A Quick Fix
He ducked underneath the bench to assess just what needed to be done to restore his mother’s workbench and restore it to its full use and purpose, but as he turned his head to look at the bottom he caught a glimpse of something he was least expecting. Quick as a flash he was running up the stairs to tell his mother what he had found.
A Tough Few Months
It had been a very tough few months for Aaron and his mother, Becca. Life seemed to be a fog of going through the motions while they tried to come to terms with the loss of their larger-than life husband and father. Every room held a memory, but they would rather the beautiful memories that caused them such a feeling of loss stay rather than move and forget them all.
A Father And A Husband
Mason had been a great father and an amazing husband. Becca and her husband had their small arguments, sure, but nothing ever came between them for long. They were a team and they lived to make each other happy, so when Becca developed an interest in metal engraving Mason decided to put his carpentry skills to work.
Teaching A Trade
Telling Aaron his plan to make a workbench for Becca, Mason also said he wanted Aaron to hang around to watch, practice, and learn different techniques to use in woodworking. It was a hobby that they both enjoyed for years to come and Aaron became quite adept in the art and prided himself on sound, clean work, just like his dad had worked before him.
Not Just A Step Parent
Mason was stepfather to Aaron from before Aaron could even remember. He had basically grown up with Mason as a dad, not as a stepdad. It mattered to neither of them that they weren’t blood-related. They were a healthy, happy, and active family
Fighting Fit
An otherwise healthy man, just gone 51 years old at his last birthday, Mason was young and active and athletic. Although he no longer took part in sports as he had in his younger school days, he still enjoyed jogging and working with his hands. He was by no means a sedentary person and didn’t enjoy being behind a screen unless it was for a football match, so why did it happen?
Consternation
It was a freak chance event that left the family without a father and husband. He didn’t have any pre-existing issues like high blood pressure or heart disease, but an arterial tear led to Mason suffering a ruptured artery nonetheless. It left his wife and son in tatters after he passed so suddenly, so when Aaron saw the workbench he was jolted back into the past.
Spotting A Fault
One of the bench legs that Mason had made his mother was crooked. On closer inspection, he found that the whole leg was pretty wobbly. His mother must have not noticed since she hadn’t worked on her engraving since the funeral. She seemed to have lost her muse. Mason wouldn’t have liked seeing that bench leg all out of shape, so Aaron did something about it.
Getting A Better Look
Gathering up the supplies he would need for the project of reinforcing the workbench leg, Aaron went over to the table and started examining it further. He remembered how happy his mother had been when Mason presented her with the handmade bench just for her. It felt good to be fixing it up for her. He squatted down on his toes to get a better look underneath and immediately turned and bolted upstairs.
Bittersweet And Romantic
Aaron had found something so special he couldn’t keep it to himself for a second, besides, it wasn’t addressed to him anyway. As Becca made her way down the basement steps, Aaron couldn’t help but let a smile widen across his face. This seemed like something right out of a movie, bittersweet and romantic.
A Secret Message
Aaron turned the workbench upside down and his mother could see exactly what had happened. On the reverse side of the wooden planks was a note, scrawled across two planks of wood in a red marker. The note was addressed to Becca and must have been written shortly after Mason had built it. It was simply signed – Mason
Uploading To The World
The note was a two-paragraph love letter from husband to wife, and it had an impact on his son too. Aaron posted a picture of the letter on a website called Imgur and alongside the photo, he wrote a few words. “My dad passed away on February 26th at the age of 51 from a ruptured artery, he made this workbench for my mom, Becca, when she got into metal engraving. He was technically my stepdad, but being as how I’ve never met my biological father, he was the only and best father I had.” The letter read…
A Love Letter
Scrawled in Mason’s hand the letter began, “I love you, Becca. Whatever day this is, I hope it’s a good one. God truly answered my prayers the day he gave me you. I know that these days are the best I’ll ever have, and I’m glad you’re in them.” Aaron admits that he has never seen two people as in love as his mom and Mason, but the letter continued.
I Love You, Beautiful Wife
“I’m not sure if you’ll ever see this, but if you do, just know that I love you very much. If there is one thing want in life, it is to be as good to you as you are to me. If I can do that, I’ll be the happiest man alive. I love you, beautiful wife. — Mason.” Becca was in tears, the note was so sweet and she missed her husband more than anything, that’s when Aaron came up with a plan.
Everything His Dad Taught Him
Aaron took the legs off the table and reinforced them with screws just the way Mason had taught him years ago. He looked around him, making sure his mother couldn’t see him, then he began loosening the two planks that held the note. Lifting them free from the workbench he placed them safely out of the way.
Another Surprise
He then cut two more planks of the same wood to size and fitted them neatly in the empty slots and screwed them firmly in place. There was no way to find the fact that the wood was newer than the planks he had removed, but hopefully, that wouldn’t matter once he completed his idea. Alterations and mending complete he put the tools away and closed the door behind him as he left the room.
A Devastating Loss
Losing his dad had been a devastating event in his life, nevertheless, Aaron knew that his dad would want him to push forward and live life to the fullest. Tidying up the edges of the two planks of wood, Aaron sawed out the pieces that held the message, to make it more manageable for his project.
Preserving The Invalueable
In an effort to preserve the inscription, he neatly glued the two pieces together and found a frame to fit them. It wouldn’t need glass casing but he added a hook the was strong enough to keep the note mounted on the wall. He was confident that his mother would love his intention behind cutting up the old workbench.
Spurred To Action
Spurred to action by Aaron’s attitude coupled with the sweet reminder that Mason had written her, Becca decided to dive back into metal engraving and to channel her energy into her art, but when she went down to the workbench the next day she could immediately tell that something was wrong.
I Feel Closer To Him Now
She checked under the table for the priceless inscription from her husband but it was gone, she turned in a storm of emotion only to see Aaron standing, holding the framed love letter out to her. Now Mason could take a place in the house where the family could always see him. He wouldn’t be left hidden in the basement any longer. Had he not taken Mom’s bench apart, who knows when it would have been discovered. “Losing my husband was horrible, however, being able to look at his heartfelt inscription each day makes me feel closer to him and it makes my days a bit easier,” Becca told her son.