The Unsettling Surprise
"Hello, my happy-go-lucky parents," Molly said as she opened the front door to her home, fully expecting to see her parents standing behind the door with their arms crossed because that's how it'd been lately.
She was right.
"I wish you would just tell us what's going on," Molly's mom stood next to the couch with her arms crossed tightly in front of her chest.
"I can tell just by how you're looking at us that you're not being truthful," Molly's dad added.
Molly could never tell her parents what she was up to. "I swear I'm not up to anything."
"That's not what it looks like to us," Molly's mom said. "First, it was the lie we caught you in yesterday about having lunch with your friend, and today, we have no idea where you were all day. We called, and you never even bothered to answer your phone."
Molly shrugged. "I didn't hear my phone."
"Are you on drugs?" her father asked.
"Or worse. Selling drugs?" her mother answered.
"It’s so awesome how you see me as a great kid." Molly shook her head. She'd had enough, but her father blocked her bedroom door.
"Give us your phone," he said, holding his hand.
"What?" Molly answered. "That's not fair."
But there was no getting out of this one. Her father wasn't moving. For Molly to reach, she'd have to give up her phone.
She reluctantly handed the phone to her father. Then, she entered her bedroom.
"I don't know what has come over her," Molly's mom said to her father once Molly was inside her bedroom. "She'd always been such a good kid."
"I just hope it's not something serious," Molly's father said, looking down at Molly's phone.
"Do you think her phone will tell us what's happening?" Her mom reached for her wedding ring to spin, but it wasn't there. Molly's mom had lost her ring recently.
"I hope so," Molly's father said as he typed in her password.
The couple's worry hung thick in the air, a palpable tension, as they awaited revelations from the device. What they believed was drug use loomed ominously over the conversation.
Inside her bedroom, Molly made her way to her closet. Then, she pulled out the box hidden in the back corner. She shoved her hand into her jacket pocket, pulled out the wad of cash, and added it to the other money inside the box.
"Almost there," she said before placing the box inside the closet.
Molly's heart raced—not from fear of being caught but excitement over how close she was to pulling off the surprise. Each dollar felt like victory, but her parents’ suspicion gnawed at her.
"Yes. There has been an unusual uptick in substance use, unfortunately," the counselor at Molly's school told Molly's parents the following day. "But I haven't seen any evidence that Molly is involved with any of that."
"Are you sure?" Molly's mother asked the counselor. "She's been acting rather strange lately, and then we found this."
Molly's father handed the counselor the phone.
The counselor looked at it. She read the text message—Can you bring it to the house? And I'll give you the money then?
"Oh," the counselor said. "I see your concern."
Here was the turning point, the moment where the text message became a heavy stone on the scale of suspicion. It exaggerated their fears while amplifying Molly's need to protect her surprise.
"And we were wondering if you saw anything suspicious here," Molly's father said.
"Molly is still an incredible student and kid," the counselor said before pausing. "But there was that strange incident last week when Molly acted completely out of character in one class, and then she was sleeping in the next," the counselor said. "I never thought anything of it, but now, after seeing this evidence, I wonder."
"What do we do?" Molly's mother asked, her eyes tearing up, confusion and dread visible.
"Let me see what I can find out on my end, and I'll be in touch," the counselor said.
Molly's father put his arm around his wife as they stood up, concern overshadowing what should have been a mundane school meeting.
"Thanks for bringing it here," Molly said before handing the man one hundred dollars.
Molly tucked the small bag into her jacket pocket before shutting the front door.
Now, she just had to wait.
The weight of the tiny bag felt like accomplishment to her, yet everything around her grew heavy with the anxiety of being caught. She could almost hear her parents' accusation ringing in her ears, drowning out her joy.
Molly's mom and dad pulled up to the house.
"Whose car is that?" Molly's dad asked as he witnessed a Mercedes peel out of his driveway.
Molly's mom buried her head in her hands. "I can't believe this is happening."
"That's it. We must confront her with what we know."
Molly's parents parked their car and then charged up the steps to the front door, their minds racing with their worst fears.
Molly's father flew open the front door. "Molly!"
"Happy Anniversary!" Molly shouted. She was standing in front of a giant sign.
"Anniversary?" Molly's dad said in disbelief.
"What's today's date?" Molly's mother said, looking at her husband.
They'd been so preoccupied with worrying about Molly that they'd forgotten entirely their anniversary.
Molly pulled the tiny bag from her jacket pocket and handed it to her mom.
“Oh, Molly, I can’t,” Molly’s mom looked away. Then, she felt the baggie in her hand. When she looked at the baggie, she saw something sparkling. "My ring? You found my ring."
"The one you lost when we went to the beach last year. I saw it on Facebook, and I've been working for Mr. Johnson to give the guy an award for finding it."
"So, you're not on drugs?" Molly's father asked, a mix of surprise and relief washing over him.
"What are you talking about?" Molly laughed. "Of course, I'm not on drugs. I've been working for Mr. Johnson at the pool to pay for the ring."
"Oh, Molly!" Molly's mother wrapped her arms around her daughter and cried happy tears this time.
The tension dissolved, leaving behind a sense of triumph and renewed joy, while the undercurrent of misunderstanding slipped away like a receding tide. Molly had built the ultimate surprise, only to contend with the storm of anxiety it had stirred in her parents. Ultimately, love triumphed over fear, but the memory of their panic lingered—a reminder of how easily suspicion can overshadow joy.
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