The Letter
Kira had an hour to kill. Her son didn’t get home until four and it was now 3. So when she had got home she had slipped up to her son’s room and started cleaning again. She had cleaned most of it the night before when she couldn’t sleep and only had a little bit left that would hopefully last her husband got home.
She had grabbed the vacuum cleaner and had set to vacuuming the ceilings and corners. With a little bit of effort she was able to move the dresser and vacuum behind it and then after it was firmly back in place she pushed the bed aside.
She had just turned the vacuum cleaner on and begun working her way along the edge of the wall when she noticed something lying on the ground. She turned off the machine and leaned down to grab what turned out to be an envelope. She straightened herself, sat down on the bed and opened the envelope. The envelope had been opened she pulled out the paper that was inside:
Dear Matthew,
Of course I’m going to remind you that I think you’re wasting your time but since your set on finding him, here are the things that you need to know. My father told me I needed to find him and then he told me that you could help. As you know the name is foreign. But otherwise I don’t have much that can help you. If after awhile you haven’t found anything you can call my sister, Mary who might be able to help you some.
The letter went on giving some information about her sister: Phone Number, Address. Place of Work and so on. It was signed: Linda. Kira stood and went into the computer room and grabbed the phone. With shaking fingers she typed in the number.
Mary sat in her living room watching TV with her 6 year old son Kyle when the phone rang. She gently pushed her son off of her and got up to get the phone. “Hello?”
“Hi.” Came the hesitant voice on the other end. “Is this Mary.”
“Yes it is, may I ask whose calling?”
“My names Kira Baker. I have some questions I’d like to ask you about your sister Linda” Mary’s heart flip-flopped but she steadied herself trying to keep her cool until she knew what this was all about.
“What do you want to know?”
“Do you think we could talk in person? I live a couple of hours from Chicago I could drive up there this afternoon if I need to and we could meet for coffee.”
Mary’s heart was pounding even harder now but she still had enough control to keep her voice steady. “OK” she almost told her to meet her later in the week but thought better of it. Better to get this out of the way “How long will it take you to get here?”
“2 hours if I leave immediately.”
Mary glanced at the clock on her wall: 3 o’clock “Alright then how about you meet me at Joey’s coffee at 5 in the far back corner.”
“OK, thank you so much.”
Mary hung up the phone and realized her hands were shaking. She clutched them tightly and then went over to the TV and turned it off. Kyle was sleeping now and she leaned down and kissed his forehead and pulled a blanket up around his neck.
Her hands were still shaking as she turned the handle to her bedroom door. Linda, she had to call Linda that was the only thing that would put her mind at ease. She raced to her dresser and opened up the top drawer. She dug through the clothes until she found the key and then raced to her closet she quickly pulled down a small steel box. She put the key in the lock and turned it until she heard the click and then flung the box opened. Inside sat a single small phone which she grabbed and quickly pressed the 1 key and waited while it rang. Linda would know what to do; she always knew what to do.
Kira placed the phone back on the desk with shaking hands. She checked the time on the computer, raced down the stairs, scribbled a quick note to her husband, grabbed her keys and raced out the door.
She drove with as few stops as possible. Traffic couldn’t have seemed slower to her. 6 out of the 8 lights on the way to the interstate stopped her, the lady in front of her drove at what seemed like 10 miles an hour and a 50 car train decided right then to move across town. Finally she made it to the interstate and felt like she could breathe again even though her lungs still felt half closed. She tried taking a couple deep breaths and flipped on the radio to a classical station. The peaceful piano music filled the car for about three minutes before a news anchor came on. She flipped off the station.
Finally, after a very grueling 2-hour-drive the pulled into the parking lot at Joey’s. She took a deep breath not sure if she was ready to hear what this woman had to say. But she had to know if for no other reason than to put her mind at ease that the truth was safe. And if it wasn’t? Then she would do her best to undo what ever Linda had done.
Kira turned off her car, took a deep breath and opened the door. Ok Kira just play it cool like you don’t know anything. Let her be the first one to make assumptions
.
Mary couldn’t have been more nervous about this meeting. She had called Linda and explained the situation. It had taken Linda a moment or to before recognizing the name. It was Matthew’s mother she had said. This meeting could be important. “Just play it cool like you don’t know anything. Make sure she’s the first one to make assumption.” Mary had agreed.
