Page 46 of Tied Up in Riches
I nod and he taps the green circle and brings the phone to his ear, the flashlight on the back of his phone still the only light in the room. “Hey, Emma.”
What sounds like a cry comes through, but I can’t hear what she’s saying.
“Whoa, slow down. What happened?” he asks, and then Emma says something else I can’t understand. “Yeah, she’s right here. Hold on.”
Marcus moves the phone between us and hits the speakerphone button.
“Emma? What’s wrong?”
Her voice cracks on a sob. “I don’t think I can do this.” Her words come out rushed like if they come out fast enough she could deny she even said them. “I'm scared to talk to Charlotte. She’s so hyped, so positive, so confident all the time. But what if we fail? What if we don’t help anyone? What if . . . I don’t know. They’re just going to make a new drug that our strips won’t detect, and then we won’t even have a business anymore, and then we won’t have any money, and I’ll have to sell my car and my house, and I’ll starve, and then I definitely won’t be able to save anyone, and it’ll all be for nothing. Who am I to even think I could make a difference? It’s too insane. It’s too big.” She takes a deep breath and then chokes on a cry. I glance at Marcus and instantly know by his wide eyes he has no idea how to comfort her. It’s the look he gave me last night too.
“What you’re doing for the world, it matters so much, Emma. Did you know in Thailand Rohypnol isn’t even illegal? You can’t buy it over the counter, but it's still prescribed and it’s not that hard to get a prescription for it as a ‘sleep aid.’ There’s such a lack of awareness, I promise you every single person you inform makes a difference. Especially because with every person who learns more, it’s not only one person who is safe from its dangers, but also starts a new butterfly effect.”
“Yeah . . . you’re right.”
“When was the last time you took a day off?”
“Umm . . .”
“Are you at home?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you remember the box I gave you last week? The one I told you to only open in case of emergency?”
“Yeah,” she says again.
“Go get it.” The soft shuffle of feet against the hardwood floors takes up the next twenty seconds, and I keep my eyes focused on the phone screen, worried Marcus will think I overstepped.
“Alright.”
I swallow. “Okay, open it.” There’s a rip of packing tape from cardboard on the other side of the phone. I direct her toward one of the two things she’ll find inside. “There’s a yellow shoebox covered with daisies with your name on the top.”
With the sound of the cardboard scraping on the box as she pulls it out, I imagine it sitting next to a blue one that I covered with waves and starfish and Charlotte’s name.
“What is this?”
“It’s your Thai Emma box. It’s supposed to be things that make you happy, feel confident in being you–because you deserve both of those things.”
The other end of the line is silent besides the soft shuffle through the items.
A new ribbon headband covered with evenly spaced silk daisies.
A box of chamomile tea.
A mug that says The rain helps you grow in cursive surrounded by wildflowers.
And a copy of The Little Book of Big Dreams. A book full of short stories of people who followed their spark in life despite every obstacle and doubt.
“You made this for me?”
“I thought you might need it one day.”
“Thank you,” she whispers. “I’ll let you go.”
“Are you sure? We’re not busy.” I know the deal with Emma and Charlotte is important to Marcus. I know they are important to him too, just like they’ve already become to me.
“I’m sure. I probably freaked Marcus out.”