All in the Game

Chapter thirty-six || The letter

𝐀𝐛𝐛𝐲 

Val was a huge part of my life for twelve months. Today marks one week since her death and I'd be lying if I said I was ok. It doesn't seem right; our amazing town has lost its happiness since she left. Val was always helping others. If our town had any kindness, it was because of her. 

She was one of the only people who was there for me after Nathan left and I was a single mother. She wasn't just the person who comforted me she was my friend, like a grandma to the boys. Never in a million years would I have thought living life without Val would be this hard. 

Waking up, going to work and her not being there. It's not right nor is it fair that she should just be forgotten after everything she's done for this town. At this point all that will be left of her is a tombstone with her name on it. She had no relatives in magnolia creek, no husband, no kids. In fact I'm sure if she were still here Val would admit that I was her daughter or the closest thing anyway. 

My phone rings it could be Nathan which has me hesitating to reach for it. I was so sure he was going to tell me he loved me in last weeks video call. What would I have said? Would I have had the guts to tell him to come home, to forget his dreams or would I have blown him off...again? 

It rings again whoever it is doesn't seem to want to give up. Finally, my phone buzzes. Grabbing it out of my jeans pocket it's not Nathan who called but my mother and left me a message after realizing I wasn't going to answer the phone. 

𝐌𝐨𝐦: 𝐇𝐞𝐲, 𝐀𝐛𝐛𝐲 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞-𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤,𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧? 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞.

Now I feel bad for ignoring the call. My mother means well, I tell myself she's just worried because I've hardly left my house in a week. Maybe there's a whole other reason she wants me to join her. 

𝐀𝐛𝐛𝐲: 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫...

Looking at what I have typed out I decide that I'll only be worrying her more if I don't take her up on her offer. Besides it'll be nice to get out of the house and get some fresh air. 

𝐀𝐛𝐛𝐲: 𝐎𝐤

Mom's response is immediate as if she was watching her phone closely for my reply. Honestly wouldn't surprise me at this point. 

𝐌𝐨𝐦: 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 ☺️

Yeah, great...mainly I think she just wants to know what's up between me and Nathan. Which at this point I'm not so sure myself. I love him I'd do anything for him hence the reason I to,d him to take his dream offer in the first place. But how would we even work now that's he's a little over an hour away? It's not far but he's not coming back until December. 

Dressing fast in blue jeans shorts, and a faded cougars shirt. Leaving the house with the twins in the backseat stopping only to check the mail. I haven't checked it in a while so it's filled with mail (mostly junk.) The last letter in the stack catches my attention the most. 

My name is written in purple cursive, and in the corner is a flower stamp. The thing that catches my attention the most is Val's handwriting. The way the A's and L's are curled match the way she used to do hers. But that's insane right? Dead people can't send letters. By now my curiosity is piqued, ripping it open a slip of paper falls out. Tears start falling down my face the second I realize this is one hundred percent an authentic Val letter, and she wrote cit just for me.