As soon as her husband Tom had come home she had explained that something had come up with her sister and that she would be back in an hour or two. Her hands shook the entire 15 block ride and as she parked at Joey’s she took a deep breath and shot a quick prayer that this meeting would be more of a waste of time than anything to really worry about.
She slipped into the building and was immediately bombarded by the smell of coffee. “Mary!” A young girl about 15 greeted. “What are you doing here it’s not a school day?”
“I know that Ginger.” Mary smiled this was one of her favorite Biology students. “I’m actually here to meet someone.”
“Oh you mean that nervous looking woman who came in about 10 minutes ago and went to sit in the back.”
“Yep that’s probably her. Thanks!”
“Do you want me to bring back the usual for you?”
“Yes please, But double chocolate, I have a feeling I’ll need it for this conversation.”
“Ginger smiled, “You got it Mary.”
Mary worked her way to the back of the small corner side diner. It was her little piece of small town luxury that she got in this big city. One of the few places that everyone knew everyone.
A small woman sat in the booth at the far back looking out the window. The cup of coffee in her hands hadn’t been touched and she could tell by the smoke that it had been sitting there for awhile. “You must be Kira?”
The woman looked at her startled and then a weak smile filled her face. “Yes that’s me.”
Mary removed her jacket and set it and her purse down on the bench seat before sliding in. “So I see you got here safely.”
“Yes, all though it must have been the longest 2 hours of my life.”
Mary smiled and raised her eyebrows in exasperation, “tell me about it!”
“So you’ve been as anxious as I have about this conversation?”
“Of course I have. You have to understand Mrs. Baker –“
“Oh please call me Kira.”
“All right Kira! You have to understand that my sister is a very private person. For reasons that I’m sure if you knew them you would agree that they are meant to stay in the family.”
“I’m sure your right but you must also understand Mary. That whatever these reasons are I’m afraid my son has gotten tangled into them as well.” She paused for a moment as Ginger came with Mary’s drink and set it on the table. “I’m not the type to pry into other people’s business but when my son becomes involved –“
“Is your son in any kind of danger Mrs. Baker?”
“No not that I know of.”
“Has he asked for your help concerning this situation?”
“No.”
“Now I don’t mean to be rude Mrs. Baker but wouldn’t you consider this prying into your sons business?”
Kira opened her mouth to object but closed it again. She clenched her eyes closed and took a deep breath. “This isn’t just about my son.”
“Then who is it about?”
“My husband.” She stopped and took another deep breath. “My husband and I have worked very hard to cover up our pasts. Things that would do no good for our son to know.”
“What does this have to do with my sister?”
Kira reached into her purse and pulled out a single sheet of paper. “I found this under my son’s bed when I was cleaning up in there this morning. He recently moved out and I wanted to make sure it was clean enough for company.”
Mary nodded and took the letter from Kira. When she was finished reading it she gave a deep sigh “This changes everything.” She handed the letter back to Kira and finished the last of her coffee as she considered the best way to begin. “How much has you son told you about his relationship with my sister?”
“Only that he loved her but that she didn’t feel the same way for him. I assumed that she was the reason he quit school.”
“That isn’t completely true. Linda has never loved any man like she loved your son. But there are things about her that would cause the relationship to never work.”
“The same things that keep her so private?”
“Yes, your son stumbled upon the truth and a lot of things changed. She sent him back home with this letter and told him she didn’t want to see him again.”
“Who is this person that my son was supposed to find?”
Mary hesitated before continuing. “His name is Christilone. Linda was told by her father –“
“You mean your father.”
Mary shook her head. “Linda was adopted.” Mary could see that Kira expected more to this answer but she didn’t continue. “Anyway her father told her that she needed to find this man.”
“Why?”
“Now that is between Linda and her father. Matthew came to me about a year ago trying to get help but I didn’t have the answers to his questions. I sent him away dejected telling him that it wasn’t worth it. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
“And what doesn’t he know?”
“That Linda has changed. Better for him to think of her the way she was.”
Kira sat back silent. No more questions, no more accusations just an eerie silence that hung over them and made Mary slightly uncomfortable. Finally after about 5 minutes of silence Kira sat forward placed both arms on the table clenching her hands together to keep them from shaking and said.
“I can help you find Christilone.”
“How do you think you can do what my sister has been unable to do?”
“Because I know something your sister doesn’t.”
Mary sat back and crossed her arms in front of her. “And what’s that?”
The truth about Christilone.”
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