Page 53 of All We Thought We Knew
I sat forward to get a closer look. “That’s strange. Mom’s maiden name is Robinson. Granny’s family were the Delaneys. She was so proud of her family name, she wouldn’t change the name of the farm to Taylor Farms.”
He turned to me. “Are you ready to find out what this is all about?”
My gut warned that the answer to his question wasno. But Nash was right. Learning the secrets these letters held was important to Mama. Why, I couldn’t begin to guess.
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. I hope you’ll stick around to pick up the pieces when I fall apart.”
He didn’t smile at my half-hearted joke. Instead, he gave me the most intimate look I’d ever seen.
“Always.”
Nash silently read the first letter while I held my breath, afraid of what it contained.
When he came to its end, his brow furrowed. “I’m confused.”
I blinked. “By what?”
He pointed to the signature on the second page. “It’s signedAloha from your loving husband, Richard.” He faced me. “Is your dad’s name Richard? I’ve always known him as Kurt.”
I reached for the letter and studied the name. “Not that I know of. Are you sure these are to my mom? Maybe there was another relative named Ava, and Mom kept her letters for some reason.”
Nash opened the second letter.
“Read it out loud,” I said. “Please.”
“June twenty-second, 1941. Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. My dearest Ava, I can’t tell you how much I miss you. The guys are already making fun of me because this is my second letter to you in a week. But I told them they can tease me all they want. I plan to write to my wife as often as I can.”
“Wife.”I repeated. “Obviously this letter wasn’t written to Mama. Dad’s name isn’t Richard, and he never joined the Navy or went overseas.”
Nash continued to read, but the remainder of the letter was news about Pearl Harbor, the ships, the town, and Richard’s hope that his Ava would join him soon. It was signed in the same manner as the first letter.
“I don’t know much about Dad’s side of the family. He never talked about them. Neither did Granny. Maybe that’s what this is all about. Maybe these belong to some Delaney relative that shared the same name as Mama.” I punctuated the comment with a huge yawn.
“Do you want to read the others? I’m not sure you’ll be able to stay awake,” he said with a grin.
“I guess they can wait until tomorrow. It doesn’t appear they hold any deep, dark family secrets like I feared.” We stood. “Don’t mention this to Dad. Mama didn’t think he’d approve, although I have no idea why not.”
Jake rose from his place near the heating vent in the corner.I’d completely forgotten he was there and that he and Nash would spend the night in Mark’s old room.
As though reading my mind, Nash said, “I’ll sleep out in the cabin, but Jake would be warmer here in the house if that’s okay with you.”
I glanced down the hall. Although it was out of my line of sight, we had a room, empty and unused, with a comfortable bed and warm blankets. More importantly, we had a friend, a family member, in need of it.
“In some ways, that room is more yours than anyone else’s.” My eyes locked on his. “I really am sorry I got upset when Dad offered it to you. Mark wouldn’t want you to sleep out in the cold.”
“To be honest, I was feeling kind of weird about sleeping in there. You know, without him.”
“That’s how I’ve felt from the moment I stepped into this house. But it wouldn’t make sense for you to stay in the cabin without a heater.”
Nash took Jake outside while I rinsed our mugs. I tidied the living room, picked up the shoebox, and turned out the lights as I heard them come inside.
I waited at the base of the stairs in front of the closed door to Mark’s room. When Nash opened it, Jake walked in and curled into a dark ball at the foot of the bed.
The emotional evening left me feeling vulnerable, yet I needed to be truthful with him too. “Tonight was good. Well, except for the part where I hit you.”
He grinned, then shoved his hand into his pants pocket. “Good night, Mattie.”
“Good night.”
