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Theresa printed off two copies of the very long letter she’d written to her brothers, sharing with them the truth about their mother’s disappearance from their lives. She’d also told them about her therapy and what a positive impact it was having in her life. That bit she’d added in the hope they’d be encouraged to take the first step toward healing themselves.
Both letters now signed, she folded and placed them into their respective envelopes where she’d already packed each bundle of unopened cards. She’d also included copies she’d printed of the pictures Caleb had taken of her and their mom during their visit. Wow, had that been only yesterday?
The sound of little feet coming up the stairs drew her attention, and she turned to see which of her boys had come for her.
“What’re you doing, Mommy?” Jeremy walked into the second-floor room she’d designated as her office space. The upstairs had been designed as the master bedroom suite complete with a huge marble bathroom and an extra sitting room. She’d opted to occupy the first-floor master bedroom to be closer to her sleeping children … or maybe she’d done so to remove herself from the bedroom she’d once shared with David. She’d also purchased all new furniture and a mattress for that bedroom.
“I’m getting these cards ready to mail to your uncles in Oregon.” She tousled his hair. “You must be getting hungry for dinner.”
He shrugged his slender shoulders. “I’m okay. Can we open another card from Granny Allard first?”
“Sure. Let’s do that, and then I’ll make supper.”
Elli had this Sunday off and was probably studying or hanging out with friends near campus. John had the day off too. After yesterday’s revelations, Theresa needed time to be alone with her boys, and she had no plans to leave the house. This being-at-peace thing was so new and wonderful that she needed today to process everything. Her cozy home felt like an oasis of calm, and she basked in the peace and quiet.
She’d call Caleb at bedtime, and tell him she and her boys had opened the first card and would soon open the second. Thinking of Caleb brought on a pang of missing him, and she wished for … something elusive, something she feared might be out of her reach. She’d awakened from their flight home to find herself pressed up against his side with his arm around her, holding her close. She’d felt so safe, so connected to him that a wave of intense longing had pulsed through her. She’d pretended to still be asleep until she could get a grip on her emotions.
She shook off the feelings and focused on Jeremy. “Go get Charlie, and I’ll meet you in the family room. I just have to seal and address these two envelopes first.”
“Sully too,” he said, dashing out of the room.
“Of course, even though he can’t read and is likely to chew the card into scraps if he gets hold of it,” she muttered under her breath. Smiling, she finished addressing the envelopes and set them aside for tomorrow’s trip to the post office. Theresa took one of her unopened cards from the basket where she’d placed them on her desk and hurried downstairs to the family room.
Charlie and Jeremy had been intrigued by the greeting cards sent to her when she was a child, especially since she hadn’t known they existed until yesterday. They were thrilled to learn they had another grandmother, a bunch of cousins, great uncles and aunties.
Charlie had been the one to suggest they shouldn’t open all the cards at once. Instead, they should open one per day, making each new card a special occasion. Theresa had put the envelopes in the order of the date posted, starting with the oldest first.
“It’s my turn,” Jeremy pointed out as he climbed onto the family-room couch. “Charlie opened the first card last night.”
“That’s fair.” Theresa sat on the sectional between her boys, and Sully chewed on a toy at their feet. She handed the envelope to Jeremy, expecting him to rip it open. Instead, he handled the card like a fragile artifact recently unearthed on an archaeological dig. A lump rose to her throat, and she put her arms around both her sons, pride and love for them filling her heart.
“This one is a valentine, Mommy!” He held up the heart-covered card in one hand, and a five-dollar bill in the other.
“Can I see?” Charlie asked, holding out his hand.
Jeremy studied the card for a moment before handing it to his brother. Charlie read the mushy poem on the inside out loud.
“What’s the part Granny wrote say?” Jeremy asked.
“It says she thinks about our mom every single day, and that she loves and misses her a lot,” Charlie informed his little brother. “You must have missed her too, huh?” he asked, peering up at her.
“Very much.” Like they missed their dad no doubt. She’d done her best to tell them what had happened with her mom in terms that were factual but not scary. She explained that their Grandfather Morris had mental health issues due to his own traumatic childhood, choosing not to go into details about what had happened. They needed to know the truth, along with assurances that those mental health issues had nothing to do with them. Navigating through stuff like this with kids was tricky.
“We haven’t discussed what we want to do with the money,” she said. “What do you two think? So far, we have eight dollars.”
“I know!” Jeremy jumped up off the couch. “Let’s keep it in the treasure chest we got with our pirate stuff last Christmas.”
Charlie nodded. “Yeah, and when we’re done opening all the cards, Jeremy and I will count the loot. Then, we can talk about what to do with it and take a vote.”
“Okay. That sounds like a good plan.” Theresa rose from the couch. “You get the treasure box, and I’ll get the other three dollars from the basket.”
Theresa went back upstairs for the bills she’d stashed with the cards. She decided to bring the basket downstairs and once again joined her boys. They’d already set the brown-and-gold trimmed, plastic treasure chest—no bigger than a child-size shoe-box—on the kitchen table. Their expressions, serious, they both looked to her.
“Ready?” she asked. She set the basket of cards on the table next to the five-dollar bill and took out the money from yesterday. Her sons nodded solemnly as she set the three dollars on the table.
“Charlie gets to put the three dollars in because he opened that card. I get to put in the five dollars from the card I opened,” Jeremy informed her.
“We decided you should take turns, too, Mom,” Charlie said. “The cards are all addressed to you, and they’re from your mom. We can all take turns.” His little chin came up.
