Change in a Box

It was not a pleasant summer morning when Molly first called. The sun was blocked by stale clouds. The sky itself was a pale shade of gray. Gusts of uneven wind were weaving in and out of leaves. To make the morning a little more ill, Molly, the same Molly who she hadn’t talked to since high school had called her out of context.

Elizabeth had nothing against Molly, but engaging herself with anyone of her former high school friends made her feel uneased. Naturally, Elizabeth let her phone ring, before deciding to send Molly to voicemail.

Elizabeth? I think this is your number, unless it’s changed from high school. Elizabeth thought that would have been the more prudent decision and cursed herself for not thinking of it sooner.

I was thinking you could all come by this afternoon. A laugh almost escaped Elizabeth’s lips. The idea of reconnecting with her ex-friends was ludicrous. Molly should have known.

I found the time capsule we buried that- that night. Lydia left some things in there, if I remember correctly. The idea suddenly seemed less ludicrous to Elizabeth.

You don’t have to come, but you know, Lydia. Elizabeth understood. This would be the last thing Lydia had left them. Before she, herself left.

If you do by any chance decide to come, don’t ring the doorbell. Come in through the- Elizabeth paused the voicemail. She knew what Molly was going to tell her. Come in through the gate. Was Molly really trying to have the four of them reconnect?

Elizabeth tried to not think of the upcoming event, but it was a hard task. A few times, Elizabeth had subconsciously touched the edge of the pan, resulting in little bun marks near the tips of her fingers. If she wasn’t burning herself, her hands were in fists, often leaving moon shaped crescents in the palm of her hand. In the end, her eggs were a little black near the edges, evidence of Elizabeth’s unruly thinking.

The afternoon was just as melancholy as the morning. The stale clouds seemed to sag a little more, the sky a little grayer, and the wind a little more violent. As some girls would say, this would be the perfect summer weather. Elizabeth was part of the “some girls”. 

After writing down a list of pros and cons, with the pros outweighing the cons by two, Elizabeth decided to go. It was now mid-afternoon. Elizabeth wondered if Molly would still allow her to come, as being two hours late was not considered fashionably late.

Alas, Elizabeth drove her way to her old neighbourhood. There wasn’t an ounce of change in sight. The school was still standing, the miniature forest still growing and the park still not removed, yet empty, not a child in sight. Some could argue the weather was the reason for this, but Elizabeth believed it was because of the screens everyone was so addicted to.

She turned the corner of Molly’s street and mentally prepared herself. This would be her first time seeing Molly in years. 

In one elegant motion, Elizabeth exited her car and made way for the gate. 

The lock on the gate was broken, just as it had been years ago, when Elizabeth would sneak over to the treehouse along with Lydia and Jane. The treehouse sat in the far corner of Molly’s yard. The oak tree bearing the treehouse was ageing rapidly. Though it had only been a few years since Elizabeth had seen the tree, the rough branches were now cascading in a disarranged fashion. A hole was dug near the bottom of the tree, big enough to once have fit a time capsule. Inside the treehouse, Elizabeth recognized the mop of brown curls. 

With a deep sigh, Elizabeth scaled the rope ladder.

The floorboards moaned under Elizabeth, causing Molly to look up.

“Oh!” Molly exclaimed. “You came.”

“I did. I’m sorry for my tardiness,” Elizabeth apologized. She took a few more steps towards Molly, the floorboards moaning in protests. She sat directly across from Molly.

After an awkward ellipsis, Elizabeth asked where Jane was.

“She couldn’t make it in time,” Molly answered. “She might come by this Saturday, I’m not sure.” Once again, the silence filled in.

“Could I get you something to drink or eat?” Molly asked, setting aside the letter she was about to open.

“Grape Crush would be lovely,” Elizabeth replied. 

“I see things haven’t changed with you,” Molly said, offering a smile.

Elizabeth couldn’t agree with such a statement, but she did not announce such either. She kept her face neutral and nodded, the kind of nod you would give to someone you saw at the grocery store and knew, but not well.

Once Molly left the treehouse, Elizabeth took hold of the silver capsule. Inside, she found her wooden box near the bottom of the three. On it was a piece of pink washi tape, with “Lizzy” in lousy cursive.

As she unlatched the box, Molly came back and handed Elizabeth a bottle of Grape Crush. Quietly, Elizabeth murmured her thanks and uncapped the bottle, drawing a sip. 

Molly took a seat beside Elizabeth and watched as she pulled items from her box. Inside was her favourite orange, organic shirt. She had worn that for many days of her high school years. The faded silhouette of a golden bumblebee was imprinted on the top left corner of her shirt.

“I remember your nature loving days!” Molly laughed. “You were the only one who ever enjoyed Lydia dragging us on her hikes through the woods.”

