The doorbell rang. He jumped, startled by the loud ringing that interrupted his solitude. Uncoiling himself from his chair, he stumbled over to the door. As he reached to undo the locking chain, he noticed that he had forgotten to latch it when he arrived home earlier in the day. "Nothing in here to steal, anyway", he thought, as his hand closed tightly on the grimy door handle.
He pulled at the door. It wouldn't open. He pulled harder. "Crack!" went the rotting wood of the door as it strained against the oft-painted door frame. When the door finally popped open, a dim figure was visible in the hallway.
"Special delivery", said the uniformed man. "Sign here, please".
As he signed the slip, he couldn't help but wonder what was in the package. "Thanks, buddy", he told the delivery man, then closed the door in his face. For a fleeting moment, he felt guilty about not tipping him for delivering on a cold evening. But then his attention returned to the package.
"A Christmas present? Of course! It has to be! But from whom?"
His hopes faded as he read the return address label. It was from a law firm in New York. One he had never heard of before.
Slowly, he pulled the opening strip across the package, and peeked inside ... |
