The Aftermath

-An Unexpected Letter-

 

Chapter Seven

‘An Unexpected Letter.’

 

Sitting front of the screen filled with convicts from here in Stone view at nearby prisons. One name specifically sounded so normal, so not like someone who could do anything wrong much less end up in prison for doing something wrong; Katherine Hudson. She’d sounded like a model citizen, and apparently was according to google. Not very much came up about her she was in the top of her high school’s top ten percentile and attended a few years of college at a nearby community college. Soon I realized she was incarcerated for murder and was sentenced to life in prison. I’d never really meant anyone who’d been in jail much less prison, but maybe if I could pull some resources in and call in a favor from Ms. C about this lady Bree and I could swing an interview with her. I mean we did have a week to interview her so how long could it possibly take.

Later that week my mind reeled as I put the letter in the mailbox only to see my Aunt had yet to check the mailbox. Things had been a bit silent between us since my run-in with the mayor but she’d refused to acknowledged it and I was not about to admit I’d seen that much sagging skin ever in life again. A load of mail was lodged into the little mailbox; I pulled it all out to come face to face with a slightly damp letter addressed to me from my parents. I’d popped my letter into the mail and sped back in the house leaving all of the mail on the table in the front room, the normal spot Nanny and I had agreed on for mail when she was ‘busy’. Speeding past her closed door I headed straight for my own. I carefully opened it as not to rip the stamps nor the letter itself I knew Mom and Dad’s letter were coming a lot less than they did when they’d traveled closer to home but they were out in the Himalayas’ now so I knew it’d be a while before they could get time to themselves let alone a mailbox to even send letters from. I felt like the heavens had opened above me when I started reading, everything wasn’t what I expected and even some parts were hard to read without wanting to cry.

 

Dearest Gianna,

Hello my sweetest girl we aren’t too far away from the village we are to be teaching in, I hope this gets to you in time. Your father refuses to settle for the nice apartment we are supposed to be getting soon. Our little home away from home, at least for another six months. Believe it or not it has no running water inside we have to go outside to get any water and it comes out ice cold. The only type of heat is from a wood burning heater in the middle of the living room. Despite the small chance of us running into tigers and bears out here our view from our room is amazing the rooms are on the small side but I wish you could see it. The people who send their children to school are always so happy and cheerful to see me. Teaching them English will be a new experience but shouldn’t be too hard from different from our travels in Africa earlier this year. I wish you could be here to experience it all The breathe taking views and even the huts that we teach in. We have to stick paper in the middle of the cracks during the winter so not as much cold air gets in. The only downside to our job is being away from you, but unfortunately our teaching degrees can only go so far and we need you to be safe and be in a stable place so Aunt Nanny will have to do till we decide to come back. It is with a heavy heart that I tell you we will not be coming for a visit next week as we have to stay here and start teaching the children we’d thought the plane ride was going to be a lot shorter but with the delays and the layovers plus your father catching ill, we’d made it out here an entire week later than we’d expected. Be a doll for your aunt my darling and keep us in your prayers I’d hate to see your father fighting a tiger.

                                                                                                              All Our Love,