, being secretive of what he was getting up to. His wife was oblivious to what she would find down in the basement.
His Hidden World
In the fifty years they had been married, Esmerelda almost never stepped foot in there. She and Mark had always shared mutual respect for each other in their relationship.
Unless she absolutely had to go into this space, she stayed away for his privacy. But with grief and aching in her soul, she now decided to unearth the mysteries of her husband.
Going Down The Steps
Esmerelda slowly stepped down the stairs, breathing nervously. The atmosphere was heavy with emptiness, as if all life had left since it was occupied ages ago.
Her footsteps echoed on cold hard floors, through dim light. She suddenly recalled the last time she stood there and it made her emotional.
Lost In Memory
She remembers her husband sitting in his rocking chair on the other side of the room, watching the Super Bowl with a beer in hand. He spent that day with their two sons, joyfully cheering the team on.
Making her way sadly across the room to where Mark stored his most prized possessions, she has no idea what awaits her.
Frozen In Time
Dust covered each surface, freezing the space in time. All Mark’s relics were forgotten, but still kept on the wall.
As Esmerelda neared the shelves, she was overflowing with apprehension and angst. It had come to a point where she knew she had to take on the strenuous duty of cleaning each one out, one by one.
A Shrouded Truth
In between all of his belongings, her eyes fell upon an old painting her husband had hung against the wall.
At first glance it looked like a simple thrifted piece of art, a compelling and peaceful landscape of a meandering riverside consumed by thick greenery and serene rays of the setting sun. Yet in a humdrum way, it must have had something more to it. Perhaps the life changing secret that Esmerelda would still uncover.
Dust And Darkness
In some way this painting seemed completely unfamiliar to Esmerelda. Walking closer, she couldn't understand why her husband had kept it in the basement all these years and didn’t display it upstairs.
It surely had a certain beauty to have earned its own spot on a main wall. This made her wonder why Mark had this beautiful painting hidden in a dusty corner, covered up in darkness.
Last Wish
Esmeralda went down on her knees, not minding the dust that smeared onto her skirt. But as she reached for the painting, the memory of Mark's last words flooded her mind.
On his deathbed, rendered weak by the onslaught of prostate cancer, he'd pleaded with her to take care of the painting. Under heavy medication, he'd stressed its value in a slurred sentence, asking Esmeralda not to sell it.
Enigmatic Requests
Of course, Esmeralda had brushed it off at the time, assuming it was because of the medication. Mark had been barely lucid that week, drifting in and out of consciousness.
He'd been making enigmatic requests, most of which didn't make sense to Esmeralda or their five kids at his bedside. But now, curiosity compelled her to uncover the truth.
Finding Purpose
Slowly, she ran the pad of her forefinger against the painting's frame, sighing at the amount of dust she collected. She cradled the picture in her hands, its weight and presence already eating away at her loneliness.Determined to unravel this mystery Mark had created, Esmeralda found an appraiser who could tell her more about the painting's worth. Uncovering the painting's value would reveal something about Mark that she didn't know while also giving her purpose in this new phase of her life.
Determined to unravel this mystery Mark had created, Esmeralda found an appraiser who could tell her more about the painting's worth. Uncovering the painting's value would reveal something about Mark that she didn't know while also giving her purpose in this new phase of her life.
At The Appraiser’s Office
It took Esmeralda only a short time to find an appraiser willing to look at her painting. Arriving at his office, Esmeralda felt a mix of excitement and nervousness take over her being.
But not willing to let it overwhelm her, she straightened her back and presented the painting to the expert. The man studied it with a keen eye, humming to himself momentarily. Time seemed to stand still as Esmerelda waited for his assessment.
Near Perfect
With a disappointed look, the appraiser cleared his throat, locking eyes with Esmeralda. "Mrs. Johnson," he started, "I'm afraid what you have here is a knockoff.
It is a near perfect replica of a remarkable piece of art, a masterpiece by Meyer Grierson, a renowned artist from the early 19th century. But that's the extent of its magnificence."
Are You Sure
Esmeralda's heart broke as she heard the appraiser's report. "Are you sure?" she asked with tears welling in her eyes. "Yes," the appraiser said.
"The original piece is called The Solace of Serenity and is exceedingly rare. Its value… well, it is beyond what I can express." He typed a few words into his laptop before turning it around, and Esmeralda's heart broke at what she saw.
A Few Hundreds At Best
An exact copy of the painting she'd brought to the appraiser was on the screen. But this one was displayed in an affluent gallery somewhere in Europe.
"That is the original Serenity," the appraiser said flatly, even though he seemed to have realized how much this revelation had shaken Esmeralda. "Your painting might fetch a few hundred dollars at best," he added. If only he knew how wrong he was.
Why Did He Lie?
Esmeralda collected the painting and returned to the house. That night she placed it next to her pillow, laying it where Mark used to lay his head. Why would he tell her this painting was worth something when it was a just replica worth a few hundreds at best?
