Jennifer turned the envelope over in her hand. The handwriting was his, for sure. But it couldn’t be! She turned it over again, no return address. Postmarked two days ago – in the City. She put her nose to it, looking for the smell of his cigarettes, but it was conspicuously absent. He had been gone for how long now? Five years to the day. It was a red day on her calendar – a day she stopped whatever she was doing and rested – and remembered.
Six years ago, they’d met at summer camp, just before her senior year of high school. Jennifer had been hired to work in the stables, Jeremy had been one of the life guards.
The first night there had been a mixer dance. The first slow song, Jeremy asked her to dance. They had spent the rest of the evening together.
For the duration of the summer camp, whenever one of them had time off, they were with the other. Whether it was Jennifer sharing the life guard seat with Jeremy or him helping her muck out stalls.
Then, there were the stolen moments in one of the back stalls, where she gave herself completely to him in a fiery passion that had surprised her. For the last few days of camp, they spent their nights together in that stall.
Jennifer’s senior year went like most senior years go. Jeremy came to her homecoming, and she went to his. They got together whenever they could. Jennifer’s mother must have known something was up and insisted that she start taking the Pill.
When Spring Break came and Jennifer joined Jeremy’s family in Mexico, she forgot to bring them. Not that it stopped her.
After Graduation, Jennifer’s mother confronted her about the little things that had added up. “You’re pregnant, aren’t you?” she had asked.
After her mother’s fury waned, she had become almost as excited as Jennifer had. Even Jeremy had joined in with the excitement of anticipating a Christmas baby!
Then came the knock on the door. Jeremy’s car had been found at the bottom of a cliff. Bad brakes, apparently, the police said. No body was recovered, but there were wolves in the area, so it was assumed that Jeremy had been picked up from where he’d been thrown.
Jennifer’s hands shook as she turned over the letter once more. She could hardly tear the seal of the envelope. How could it possibly be from Jeremy?
The contents fell out as she pulled the pink paper from the envelope. One of the items was the bookmark she’d made for him during summer camp six years ago.
The tears poured from her eyes. He had immediately put that bookmark in his wallet – it was still with him the last night they had shared together.
Carefully, she unfolded the paper and read.
I know you’re going to find this hard to believe.
I am alive and will be with you as quickly as I can get there.
I will explain everything when I reach you.
I am looking forward to seeing our baby!
Yours forever,
Jeremy
A loud sob burst from her mouth. It was impossible! Someone had gone to great lengths to hurt her!
“Are you okay, Mommy?” Jemima asked, putting her arms around Jennifer.
“I will be,” Jennifer replied. “Where’s Grandma?”
“She’s picked us some raspberries. I helped her!” Jemima said proudly.
“She sure did!” the older woman confirmed, coming in. “What’s the matter, Jennifer?”
She couldn’t answer, could only nod towards the letter, still on the table. She buried her face in Jemima’s hair. Surely, it was impossible!
“He included this bookmark,” her mother said.
“I made it for him – he always kept it with him.”
“Is that not proof?”
“Isn’t it impossible for him to still be alive?”
“They never found his body,” her mother reminded.
“But to have never talked to me in 5 years?” Jennifer retorted. “I want to believe! But surely, this is just not possible.”
Her mother tutted. “I think it’s worth seeing if he comes – and hearing him out. He may have a good reason. Give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Jennifer nodded, hardly believing her ears. Her mother had never seemed like the type to believe in the impossible! She had never liked fairy tales and myths. Even Santa Claus had caused her mother difficulty. Jennifer had had to insist that Jemima had the chance to experience the mystery of Santa.
A knock sounded at the door. Jennifer exchanged glances with her mother, who went to open it.
“Jeremy!” Jennifer heard her mother’s scolding tone. “You haven’t aged a bit! How dare you! Come in, come in.”
“You haven’t aged either, I swear, Mom,” he replied.
Jennifer’s tears started again. She wanted to run to him, smother him with kisses. Her mother was right though, he hadn’t aged. He still looked 18, not 23. What had happened?
Jeremy looked at her cautiously.
“Why didn’t you come? Why didn’t you even write?! I was left all alone to raise our child! How could you let people think you were dead, when you clearly weren’t?!” Jennifer turned to leave the room.
He caught her arm and stopped her. “Please hear me out. For me, it’s been about 5 months, not 5 years. I’ve been trying so hard to come back, but there were difficulties. Things that will have to be said later. I’ve been in a different world, Jennifer. A wonderful world – one where I didn’t die.”
Jennifer looked at her mother who smiled knowingly.
“I can’t stay here – on Earth, I did die. I could not have survived that wreck. But I came back so that I could invite you to come back with me – so we can live as a family. You could come too, Mom,” he added, looking at Jennifer’s mother.
Jennifer looked into Jeremy’s eyes. His lips met hers. It was as if her body remembered him, his feel, his scent, his taste. Except…
“Do you believe me now?” he asked.
“You don’t taste of your cigarettes,” she said.
“Cold turkey’s a bitch!” he murmured into her ear. “Terrenden tobacco is nasty, so I stopped.”
Jennifer grinned. Then the little girl squeezed in between them. “Who is he, Mommy?” she asked.
Jennifer reached down and picked up the child, holding her so she could get to meet him. “Jemima, this is your daddy!”
“Is he going to stay with us?” she asked.
“Even better. We’re going to go live with him,” Jennifer said, finally smiling. She looked at her mother again. “Will you come?”
The older woman nodded. “Give me a month – your time – to put our affairs in order. Then I will come,” she promised.
“I am only permitted a few hours,” Jeremy replied.
“Go on then. The Guardians will let me through when I am ready.” Jennifer’s mother said. Jennifer felt confused, listening to her mother. “I have been waiting for this day for a long, long time.”
Previous Apostrophe freewrites:
Week 1: Greta, Savai, and the Possessed Doll
Week 2: Mad World Reminisce (NSFW)
Week 3: Love: Take Two
Image source: the challenge and PxHere.
Apostrophe is a writing pod on Whaleshares. This is a writing/photo prompt or contest from the pod. As usual, I crosspost on Steem, Whaleshares and Hyperspace
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Lori Svensen
author/designer at A'mara Books
photographer/graphic artist for Viking Visual
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