Story Time: The Lousy Locket

Nova’s 11th birthday didn’t turn out quite the way she wanted. You see, she’d been begging her parents for one special thing: a cellphone — the one all her friends had.

When she tore open every gift and didn’t find a shiny new iphone inside, she started to tear up. I can’t believe Mom and Dad didn’t get the one gift I asked for, she thought.

Nova’s moping was interrupted when her mom pulled one last gift out from behind her back. “I can’t wait to see you open this one,” she smiled, clapping her hands with excitement.

Oh, my gosh, it’s the moment I’ve been waiting for, Nova cheered in her head. Who should I text first ... Bella, or maybe Ashley or Dee?

She grabbed the gift and ripped the wrapping paper off in an instant. She looked at the size of the box and her heart sunk. There wasn’t going to be a phone inside. She opened it up and her suspicions were confirmed. Instead of a phone, her mom had given her a necklace — a gold necklace that looked really … well, old.

“Do you love it?” Nova mom asked. “I can’t tell from your face. Here, let me put it on you and then I can tell you all about it.”

Nova’s shoulders sagged. “I thought you were getting me a phone this year.”

“Nova, sweetheart, is that any way to thank your mother for her thoughtful gift?” Her grandpa gently scolded her. “You may not have noticed but that locket is actually the one …”

Nova’s mom interrupted. “It’s okay, Dad.” Then, she turned to Nova. “We’ve talked

about you getting a phone. Your dad and I made it very clear that you wouldn’t be getting one until you’re 13. You just don’t need one right now, sweetie.”

“But all my friends have one,” Nova screeched with tears streaming down her face. “It’s the only birthday present I asked for. How could you not get it for me?”

“Okay, birthday girl, take a few deep breaths and get yourself together. I wouldn’t want to have to send you to your room before we eat cake,” Nova’s dad chimed in.

Nova wiped her tears and put on a happy face but, deep down, she was still devastated. She ate her slice of cake with a forced smile and went to her room right after she was finished, leaving all of her gifts on the dining room table. “It’s not like I wanted any of them,” she grumbled under her breath as she trudged upstairs. “Especially not some lousy locket. I can’t believe Mom thought I’d want that more than a cellphone.”

The next morning, Nova was sure her mom was going to yell at her over the birthday present disaster. But she came in to wake Nova up, helped her pack her lunch and drove her to school without mentioning Nova’s meltdown. To Nova, her mom actually seemed sad.

I know I said some bratty things, Nova acknowledged in her head as she got out of the car, but Mom never gets like this. She spent the

“Is that grandma wearing my necklace?” Nova pointed to a picture on top of the piano that she’d never really noticed before. “Did it used to be hers?”

rest of the school day thinking of ways she could make it up to her mom. When the bell rang for dismissal, she thought she finally had a winning idea.

“Hey Mom!” she yelled excitedly when she spotted her mom in the parking lot. She ran to the car, buckled her seatbelt and launched into her plan. “Do you want to go the store and buy the ingredients to make carrot cake? I thought we could make it together later!”

“No, sweetie, I don’t feel like it today,” her mom responded, seeming distracted. “We

still have your leftover cake at home anyway. You can have some of that after you practice for your piano lesson.”

Nova was shocked. She’d never heard her mom turn down carrot cake before … and the cake they had at home was chocolate, which was her mom’s least favorite!

When they got home, Nova went right to the piano, hoping that if she was on her best behavior, her mom would break out of her funk. But before she began to play, she noticed something strange. “Mom!” she called. “Come here.” “What’s the matter?” her mom came running.

“Is that grandma wearing my necklace?” Nova pointed to a picture on top of the piano that she’d never really noticed before. “Did it used to be hers?”

Finally, Nova saw her mom smile. “It sure was,” she said. “I guess I never did get to tell you about that locket last night.”

“Tell me now!” Nova was suddenly very interested. Her grandmother had died when she was a baby, and Nova was always sad she’d never gotten to know her. She could tell from the way her mom talked about her that they were very close and that her grandma had been one cool lady.

“That locket has been in our family for

generations,” Nova’s mom explained. “Your great-great-grandmother got it as a present from your great-great-grandfather on the day of their wedding, right after he came back from World War 1.” “How do you know all this?” Nova asked. “Well, these stories have been passed down for generations, too.” “That’s so cool.” “That’s not even the coolest part.”

Nova listened as her mother told her stories about the special necklace that had been in the family for so many years. It was exciting to hear old stories about family member she’d never gotten to meet, but Nova was especially interested in her mom’s memories.

“Once your grandma wore the locket to my dance recital, and it fell off during the show,” Nova’s mom recalled. “We couldn’t leave without it so the whole family crawled around looking for it.” “Seriously?” Nova asked, starting to laugh. “We spent like 15 minutes on our hands and knees before she realized it was in her purse the whole time!”

Nova cracked up even more, before asking a question that’d been on her mind. “How come you decided to give it to me this year?”

“My mom gave it to me when I was 11,” Nova’s mom explained. “It should have been ‘hers’ for a few more years, but I begged and begged to have it. I thought it was the prettiest thing I’d ever seen, so she gave it to me.

“Where’s the locket now?” Nova couldn’t wait to get a better look at it. “Did you put pictures inside for me?”

She still wore it, too, but I got to tell everyone it was mine.”

Nova started to feel even worse about her reaction the day before. “Where’s the locket now?” Nova couldn’t wait to get a better look at it. “Did you put pictures inside for me?” “Of course, I did. Let me show you.” Nova learned her mom had put the locket in her jewelry box. On the right, there was a picture of her and her mom from family portrait day last year, but Nova didn’t recognize the picture on the left. “Is that me as a baby? Wait, is that you and grandma, too? I’ve nev

er seen a picture of the three of us before.”

Nova watched her mom tear up. “Your grandpa found that picture when he was going through some old boxes last month. ”

“What were we doing that day?” Nova needed to know.

“It was the day I brought you home from the hospital, actually. Grandma kept tickling you and calling you her ‘little star.’” “Because my name’s Nova?” “Yes, kiddo. And because she liked making you laugh. Even though you were so young, you giggled so much. When I saw the picture, I remembered that day and thought it was the perfect locket photo.”

Nova wrapped her arms around her mom and squeezed tight. “You were right. I love it. I’m really sorry that I complained about my present last night, Mom.”

“It’s okay, sweetie. I know you were bummed about not getting a phone.”

“I still want a one eventually” Nova told her mom sheepishly. “But this means so much more to me than just a phone.”

“Yeah, yeah,” her mom ruffled her hair. “Turn around and I’ll put the locket on you.”

When it was fastened on, Nova spun around to check out the necklace in the mirror. Then, she looked up at her mom with a smile. “Best gift ever.”