“I remember too,” Elizabeth sighed. The next item was a pink birdhouse with a fake plastic bird inside. Molly didn’t have anything to share about this item, so Elizabeth kept quiet too. Though, she did remember Molly had helped her mix the perfect pink to paint it and Jane had gone to Dollarama with her to find a fake plastic bird. All while Lydia vanished off the face of the Earth. 

The third item was a braided pink bracelet. It wasn’t just a bracelet, it was a friendship bracelet. One Lydia gave to all of them, promising they would be friends forever. Oh how times have changed.

“Oh! I put mine in there too!” Molly said, grabbing her own box and showing off the yellow bracelet. Neither of the girls made a move to place the bracelet on. 

The next object was a dog’s collar. Jamie’s collar. Jamie was Elizabeth’s childhood pet. He was also like an emotional support animal to Elizabeth. When she cried because of heartbreak, Jamie cried with her. When she had felicity flowing freely through her veins, Jamie was there spinning in circles and barking cheerfully. Sadly, Jamie had not been around for some time. Even now, the thought of him caused pain to Elizabeth. Before Molly could inquire about the fourth object, Elizabeth slipped the collar into the  back pocket of her worn out jeans.

As Elizabeth predicted, Molly did ask about the fourth object. She pulled out the last object and showed Molly. It was a photograph.

In the photograph was Lydia, Jane, Molly and herself. They were celebrating Elizabeth’s sixteenth birthday at Elizabeth’s house. The photo was taken in her yard, in the summer. A summer, which was very different from today. The sky was cloudless and a majestic shade of blue. It was clear the sun was making the girls uncomfortably hot, for all four of them were drenched in sweat.

Upon closer inspection of the photo, Elizabeth could see how much she had changed. In the photo, she had shabby, overgrown bangs and a wide, boyish grin. Her hair was long and curled inwards near the ends. Elizabeth’s hair now was above her shoulders and bangless. 

Elizabeth was the only one who changed. In the photograph Molly had hair cut at a medium length, with the two front ends dyed a vibrant shade of pink. At the time, Molly liked to dye her hair a different colour every four months and it just so happened to be pink. Elizabeth’s favourite colour in high school. 

The lack of change was starting to scare Elizabeth even more.

She passed the photo to Molly, who smiled. “I remember how mad your parents were when we started throwing water balloons filled with dye at each other in white shirts.”

“Oh, that.” Elizabeth said. She couldn’t help but feel the corners of her mouth twitch up at the memory. Out of politeness she asked, “do you still have it?”

Molly, who was surprised at Elizabeth’s civility, nodded and pulled her shirt out of the box.

“Elizabeth,” Molly said, looking up.

“Yes?” she replied, her left eyebrow shooting up.

“Lydia left letters for us.”

“Oh,” Elizabeth reached for Lydia’s box, which was at the top of the stack. When she opened it, she found her’s immediately. 

Before Elizabeth could begin opening the letter, the stale clouds released the downpour it had been holding in for the whole morning. Water started coming down through the cracks in the treehouse and Molly and Elizabeth rushed to take cover inside. Elizabeth thanked Molly for letting her top by, but said she really ought to go. Molly understood Elizabeth’s motives and walked her to her car under her umbrella.

The neighbourhood still freaked Elizabeth out. How could it be that it hadn’t changed since she was in high school? Doesn’t everything change?

Once Elizabeth was in her apartment, she set her bottle of Grape Crush and her wooden box on her nightstand and began to open the letter.

Lizzy,

Let me start off by saying I am truly sorry if my letter seems a bit disorientated and short. I am writing these letters an hour before my departure and three letters is not an easy amount to write in an hour.

I fear we are much alike. Well maybe not fear. It wouldn’t be on my top ten fears at least. I mean, I’d love to have a twin but not a real twin, you know? Anyways, I think we are both alike for our fear of never having things change. I highly believe that you of all have changed the most, whether that be physically or mentally. 

For all my life, I have lived in this small, uneventful neighbourhood. Though I have made amazing friends like you, Jane and Molly, I cannot stay in one place for too long. After high school, I would have disappeared. Not disappeared to myself, of course, but to you guys. I am simply in search of change.

By the time you read this, I may be on a plane to Switzerland or meeting the love of my life in Paris or living on the streets of New York City. I don’t know. That’s what’s so wonderful about change isn’t it? You never know.

Lizzy, you’re like me. Like me you are to make mistakes. So my final question to you, Elizabeth, is are you who you want to be right now? If not, then do what you love most and change!

Love,

Lydia

Oh, how Lydia knew her better than Elizabeth knew herself. 

Elizabeth eyed the wooden box and then the Grape Crush. She took a long sip of it and cringed at the taste. Truth to be told, Elizabeth no longer liked Grape Crush. Sure, she liked it during high school, but now she preferred the original soda to this fizzy, purple liquid. Her sole purpose of asking for grape flavoured Crush was to put herself at ease. It served as a reminder that some things do change, even if it was Elizabeth’s taste in soda.