Page 107 of This Memory
Evelyn’s neighbor had called me yesterday and said packages were delivered to the house, and her husband had brought them in. They’d been gathering Evelyn and Denny’s mail and watering the indoor plants while they were gone and continued doing so after learning about their deaths.
“Oh, Evelyn,” I said, as I dropped to my knees and picked up another package. It was much smaller than the others. I opened it and pulled out a tiny pink and yellow jumper. There was a note inside, and I unfolded it and read it out aloud.
“I know you said you didn’t care if it was a boy or girl, but the way you looked at this jumper, I had to send it to you as a personal gift from me. Congratulations on the baby, Evelyn and Denny. Happy New Year! Love, Alice. Owner of Sweet Pea Boutique, Alpine, New Jersey.”
Had they been to this store the day they died?
Clutching the jumper, I stood once again and glanced around the room. I couldn’t help but laugh softly when I saw one of the boxes was a changing table.
“You just couldn’t wait for the baby shower, could you, Eve?” I whispered, as I walked over and looked at the box. A few others sat next to it, all from different stores in New York City. When I glanced up, I saw a note taped to the wall on my left. I walked over and read…
“Talk to Bry and see if she knows anyone who can paint a mural on this wall. Maybe something woodsy, with animals. Bunnies, fox, deer.”
I ran my finger along the written words, fresh tears falling. “Evelyn, why did this happen to you?Why?”
Dropping my hand, I stared at the note for the longest time. My body felt numb. Then, as if knowing I needed something to break the spell, a flutter tickled my stomach.
My hand instantly went to it, and I closed my eyes for a brief moment. Turning, I left the room that used to be Evelyn’s library and would have been the baby’s nursery. I walked into Evelyn and Denny’s bedroom and glanced around.
A king-size bed sat in the middle of the room and faced the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. The blinds were up, and the view was gorgeous. I’d seen it a hundred times, but for some reason, today, the beauty of the mountains took my breath away. I walked over to the bench at the end of the bed, sat, and studied the envelope in my hand.
With a deep breath, I opened it and took out the single sheet of folded paper. I smiled when I saw Evelyn’s handwriting.
My Dearest Brystol,
If you’re reading this letter, something has happened to both Denny and me. First, please don’t cry. I know in my heart of hearts we’re in a better place and will be looking down on you, Gavin, and our beloved child. I hope this is years and years after I’ve written this letter, but in case it isn’t, and you’re tasked with raising our child, I know you’ll make a wonderful mother to him or her. After all…you gave them life. Do not feel guilty. Do not feel sad. You gave us the greatest gift I could have ever asked for…a child. It’s something I know I’ve thanked you for time and time again, but I’ll never be able to truly put how thankful I am into words.
If God chooses to take Denny and mebeforewe can meet our baby, I need you to know that I trust you, Brystol, to raise our little miracle as if she or he is your own. I always knew that someday you and Gavin would end up together and have kids of your own, and it warms my heart to know that my child will get to watch that love flourish as she or he grows up. I know the two of you will raise the baby with just as much love, and that’s all we could ever ask for.
Again, if we both pass before the baby is born…please tell them about us. Show them pictures and tell them stories. Teach them how to garden and tell them their father was crazy for Legos. Explore the world with them, Brystol. Take them to Italy, Ireland, and all the places you used to tell me you wanted to go. When they grow up, they don’t have to be a lawyer or a doctor…my hope is they follow their heart and do what makes them happy.
My true hope is you never have to read this letter at all. However, if you do, I need you to know I love you, Brystol. I might not always show it, but I will forever be thankful for our friendship and your selfless act of helping us bring our child into this world. You are more than a best friend to me; you are my sister, and the only woman in this world I would ever trust with my miracle baby.
The house is yours to use as you see fit. Live here, sell it—the choice is yours.
Kiss my little miracle every day for me. Promise me that, Bry. Tell him or her that I loved them so much, and that when they look up, I’ll always be looking down on them.
With all my love,
Eve
I gently folded the letter, put it back in the envelope, and set it on the bench. Placing my hands on my stomach, I closed my eyes. “I promise to do everything you asked of me. I promise, Eve.”
When I opened my eyes and looked out the window, I smiled. Tears tolled gently down my face as a ray of light broke from the clouds and shined right into the middle of the lake.
I knew it was Eve. And I knew everything would be okay.
Gavin
Brystol and I sat in the examination room and held hands as we waited for Dr. Lark.
“Nervous?” I asked with a smile.
She shook her head. “No. Are you?”
“A little.”
It had been a month and a half since Evelyn and Denny’s passing. So much had changed. There had been more heartbreak in Moose Village when Hope Turner lost her battle with cancer. Liam and Hope had told their closest friends right before Christmas that Hope’s last treatment hadn’t helped like they’d hoped; her cancer had spread, and the doctors hadn’t given her very long to live. She passed away a few weeks ago, and Mary, Hope’s younger sister, was in town to help Liam with Winnie. It was hard not to notice Liam slowly withdraw from everyone. It had hit Aurora the hardest, even though she tried to pretend otherwise.
