Freedom of Love (Letter From Home #2)(21)
Thelma stood and placed the files back in her briefcase before slipping the leather strap up on her shoulder. Sliding a business card across the table, she said, “Ms. Thurston, you’ll be hearing from me.”
As Clarice and Thelma left the room, I stared at Susan, my eyes brimming with tears. She walked over to me, throwing her arm around my shoulders, saying, “I knew there was something different about you the first time I met you. I wish you could have told me earlier, but I understand now. You felt it was Rachel’s story to tell.”
Nodding, I said, “If Sam had lived, I would have told the police everything to get her away from him. But with him gone, she was safe.”
Susan escorted me back down the hall until we came to the block of cells. “In a week, you’ll be out of here,” she said, smiling.
Returning her smile, I nodded as I walked through the locked doors once more, hearing them slam behind me but knowing it would soon be over.
Chapter 10
(October – Brody)
I stood at the end of my bed, putting the last of my things in my footlocker. Todd, his leg now healed, was lounging on his bed watching me.
“I see you stuck her last letter in the lid of your locker,” he observed.
“Figured it would be a perfect reminder of what an ass I was, making the biggest mistake of my life.”
Sitting up in a rush, he grinned wide. “I’ve never heard you say anything like that before. So this girl was the real deal?”
“She was perfect…I was the f*ck-up.” What he couldn’t see was the unopened letters I had tried to send that she returned. They were tucked underneath my clothes, along with the first book she sent to me that I had gone back and snagged from the MWR.
“So what are you going to do about it?” he asked, watching me carefully.
Staring down at him, I placed my hands on my hips, my stance wide. “Do? What am I supposed to do, Todd? This girl made a mistake, bared her soul to me, and I threw it back in her face. I made suppositions and accusations and never gave her a chance to tell me her story.” Sighing, I scrubbed my hand over my face. “If there was something I could do, I would, but she shut down her internet and returned my mailed letters of apology without even opening them. I’d say she figured out I’m an * and wants nothing more to do with me.”
Laying back, propped up on his elbows, Todd replied, “I don’t know. You two got pretty chummy. Anyway, you’re heading home, back to Virginia. No reason you can’t look her up and see if you can apologize in person.”
Shaking my head, I said, “That shit only works in movies. She’s got her life to live and I need to figure out what I’m going to do next with mine anyway.”
The idea of getting out of the Army and meeting Molly had been my plan for months and now…who the hell knows what I’ll do!
Watching my nephews dress up for Halloween, I smiled as I opened bags of candy and poured them into the large bowl mom provided. After out-processing from the Army base, I’d been home for a few days and spent most of the time with family. While still completing all of the necessary arrangements for my Army discharge, I managed to interview for a job with an international air ambulance company as a critical care flight paramedic. I was more than qualified and they appeared eager to offer me a job. The company had a base in Richmond, Virginia and I planned on looking for an apartment on the outskirts of town.
Waving goodbye to sis and my nephews as they headed out for Trick or Treating, I walked into the den, moving toward the bookcases dad had built in on either side of the fireplace. My fingers trailed over the spines, seeing some of the old Hardy Boys that I had read as a child. My gaze landed on an old book containing six of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple mysteries. Unable to hold back my smile, I pulled the musty copy from the shelf and opened the front cover. Someone, years before, had written, To all mystery lovers, here is one of the best!
Mom walked into the room, coming up behind me for a hug. I felt her arms encircling my waist and patted her hands as her head rested against my back. “Are you going to Richmond tomorrow to look for a place to live?”
“Yeah. I don’t want to be in the city, so I thought I’d look in the county to the west of the city. That’ll put me closer to here anyway.”
She walked around to my front and stared up into my face, her eyes appearing to search mine. “I’ve felt a heaviness about you since you came home. I know it has a lot to do with the war and what you’ve seen and done, but I’m here if you need me.”
Bending to kiss the top of her head, I said, “Don’t worry about me, mom. I’ve got a plan to find happiness.” With that, I tucked the book underneath my arm.
Chapter 11
(November – Molly)
Answering the knock on the door of my tiny efficiency apartment, I smiled at the deliveryman. Taking the package from him I walked into my kitchen to grab some scissors. Knowing I didn’t order anything, I wondered who had sent something to me. There was a return address but no name. Cutting open the box, I peeked inside, pulling out the newspaper surrounding the…book? As I held the old Agatha Christie book reverently in my hand, my heart began pounding. Opening the front cover, I read the unique words someone had written many years before. Seeing a note stuck in between the pages, I pulled it out gently.