Part 3
I picked up the lunchbox because I didn’t know what else to do. Inside were an envelope with my name written in Mrs. Rohde’s shaky handwriting and a simple metal key. My hands started to shake even before I opened the letter.
Jakob,
You’re probably angry because it looked like I hadn’t left you anything. But believe me, what I’ve prepared for you will mean more than a house.
I know that at first you only agreed to help me because of the money, and I don’t blame you for that. But somewhere between the grocery runs, the burnt meals, and the terrible TV dramas, you became the son I found far too late in life.
My knees hit the floor. I had meant something to her. I read the rest through my tears.
You once told me that you’d like to take over the village tavern. Well, now part of it belongs to you.
Months ago, I spoke with Josi in private and bought a share of the village tavern in your name. He agreed to be your mentor and teach you how to run a business properly. The key is for the village tavern.
A house can fall apart. Money can disappear. But I hope this gives you something stronger.
A reason to dream.
I don’t remember how I got up. One moment I was still lying on the floor, crying over that letter. The next, I was running toward the village tavern with the key clenched tightly in my fist. It was quiet when I walked in, that sluggish time between breakfast and lunch. Josi was standing behind the bar, refilling the sugar shakers. He looked up. I held the key up. “Is this true?”
Josi slowly set down the sugar jar. “Yes.”
He reached under the counter and pulled out a folder. Inside were legal documents with my name printed in large letters. Property shares. Bank documents. Signatures. All official. All real. I laughed and cried at the same time, which embarrassed me, but I was simply too overwhelmed to care. Josi studied me for a moment, and his features softened in that cautious way that tough men often try to hide. “She was proud of you,” he said quietly. “You know that, don’t you?”
I held a hand over my eyes and tried not to completely break down right there in the village tavern. After a minute, Josi cleared his throat. “All right, enough of that. We open at five tomorrow. I hope you’re ready to learn how to run a village tavern, partner.”
Something inside me changed in that moment. It was tiny, but it shot through me like a bolt of lightning. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t thinking about how I was going to survive the next week. I was thinking about a future.
