Dearest, Theodosia

Chapter XXXIII:

Chapter XXXIII:

Open When

   July 1, 1799. The box sat under Theo's bed. It was green, part shiny, part dull. It held a little less than a dozen envelopes, eleven to be exact. One had previously been removed. They were all written by the same person, the deceased Theodosia Burr. It was a gift from her to her daughter. As Theodosia began getting sick, she knew she wasn't going to recover, she knew she was going to die. She knew she wasn't going to see her daughter group, she wouldn't be able to share her wisdom with her, so she began writing.

She only managed to write twelve before becoming to tired to lift her hands to write, but it was enough. Theodosia had written what she wanted her daughter to know. Theodosia died when her daughter was eleven. Her daughter didn't receive the box of letters until she was fifteen years old.

   Once Eliza gave Theo the box, she had opened one and tucked it away in that spot underneath her bed, exactly where it is now. She was afraid to open any more of the letters. That meant she was growing up, and that there was yet another milestone or moment that her mother was missing. She sent the memory of that green box to the back of her mind. Until today.

   Theo spent the morning cleaning up her room, which was a disaster. It looked like the aftermath of a hurricane, beside all of the water. She pulled books out from under her bed until she realized one of the rectangles wasn't a box. It was that green box that haunted her. She carefully opened the lid, taking it off the box, putting it beside her. She read the titles on the letters to herself.

Open when you and your father fight

   There would never be enough letters for the number of fights Theo and Aaron had, especially over the course of the past year. She flipped it, seeing two more of the same title behind it. She flipped those back too and read the rest of the titles.

Open when you feel alone

Open when you really miss me

Open when you are scared of growing up

Open when you are getting married

Open when you are a wife

Open when you are a mother

Open when your on your deathbed

   Theo looked down at all of the letters with a blank expression. At the very back of the letters, there was the one she had opened previously.

Open when you fall in love

   There was another envelope that was smaller, but looked thicker than her envelopes. Instead of a few words on the outside, it had one word scribbled on the front of it. A name.

Aaron

She had forgotten how much she loved her mother's handwriting. It was curly cursive, but very easy to read. If a person's handwriting could be comforting, this would be the most comforting of them all. She remembered reading the first letter. She had cried. When she read the handwriting, she had heard it in her mother's voice, which she often forgotten the sound of.

    Aaron knocked on the door of his daughter's bedroom door, asking for entrance. Theo fumbled, trying to tuck away all of the letters before her father could see them. Aaron opened the door of the room to see Theo on the floor, holding the green box in her lap. Although her father clearly saw it, she quickly shoved it under her bed. Aaron sat down on the floor in front of his daughter. "What are you hiding from me?" He asked her, gesturing to the box under the bed.

   "Err, nothing." Theo said, her eyes meeting the floor. In the middle of Aaron and Theo, a letter sat between them. She had forgotten to put that one away. Aaron looked down at it, instantly recognizing the handwriting.

   "Theodosia." He whispered, looking back up at the girl who shared the name. "What is this?" He tried to grab the letter, but Theo snatched it away from him.

   "Wait!" She said loudly. "You can't read this." She shook her head. Aaron looked puzzled. "It's a letter from mum." She said softly.

   "H-how did you get a letter from your mother?" He stuttered.

   "She wrote a dozen of them for me, just before she... left. They cover a vas amount of subjects and milestones that she would miss. I'm supposed to open them when the title deems necessary." Theo pulled the box out from under her bed, resting it on her lap. She opened it up and went to the back of the stack, where the letter to her father was. She pulled it out of the box, looking at the writing once more. "There's one for you, too."

   Aaron watched as his daughter handed him the envelope with the familiar handwriting on it. His hands began to shake, his eyes flooding with tears. He took the envelope, immediately dropping it. "I-I can't read it."

   "Do you want me to?" Theo asked softly, picking up the letter from the floor. Aaron nodded. Theo pried open the envelope, opening the letter. She began to read.

   My love,

   I don't know how long it's been between the time I'm writing this and when you're reading this, but that's beside the point. This is the last letter I'll ever write you. I hope you understand that just because I'm gone, doesn't mean that I am not in love with you. I love you, Aaron. You are my love in life and death. Forever and ever.

   I only ask two things of you. One is to watch after our daughter, Theodosia. I know I won't be there for her, but you can be. Please be there for her. Don't shut her out, because I know you will. She needs you. Two is to move on. I want you to be happy, my love. I want you to love again. Do not dwell over me, darling. Move on.

   I love you, Aaron Burr. You are and will always be my one love. Please watch Theodosia for me. I love you both. I will see you on the other side, I just hope it won't be too soon. Live, my love. Live.

   Your love,
   Theodosia

   Aaron was now sobbing silently. He missed his wife more than anything. He thought he had let her down too. He had shut his daughter out. He hadn't moved on. He couldn't move on. Theo put the letter down on her bed, wrapping her arms around her father. "She would be proud of you, Daddy."

   "I love you, Theo." He said softly, through his sobs and heartache. "I love you."

   "I love you too, Daddy."

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This made me so sad, oh my goodness! I'm sorry about any emotional distress this may have caused. Anyway, thank you for reading! I love you guys!