Through the Darkness: Of Love and Loss Series Book One

16

Wednesday, May 21, 1919

Dearest Elyria,

I'm not sure how to begin. You have touched my heart and left me humbled. (Something that has happened more times than I can count since knowing you.) I have become like a man lost at sea, drowning and desperate to be saved, counting down the moments until my postman hands me your letter. What must poor Marcus think of me in my deplorable state?

With your first words on the page, I'm renewed and eager for next week to arrive—if only to hear from you again. I'd like to think that there will never be a need to feel we must censor our words to one another. We certainly haven't done so before.

In fact, the more I think about it (which is quite a lot, if you were wondering), you've been the only person I've ever talked to so freely from the moment you came into my life. It's curious to meet someone for the first time and yet feel you've known them your entire life. And that's precisely how it has been with you from the beginning. Do you feel the same?

Please be honest with me, and I will be honest with you in return.

Forgive me if my words prove overdramatic (my mother always did tell me I should be on the stage), but I hope you will grasp the sincerity I'm attempting to convey (and no doubt failing horribly).

Now that the matter is settled and I've firmly established there should be nothing except honesty between us, may I tell you something?

The night Nurse Winters kicked me out of Walter Reed and had me dumped on the first train headed West, I was a bit out of hand trying to discover your whereabouts to give you a proper goodbye. How out of hand, you may wonder? Let me just say you would not have been pleased with me.

I'm ashamed to admit the infamous Captain Rattlesnake was in fine form. But can you blame me? It wasn't until your friend Daphne tapped me on the shoulder and told me to use my inside voice (and saying it in such a way she made a grown man feel reduced to the age of three) that reason took hold.

Did you receive the note I wrote? And are you very disappointed in me?

With much love,

Everett

~~~~

May 29, 1919

Darling Everett,

Oh, how you've brightened my day! I wish I'd been there for your departure if only to hear Daphne talk to you so! If you intended to share such a tale to make me laugh, then I assure you it worked.

Upon asking Daphne about that night, I was surprised to learn that you, my dear, have painted a tamer experience than what she remembered.

No, I'm not disappointed in you. To be honest (Daphne believes I've lost my mind), I find your behavior—concerning that particular instance—quite endearing.

Although, it does make me wonder, now that you know I'm rather fond of Captain Rattlesnake, will you take that to mean I condone such behavior?

Perhaps we ought to arrange a meeting with Nurse Winters and Major Buchanan to see? I believe that should such an event occur, you would be surprised to find that I do indeed—at least where those two specimens of humanity are concerned.

I've sat at my desk for the past twenty minutes trying to think of a good segue into what I want to write next. But there isn't one, so I'll state it plainly.