Page 82 of Out of Bounds
“Thanks. Sorry I didn’t invite you to the wedding. We kind of eloped.”
He grins with understanding and shows me his left hand with a wedding band.
“I get that. I did the same thing.”
I smile back at him. “When did that happen? And congratulations.”
“Two years ago. It just felt right and we’re both very happy.”
Amelia’s mother put him through hell—both of them.
He only allowed Amelia to live with her after they divorced because she wanted to take care of her mother. It was a bad idea. It was her who found her mother dead when she od’ed on heroine. I can’t imagine the impact it had on her. She never spoke about it too much
“I’m happy for you?”
“Thanks. On to business, I’m been dying to do this for a long time.”
“I know and I’m sorry. It was hard.”
“I know and I’m glad you’ve felt it was the right time because I’ve been dying to give you this too.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a letter.
When he holds it out to me I take it.
“What is this?”
“A letter Amelia wrote when she still could,” he replies and a chill races down my spine.
“She wrote me,” I mutter.
“It was a few months before she died when we could see the end in sight. She made me promise to give it to you before we scattered her ashes. She wanted you to read it before too. You can wait until you get to the boat or read it now. It’s up to you. I just wanted to do my part and give it to you. I couldn’t continue our conversation until did.”
“Thanks. I…” I need to read this now. “I don’t think I can wait.”
How must I?
“I didn’t think you’d want to either. I’m gonna make a quick call and give you some privacy. I think our food will be here by time you’re done.”
“Alright.”
He gets up and I open the envelope. When I see Amelia’s writing my stomach clenches and my lungs burns with the breath I’m holding but I read.
It says:
Dear Ethan,
If you’re reading this,it means I’m gone.
I’m on the other side of the veil watching over you and watching you be that crazy guy you always were.
I decided to write this because I knew you’d take my passing hard.
I wanted you to know how much I appreciated you staying with me in my desperate hours of need.
Every day I lived was scary because I didn’t know if it was going to be my last. But when I saw you, I had strength to do anything, even to move on to the next phase of life.
I needed you to know that my days were good because of you but there was also another reason for writing this letter.
I wanted to do something for you too. Let’s call it my parting wisdom. It’s simple but effective.
