Looking straight on, the two left legs were shorter than the two on the right. The dirty, cream, colored paint was starting to peel, and revealed the original layer of avocado-green underneath. There were oversized drawers on both sides of where the chair was pushed in, and they left very little leg room. It was very tall and the flat top stopped just a few inches above one’s waist. Its uncomfortable height made it difficult to use any sort of normal desk chair, and using a stool eventually made your neck sore from craning over for a long period of time. Despite its unattractive appearance and bulky nature, Liza’s parents insisted that the desk be placed in her room. She had only encountered her great-grandmother twice. The first time was when she was seven. All she could remember from that visit was a fifty-dollar bill in her hand after her great-grandmother planted a big, sloppy, red kiss on her cheek. She was rich, and that was the only reason Liza ever regretted not visiting her more often. The second time she saw her was three days ago at the viewing before the burial.
Her great-grandmother had written her will long before she died. She was very meticulous in delegating everything single thing she owned. Family and friends were surprised with elaborate gifts such as expensive porcelain china sets, and handcrafted, wooden bureaus made from the finest mahogany. Liza didn’t even feel a tinge of remorse for death of her great-grandmother because all she felt was bitter. She was bitter because everyone else received such fabulous gifts, and all she got was a dysfunctional, junk desk. She would have rather received nothing if that meant she didn’t have to look at that massive piece rubbish that now sat in the far corner of the room.
Liza walked slowly over to the desk and ran her hand over the worn, chipped desktop. A layer of gray dust was left on her hand and she could still smell mold caused by the dampness of the basement where it had been for some time. She was afraid to open the drawers because she didn’t know what kinds of creatures might be lurking. Liza used one finger to pull on the corroded brass handle of one of the top drawers. With a little extra force, Liza managed to slide the rest of the drawer out as tiny paint chip floated to the ground from the sudden movement of the drawer.
There was a roadmap of Nevada, a pair of dice, a few blank envelopes, and a couple of mismatched keys. Liza used her hand to gingerly shift the items around. Under the roadmap was a blue sticky note that read, “To Liza, all you’ve ever wanted.” Liza’s eyes narrowed and she felt as though this was some kind of cruel joke. Angrily, she snatched everything that was inside of the drawer she opened and threw it on the floor. She grabbed the drawer with both hands, yanked it out its opening, and let it fall to the floor. Liza looked down at the drawer and saw that there was a small rectangular box secured to the back. There was a keyhole at the top and Liza remembered the keys that she had seen earlier. Hastily, she sifted through the papers on the floor and found two keys. She tried the first one, but it didn't work. The second one was a perfect fit and she heard the satisfying ‘click’ as the box unlocked. She reached inside and pulled out three half-inch stacks of crisp $100 dollar bills.
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