Page 67 of All In
Sam,
Hey! I’m not sure if this is the best idea or not, but two years have passed since your last email and I wanted to check on you to see how you are. Plus, I never got a chance to tell you how truly sorry I am about Erica’s death. And I am Sam. I can’t imagine how hard that must have been on you. I wish there was more I could say, just know that I am thinking about you and hoping that you found the comfort and help you needed to cope.
I heard it through the grapevine that Ricky flew down for the service and that it was small and nice. I hope that it was. The mother of your child deserves that.
I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately. I’m worried about you. And Mikey.
Do you think that we could maybe start emailing again? Only if you want to. I miss our communication and seeing that I got an email from you.
Just let me know,
Love, Maria
Before I chicken out, I hit send.
Will he write back?
My heart leaps at the thought.I hope so.
Chapter twenty-four
The last email
Date: July 1, 2009
From: [email protected]
Subject: re: Hi
Maria,
Hey. Thanks for reaching out. I would be lying if I said hearing from you wasn’t nice. It was.
Thank you for the condolences. It’s still hard. Very hard. Raising Mikey on my own is so difficult. But I’m getting by. My days are spent at work and my nights are spent raising my son.
With that said, I can’t email you anymore Maria.
We need to let each other go. Once and for all. The choke hold you had on my thoughts affected my life in a way that I never imagined. Writing to you again will be a constant reminder of Erica and her death. So please, I am pleading with you to stop writing to me. Try to forget me and what we had. Try to work on your marriage (if it’s still bad). Try to stand up for yourself. But mostly, try to find some happiness. That’s what I’m trying to do.
Sincerely, Sam
Chapter twenty-five
Maria
Iread, then reread his email dozens of times, fighting back the tears.
Upon reaching my breaking point, I hit delete, power off the computer, and, with a profound sense of sorrow and loss, leave Sam in the past.
Chapter twenty-six
2012
Maria
There it is, staring back at me. Finally, proof that Nate is a cheater and a liar. It’s taken three years. I was patient, and I knew that, eventually, I would have what I needed to confront him. I’m holding his phone in my hand, and the text message is staring back at me.
