She stared at the TV for a while, not moving, trying to process what she had just seen. Adeline had just died, well, maybe.
There was no way for her to know for sure, but the way Oliver had reacted didn't leave much hope. She didn't even realize she was crying until a water droplet splashed on her hand, startling her. There had to be more to this story, there had to be more information.
She looked back in the box, she had emptied it of everything that was in it...except for one piece of paper at the very bottom, a single sheet.
Adeline,
You died that night, you probably already know that because you are meeting the angels up in heaven right now, but I felt like I needed to mention it. The paramedics took you out of that room and into the ambulance, you woke once, but you slipped back into unconsciousness and never recovered. I drove to the hospital that next morning only to be told that I couldn't see you because I wasn't family.
I never saw you again.
It was a closed casket at the funeral (a nice service really, you would have been proud), and I will always wonder what would have happened if we had one extra minute together.
I have something I have to get off my chest: I didn't follow you onto the ambulance that day. I couldn't. The sight of you, dying, was enough to make me physically sick, but it was still no excuse. You asked for me when you woke up, and I wasn't there for you. I should have been, but I wasn't and that fact will haunt me for the rest of my life. You might still be here this moment if I was just there to hold your hand and to help you with the fight of your life.
Her eyes glanced away from the paper. She could no longer read it. The words were blurred because of her tears. Oliver blamed himself, she realized. He blamed himself for the death of the person he loved most in the world. The idea of that crushed her, but she blinked back her tears and continued to read.
I was never able to tell you that I loved you, that I still love you, because of my mistake. I was a coward with you, Adeline. I never realized how much I loved you until I was faced with losing you and for that, I am so deeply sorry.
Adeline, you are the love of my life. You are my epic love, and I will never forget you.
You are my sunshine, my liquid sunshine, and that fact often made me forget that you were sick. I was careless with you, I pushed you too hard, and in the end, it was the reason you died. I forget that chemo makes you weak and how much your mother had been pushing you to do more aggressive treatments. We were in a relationship; I was supposed to be your escape, not another source of your stress.
I wrote this letter to cope. I am seeing a therapist and that's what he thinks is best (hey, I pay him, he gives the orders), but I don't think it will have the desired effect. You were my heart, my soul, my life, and I let you die. No one will ever be able to replace you. I may get married, have kids, trick my brain into forgetting you, but you will always be there; my own little ghost, Adeline. And, I think in some aspects, I'm okay with that, because I don't ever want to let you go.
I want to end this with the usual conversation. You taught me well.
Me: How are you? Are the angles treating you well?
You:...
Me: That's great, that's really great. You sound really happy.
You:...
Me: Oh, I'm fine, life's been treating me well, but I miss you.
You:...
Me: I love you, now and always.
You: I love you, too.I know that the ending is a little unorthodox, but I really hope that is how you feel too.
Yours forever and always,
Oliver
She sat back onto her chair and barely had a second to gather herself before there was a knock at the door.
She stood up and walked towards the entryway to her apartment and, not even thinking about who would be visiting her at midnight on a Friday night, swung the door open. Then she stopped, shocked at who she saw, he was older, his face wrinkled, he was hunched over, but he still looked the same as he did in the videos, the pictures...
"I believe that you have something that belongs to me."
His voice was even the same after all these years.
Of all the places.
Of all the people, here he was.
Oliver Parks.
YOU ARE READING
Of letters and VHS tapes.
ContoThe last thing she imagined herself doing on a Friday night was read letters she found in a rusty old toolbox, but then again, she never imagined discovering a tale of lost love and heartbreak either.