Return To Sender: An Elvis Fan Fiction.

Chapter 4: Letter Four.

     Chapter Four.

    It was December now. The letters had started to come slower than ever. I was beginning to fear that I may never hear from the mystery man again. I found myself sitting by the windows more and anticipating the mail man. No one else could even touch it before I shifted it, making damn sure that there was no sign of the letter that she so longed for. Although the weather had turned colder, the fire in my heart had not blown out when the cold December winds came blowing in. 

    "Cassidy!" Momma hollered from the bottom of the stairwell. I raced out of my room and stood on the top landing. 

   "Yes momma?" I cooed. She eyed me for a moment and then waved me down the stairs. 

   "Come help me cut potatoes." She instructed. My heart sank. I was hoping there would be something from the Mystery man who haunted my dreams. Slouching my shoulders, I forced myself down the stairs. 

   "Whats wrong?" Momma asked as we walked through the house together toward the familiar kitchen. Sue was sitting at the table with a potato peeler in one hand and a half pealed potato in the other. Glancing up, she offered me a quick wave and went back to work. 

     "Nothing, mom." I lied simply. My mother looked me over for a moment and shook her head. "I don't buy that for a moment, Cas." My mother grimaced her painted pink lips and folded her pale arms over the blue fabric of her dress. She knew that I was lying. I knew she did.

     "Yeah, Cassidy, tell mom about your letters." Sue butted in with a sing song voice. I felt my face turn hot. I knew the red spread faster than I could control.

      My mother smirked. "What letters?"

     "Just some girl who I have been writing to." I said, hoping she wouldn't pry but I knew my mother.

     "You've been writing someone?" My mother quirked a brow. "Who is he?" She asked, patting the seat beside her. 

      I sighed and seated myself. "I don't know anything about him. That's the trouble. He sent me a letter out of the blue. I sent it back to him and it came back a week later so I opened it and replied. We've been writing back and forth ever since."

      My mother sat silent for a moment, almost as if she was digesting the information I gave her. She shook her head after a few seconds and stiffened in her chair. "You don't know anything about the guy you're writing to?" She echoed to me in a tone of disbelief. My mother was raised in a much more care free time but she was still an over protective parent. 

   "I know small det---" I was cut off by a knock at the door. 

   My mother motioned me to wait a minute and raised from her seat. She disappeared into the next room and when I was sure our mother was out of sight, I gave her a dirty look.

   "Cassidy!" My mother hollered from the foyer. I dropped the peeler in my hand and raced through the house. On the steps was a large, neatly wrapped pink box with a purple bow. "It doesn't say anything on it." She said, watching as i carefully scooped the large box into my hands with some work and carried it into the house.

   Sue stood in the door way, watching as I muscled the box into the house and set it on the coffee table. Examining it, I realized that it was from none other than the mystery man. He must have dropped it off himself. After all, it was two days before Christmas. Everyone was most likely home. 

  "That is a mighty big box." My mother muttered, moving to sit on the couch. I felt a twinge of pride.

   "It's almost to pretty to open." I sighed. I felt guilty when I undid the neat little bow with the card hanging off it that said 'Cassidy' and removed the top. The contents of the box appeared to be mostly made up of tissue paper. Pulling the paper away, I found what the prize was. At first I wasn't sure when I felt the soft fur brush the heel of my hand but when I found grasp when I pulled out amazed me. Inside the box was a beautiful black and white panda bear that had to be three feet tall. In the middle of the bears chest, someone took the time to sew a red heart. My name was under neath it with in neat black script.

    I ran my fingers over the stitch work for a moment before handing it off to Sue and digging farther into the box. Inside, I found a small pink card that had a strip of black lace across it. I flipped it open and read the words that were written in the card.

    "My dearest Cassidy, this is the last letter you will receive from me for a while. I have been drafted into the army, but this is a time of peace. I will be fine. Do not bother writing back, I will write to you once I am stationed somewhere. I will miss you terribly while I am away. Keep me in your prayers honey. You're in mine."

    I read the words over at least seven times before I could believe them. He'd been drafted? Now? But... why? He was right, it was peace time. The army didn't draft in peace time. Dropping the card onto the table, I staggered up the stairs. I know it's nothing to be miserable over, because I don't know him but part of me still worried. No one stopped me from leaving the room. No one chased me up the stairs, or knocked at my door. 

    I crumpled onto my bed and cried. I cried like a small child. And for a reason that was beyond me. I don't recall the next few days. Christmas moved so sluggishly. We got up, had breakfast, went to Church, came home, cooked, exchanged gifts and I went to bed. I don't know what the others did. I didn't care to know.

   Jessica called but I hardly wanted to talk. Someone told her about the news. She told me about the tabloids saying Elvis was sent away. I tried to envision the mystery man and Elvis in the same room but all of my dreams became nightmares of war and death.