Sabra Chandler walked into the bank and stood in the lobby for a moment looking down at the safe deposit key her uncle had given her. It had come as a complete surprise to hear from her uncle Robert after so many years…
Earlier That Day
Robert Chandler waited in a downtown coffee shop called "The Perks". It was a trendy shop that sold only special blends of coffee by the cup. He glanced out the large window at the foot traffic. The last time he had been in town was to attend his brother's funeral. That was six years ago, now he was back to see his niece and deliver the key to Randal Chandler's safe deposit box. The taxi pulled up in traffic and a young woman stepped out and headed to the front door of the shop.
Robert was surprised by her! She looked like a high school student and not a 34-year-old professional public relations manager. Sabra pushed open the door and looked around. When she spotted him her smile lit up the room. She came over, "Uncle Rob, how are you?"
He rose, and he hugged her, giving her back a light pat, "Hey kiddo, you're looking good!"
They sat. "I was surprised to hear you were in town," Sabra said. She waved to the young woman behind the counter and looked at Robert. "How's everyone?"
Robert smiled. "Everyone is doing fine," he sipped his now tepid coffee. "Russell sends his best."
Sabra nodded, her expression gave nothing away. Robert recognized that look from his brother, Randal. He could never tell what Randal was thinking and it was the same with his daughter. Her demeanor was friendly but placid. Her cool grey eyes were snapping with humor and that was the only difference between his brother and his niece. "I heard Russ and Elaine had patched up things between them."
Robert shrugged his shoulders. "You know Elaine, she'll make it work."
Sabra nodded. When her iced coffee order arrived, she grinned in appreciation. "Thanks!" she pointed to Robert's cup, "Want a refill?"
Robert shook his head. "No, have you been by the cemetery?"
Sabra shook her head. "Not in a while, everything looks okay?"
"Yeah, I don't know why I went," He responded. "It's a morbid place."
Sabra smiled understandingly. "I know, it's just too tailored and reminds me of the cemetery suburbs."
Robert chuckled lightly. The Chandlers all had a dark sense of humor at times. He liked Sabra and he had that in common. "The reason I'm here is I received a notice in the mail from Randal's bank. He had a safe deposit box. I was the contact for some reason, so I'm handing it over to you."
"You know what he had in the box?" Sabra asked.
"No idea," Robert replied. "He had the box for a long time, he'd been paying it from the time you were ten years old."
He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small manila envelope. "The key is in there, along with the paperwork the bank sent. I've signed off on it giving you access to the box. I don't think it'll be anything surprising."
"Dad wasn't one for secrets or surprises," Sabra replied taking the envelope. "But I'm curious what he'd put away under lock and key for so long."
Robert glanced out the window again. "You okay here, kiddo?"
"I am for now," Sabra answered. "But I'm ready for an adventure soon."
Robert chuckled lightly. "Well, maybe whatever's in that box will help you start your adventure."
"Maybe so," She said around the straw she sipped from, "How long will you be here?"
"My flight is in the morning," Robert said. "I'm going to make a loop through town and head on back to Missouri. You think you might come out soon?"
Sabra shrugged and sipped her iced coffee. "Maybe around Thanksgiving?"
Robert nodded. Holidays were still difficult for her. They were hard on him too…
She went to the bank manager's desk, and he looked up and smiled, "Ms. Chandler, it's good to see you. How can I help you?"
"I'm here to examine the contents of a safe deposit box," she said and handed him the key and the documents her uncle had given to her earlier that day.
He looked at the paperwork and handed her the key and papers back. "Come with me and we'll pull the box for you."
She followed the manager down the marble corridor and through a set of heavy metal gates, into the cool vault. There were rows and rows of deposit boxes with numbers printed on oval brass plates. Below were larger boxes. He stopped at one of the larger boxes and pointed to it, "Here's your box, Ms. Chandler. If you'd allow me, I'll open it and take it to a private room where you can examine the contents without being disturbed."
"Thank you," Sabra replied. She handed the key to him, and he unlocked the door and pulled out a metal box that was the size of a milk crate. He slid the box out and carried it to a small room with a table and chair inside. He set the box down and handed her the deposit key.
He closed the door behind him, and she lifted the lid of the metal box and peered inside. In the movies, there would be stacks of cash, bond certificates, a dozen passports in various names along with a gun and a letter. But that was the movies, not real life. There was a rectangular wooden box, a document folder, a small photo album, and a letter addressed to her. It was in her father's handwriting, she stared at the printing on the outside of the envelope.
It was not sealed, the flap was tucked in, she opened it and pulled the letter out. It was written on a yellow legal pad and was several pages long.
Dearest Sabra,
By the time you see this letter, you'll be old enough to take on the request I'm about to ask of you. I know you'll do your best to find Shin Chol Sun's family. Chol Sun gave me this prototype lens to bring home to the States and hang onto until he contacted me. Years have gone by, and he never got in touch with me.
I tried to find Shin Chol Sun, but I could never find him. I tried to find his wife, Shin Na-Ri, but I could not find any trace of her or Chol Sun's boy.
I know you only have vague but good memories of when we visited South Korea to see Chol Sun and his wife, you were only four years old when we visited. We had a great time, and we took pictures of that day. Chol Sun and I spoke in private that day and that's when he gave me the eagle's eye to hang onto. He was in a financial bind, but he didn't want the eagle's eye to fall into the wrong hands. He specifically told me to never hand the eagle's eye over if anyone other than his son contacted me and asked for the return of the lens.
In the deposit box is a photo album with pictures we took that day at the park. When you look at the photos I think you'll remember the picnic we had under that big tree.
Something was bothering Chol Sun, and I think I should have pressed him, but Chol Sun was always one to keep things bottled up inside. I often wondered if his son would be like him or more like Na-Ri.
Let me tell you about the eagle's eye. The lens is a prototype camera lens, the first of its kind and while I had this lens, I applied and got it patented. Chol Sun and I worked on the lens while I was stationed in Korea, but he was the genius behind the development of the lens. So, he has been credited as the primary inventor of the Eagle's Eye Lens.
My request is, should you ever return to South Korea, try to find Shin Chol Sun's family or his son. The return of the eagle's eye to them could help them financially, or maybe just bring good memories to the family.
All my love, Dad
Sabra folded the letter and opened the photo album. The pictures were black and white and as she studied each picture, memories of that time came to her. They were fleeting memories of warm sunlight, laughter, running through the tall grass, and the rough bark of the tree they had picnicked under. The group picture was of her mother and father holding her high on his shoulder. They stood with a Korean couple. Chol Sun was holding a toddler in his arms. All were smiling except for Chol Sun, he looked grim.
She opened the wooden box to look at the lens. It looked different from the normal camera lens. There was a folded letter in the lid, written in a script she could not even begin to decipher. She unfolded the paper and examined the neat lettering. At the bottom were two signatures, Shin Chol Sun and Randal Edward Chandler. Sabra wondered what this document was, but she could not even guess. She carefully placed the document back, closed the lid, and secured the latches. The document folder had the patent certificate and all the paperwork. There was a folded mechanical drawing that her father had drawn and signed with Shin Chol Sun and Randal Chandler printed neatly as the designers of the Eagle's Eye. It was an impressive piece of workmanship! Sabra was proud of her father and of his friend Shin Chol Sun!
She took everything with her when she left, and closed the deposit box. She would keep the Eagle's Eye with her along with all the paperwork and the photo album. One day she would go to Korea, and she would find the son – one day.