He'd probably bought it for five dollars at a flea market and wanted to play a cruel joke on her. Yawning, Esmeralda decided to call it a day. She should have known that what she had on her hands carried a secret fit to change her life forever.
Fine. I’ll Do It Myself
Esmeralda woke up the next day still disappointed by what she'd found. Yet she couldn't bring herself to put the painting away. It sat on the bed where she'd left it the previous night, and each time she'd walked by her bedroom door, it would quietly call out to her.
Hoping to finally put this matter to rest, she decided to study it herself. She didn't know much about paintings. But that was something a few YouTube tutorials could fix.
A Scavenger Hunt
With the TV playing the first tutorial she found, Esmeralda got to work. Since the appraiser had confirmed that the painting was a cheap imitation, Esmeralda had concluded that her husband might have hidden something within.
She planned to separate the work of art from its frame and examine its surroundings to the best of her ability. Although she didn't admit it then, the premise of this scavenger hunt made her feel like Mark was in the room with her.
Oddly Thick
She started by carefully taking away the frame. But she wasn't halfway done before something caught her interest. The painting seemed oddly thick, like none she'd ever seen.
Initially, she'd thought it was an artistic choice. She'd concluded that the painter used layers upon layers of paint and varnish to achieve the thickness. But now, it became clear that something was hiding beneath.
Layers
Carefully, Esmeralda embarked on a mission to splice in between the painting's thick layer. She didn't want to destroy the painting itself as she was slowly growing fond of it.
But she'd noted that the extra thickness was due to a layer of varnish the painter had plastered over the entire piece. Was this a design choice, or was it because they wanted to hide something?
His Behavior
Mark's words slowly surfaced within Esmeralda's mind. She remembered how secretive he'd been in their younger years. He used to leave home on a whim and disappear for weeks on end, only calling to assure her he was alright.
He also used to promise her he wasn't doing wrong by her, saying she and their kids were his life. But how could Esmeralda believe him when all his specialty was secrets?
Making A Decision
As the two grew into their roles as parents, Esmeralda chose never to question him again. Despite his secrets, Mark never did anything to hurt her or the kids.
He was never in trouble with the authorities nor had bad blood with anyone who could hurt his family. He was also a great dad and husband. But Esmeralda couldn't deny that she'd give almost anything to know where he usually went or what he did while gone.
Cut The Layer
Eager to finally shed light on this mystery, Esmeralda cut into the varnish, surprised when the edge of a brown piece of paper met her gaze. She freed it from the painting with furrowed brows, sitting back to study it better.
"A letter," Esmeralda whispered as she turned the paper about. Her breath hitched when she recognized Mark's handwriting.
A Letter
Esmeralda didn't know what she'd just found. But its presence had her heart beating as she opened it. Her sight skimmed the letter's length, blurring with every word she read. In the letter, Mark had left the sweetest words for her.
He recalled the first day he met her when she was only twenty, terming it the best day of his life. He'd just come from his first tour as a marine and was looking to settle down. But this was only the first part of the letter.
His Words
Mark talked about his life with Esmeralda, thanking her for building a life with him. She and their kids had been the only people to ever treat him like a human being. As a parting gift, he'd left her this letter, hoping she'd find it sooner rather than later.
A phone number marked the end of his words, and Esmeralda wasted no time running for her phone. She dialed the digits and started pacing as the phone rang. She was speechless when a bank teller answered. When she introduced herself, he told her to meet him immediately.
Meeting Him
Esmeralda took a cab to town, meeting the bank teller in a local restaurant. He told her that although he didn't know Mark well, he'd done business with him a few times over the past decade. "He left a safety deposit box key with your name on it," the man whispered, urging Esmeralda to follow him to the bank.
The next hour saw the two traverse the marble floors of the local bank, where the man ushered Esmeralda to a room lined with safety deposit boxes. He pointed at one and handed her a small copper key.
The Box
Her heart thumping in her ears, Esmeralda unlocked the box. But just like with the painting, all she found was another letter. She took and read through it. But where the last one had made a lot of sense, this one only made her brows furrow.
In it were six separate bank accounts, one for Esmeralda and the other five for her children. Each account carried millions of dollars, all originating from an individual named Mark Grierson. Esmerelda put the letter down, taking a deep breath. She could swear she'd heard that name somewhere before.
They’re Related
When Esmeralda married Mark, he told her he'd fallen off with his family. As with his many secrets, he'd never elaborated. But now, with this letter, everything was becoming apparent. He was the descendant of that famous 19th-century painter, Meyer Greerson, the same man the appraiser told her about.
The letter revealed that Mark had been his sole heir and had hidden his identity over the years because of how superficial people had treated him. He'd taken weeks away to auction his ancestor's paintings, funneling the cash into the six accounts. But this was only half of his secrets.