Winter Season

The Letter

Oscar hadn’t seen Esther all week. He was afraid he had said or did something wrong. It wasn’t beyond the realm of impossibility. He wasn’t very good at this love stuff.

Though, learning with her was fun. They had survived testing and the end of the school year together. He wanted her to be in his arms right now.

None of his phone calls had been returned. The thought of going and knocking on her door wasn’t pleasant at the moment. He was hoping that they could spend the better part of the summer at the lake. But the summer wasn’t shaping up to be so good.

He looked out the window at the haze created by the hot June sun. Hotter than normal for this time of year. As he was lost in thought, her jeep sped away in the direction of the lake. It might not be the smartest thing he ever did, but he followed her. When he found her, she was sitting on the ground, leaning up against a tree staring out over the water. As he got closer, he could tell that she was shaking like a leaf in the wind.

“Ess, what’s wrong?” Her face was ghastly pale with dark circles under her eyes. Her eyes were blood shot; he assumed from crying. He sat down beside her, holding her tight. As he did, she started sobbing. “Please talk to me.” He implored. “Dear God, please talk to me.”

After what seemed like an hour, she got control of herself. “I’m a coward.” She choked back more tears and handed him an envelope from her back pocket. “I can’t read it.”

He stared at her with great concern, “do you want me to read it for you?”

She sniffed, “please. I can’t.” Tears rolled down her face.

He took a deep breath as he started to open it. She grabbed it from his hands, throwing it on the ground. “What if it’s bad?”

He caressed her face, “what if it’s good?”

He picked it up to start again. It was a very official letter from the New York City police department’s office of internal affairs. Their name and contact information was at the top of the letter. “This letter is dated for last Friday. Ess you’ve had this letter a week?”

“I can’t,” she sobbed. “I’m a coward. If it’s bad,” she snubbed, “I can’t.”

He took a deep breath, “It reads as follows. ‘Dear Miss Morrison, In regards to the Department of Internal Affairs investigation into the wrongful death of Lt. Mark Yerki. This department, through an exhaustive investigation has declared you not responsible for the death of Lt. Yerki.”

As of the date of this letter, if you desire, you have been reinstated as Sargent with all the rights and privileges there too. Please contact the Chief of Police if you are interested in this position.

Sincerely,

Jack Wallins, Department Head

Internal Affairs

CC: Chief of Police

      Mayor

      Mr. Donavan McMillion

She fell into him sobbing. He had no idea what to say. All he knew to do was hold her.

The sound of crickets and frogs woke her from her sleep. After taking a deep breath, she remembered she was at the lake. Her clothes were damp from being outside after the dew had fallen. Her face was sore and her eyes burnt. She jumped at the sound of a match being lit. Oscar was building a fire.

Winter Season