Page 71 of Every Star that Shines

“Oh, yes. It was before they were married. There were a couple years where Mother was touring with a theatre company in the States when she and Dad corresponded quite a bit.”

Delanie pulled out the first bundle and reverently untied the string, then carefully opened the yellowed envelope—addressed to Molly Wright, care of a theatre in Washington—and withdrew a single folded page covered in her grandfather’s expansive cursive. It was dated the sixth of September, 1954.

“This was two years before they got married, wasn’t it?” She showed her mother the date.

“Approximately.”

Delanie began reading aloud.

Dearest Molly,

I hope this finds you well and happy. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since we parted ways last month. I want you to know that I haven’t give up on us yet. I know you think we can’t be together because I’m a farm boy from northern Alberta and your life is on the stage, and maybe you’re right. All I know is that I never lived until I saw you smile, and I don’t want to go back to the person I used to be. Give me a chance, Molly. If you hold any affection in your heart for me at all, write me back. I can’t help but think we could be so much more than star-crossed lovers whose time has come.

Yours,

Ernie Davis

Delanie stared at the page, re-reading it silently to herself.

“As you can see, she wrote him back.” Cheryl indicated the box, chuckling.

Delanie put the page on the table. “I had no idea they had a time in their courtship where they didn’t know if they would end up together. The way Pops always told it, it was a done deal from the moment he saw her.”

Cheryl smiled and picked up the teapot. “For him, I think it was. Mother took a bit more time and convincing.”

“Apparently.” One more thing she and her grandmother had in common. Delanie pushed her mug closer to her mother so Cheryl could pour her tea. “Did you know Caleb drove all the way to Kamloops to see me?”

“Did he?” Cheryl took a sip of her tea, and the look she gave Delanie over the rim of her mug was too innocent.

Delanie snorted and shook her head. “Of course you did. You’re probably the one who told him where to find me.”

Cheryl pursed her lips and shrugged. “Maybe. I seem to recall something about that, now that you mention it.” Her exaggerated tone and studiously blank expression belied her innocence.

“It’s okay, Mom. I’m not angry.”

“Well, why would you be angry?” Cheryl gave up her pretence and leaned forward eagerly. “That’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard of . . . except maybe my dad writing letters for two years to a woman he’d only known for a few days to convince her to marry him. I mean, your father does okay in the romance department, but his gestures are more ordinary.”

“Like changing the oil in your car for you?”

Cheryl smiled, affection shining in her eyes as she glanced in the general direction of the shop. “Yes. Like that.” She focused on Delanie. “I’ve been dying to know what happened with Caleb. Is he the reason you came here instead of going back to Vancouver? Is that why you told that Josh fellow no?”

Delanie shook her head, overwhelmed by her mother’s sudden gush of words. “Slow down, Mom. I would have told Josh no, no matter what. He’s an entitled jerk, it just took me a while to see it. Him firing me because I wouldn’t date him only proved it.” She bit her thumbnail. “I turned Caleb down. I came back to finish with the play.”

Cheryl sat back in her chair, her face aghast. “You . . . you turned him down?”

Delanie nodded miserably, looking into her mug. “It made sense to me at the time, but I think I made a big mistake.” She waited for her mother to start haranguing her about her future, but Cheryl surprised her.

“Why?” Cheryl asked gently.

Delanie met her mother’s gaze, tears pricking the back of her eyes. “Because I thought I had to choose between him and my career. I didn’t want him to resent me for making him choose me over Emma. Did you know Monica’s taking Emma to Ontario, and Caleb is going to move there too?”

Cheryl nodded. “Adelaide told me at church.”

“But if I’m going to be away from home for months at a time on a job, that home could just as easily be in Brampton, couldn’t it? And I could get jobs there too, just like Desmond said.”

“Who is Desmond?” Cheryl asked.

Delanie waved the question away. “My friend. It doesn’t matter. The point is, I messed up, and I don’t know how to fix it.”

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