Love Letters

by Jane Larry

  “Cute dog,” the guy said.

  “Thanks John,” Lisa replied as she hurriedly retrieved her pet.

  “Oh, so you know me. I didn’t think you did.”

  “Everyone knows you. It’s hard to miss.”

  “I guess. So why are you here? Aren’t you going on a Spring Break trip?”

  “I should ask you the same question,” she countered with a slightly incensed tone, while backing away. “Aren’t you supposed to be driving to the lake with your friends?”

  John Mitchell was surprisingly still in town, with time to spare, as he was in jogging clothes.

  “Nah, I had to bail. I had more pressing matters to attend to…” he said, as he followed Lisa up the hill. “Wait, how did you know?”

  Aware that she had unwittingly trapped herself in a dangerous discussion, Lisa deflected by exclaiming, “How can anyone NOT know?!”

  John laughed. “I guess you’re right. And it’s strange how that works.”

  Once they got to Lisa’s spot, John noticed that she was already working on Mr. Kallum’s writing assignment. Conscious about feeling rude, Lisa offered the guy a cold beverage, again thanking him for taking care of the situation. John accepted but didn’t spare the opportunity to comment on her itinerary, which to him seemed wasteful.

  “So let me get this straight – You’re missing out on holiday festivities because of school?”

  “Well, I’m not expecting you to understand.”

  “No I don’t understand. See, even Bill Gates got bored with school and dropped out.”

  “Well, I just didn’t think it would help my situation if I procrastinated.”

  “Suit yourself. But if you ever change your mind, we could hang out.”

  What?! Lisa thought. The nerve! This is so inappropriate.

  Taking cue from the lack of rebuttal, John slowly withdrew from the conversation and said, “Thanks for the water. I’ll go ahead.”

  * * *

  That was probably the longest conversation Lisa had with John or with anyone from his social circle. He was not the type of person she appreciated talking to. And it didn’t seem as though he was fond of reaching out to people outside of his tribe either. But what annoyed Lisa most about John was that he never seemed to be one thing or another. One minute he was nice and the next he was an ass. And then, there was the fact that he was good and bad in his academic performance. If a guy was put together, he wouldn’t exhibit such irregularities in his studies. But I guess, that could be explained by the distraction his extracurricular activities put out. In any case, it still didn’t impress Lisa that John would hit on her after their first real encounter. And it didn’t help that his actions derailed her from the appropriate frame of thought.

  Thirty minutes in and she still couldn’t come up with a decent page. And even though she had tried to evoke inspiration by reading the Marquez book, nothing came through. Nearing the hour mark, she finally thought about applying the techniques that were found in the compilation. She thought they might just get her creative juices flowing again. But when she opened it, she found an enveloped stuck on the fly page with an “Irene” inscription. Feeling curious, bored and desperate, she decided to open it up and see what surprises it had in store. In it she found several origami pieces that unfolded to a series of letters penned by someone named ‘Louie’. The first one she took was that of a swan and it contained…

  Dear Irene,

  It may seem strange to hear of it, but from the moment I saw you, I fell in love. You are beautiful beyond belief. And you have the most soothing voice. When you smile, your eyes dance in a sea of coral blue. And I like how you make your nose crinkle every time you feel awkward or really happy. I am grateful that you decided to join me in class because then I knew I could be with you for 45 minutes every day. Please don’t be alarmed about what I am saying. I have the purest intentions. And until the time I develop the courage to profess my feelings, I will only write to you to remind you that you are special. And that whatever you are feeling, whatever you are going through, and no matter how hard it seems to get sometimes, you are loved. I am here for you.

  Yours truly,

  Louie

  Moved by what she saw, Lisa continued opening the rest of the origami folds.

  Dear Irene,

  You were glowing today. I liked the purple sundress you were wearing. And I appreciate that you tied your hair back so that I could see the lines of your face. I took a picture of you for art class so I could draw you as a subject. But fearing my secret admiration would get disclosed, I decided to focus on this vase of stargazers instead. I hope you don’t mind me keeping that picture so I could still be with you even if you’re not around. I’m sure that new guy is making you happy. But if I had the chance, I could make you even happier. Well, at least I’d try. Those guys you date sometimes don’t seem like they know your worth. I hope he’s different, for our sake. I wouldn’t know what to do if I saw you cry again. I can’t afford to blow my cover. Please take care.

  Yours truly,

  Louie

  Dear Irene,

  I’m glad you’re wearing the sweater I gave you. I never expected that you’d welcome my affection so openly given the circumstances. I hope you had a happy birthday. If I could, I would’ve have swept you away with a vacation to the Bahamas. I saw you flipping through a travel book in the library once and noticed your interest in it. Maybe, someday, when I’ve gathered up the courage to speak to you in person, I’d be able to offer you more than just a sweater. Believe me, if I could, I would present you the stars. But right now, all I have to give is my love.

  Yours truly,

  Louie

  Dear Irene,

  I’m sorry your boyfriend cheated on you. You deserve better. Don’t worry though because I’m nearly ready. Just be a little more patient. Don’t cry on his account. You’re far too precious to worry about such trivial matters. I hope the package I sent you cheered you up. How I wish I could talk to you and hold you in my arms right now. I’ll save you soon. Wait for me. I love you.

  Yours truly,

  Louie

  Lisa was overwhelmed with emotion. It was as if she was struck by lightning. Her head began turning numb and her skin started to develop goose bumps. Catching up to her racing mind, she finally found the answer to what she was looking for. And before the mood could escape her, she began writing about how she imagined Louie and Irene’s lives were. It took about three hours before she finally lost her steam. But while fixing up to go to lunch, she was already playing with a number of ideas on how to develop the plot she’s established.

  * * *

  Three days in, Lisa still found herself held back by a stumbling block that could not be broken down using any stimulant. She had already read through the letters and written up to the climax of the story. But now she can’t make up her mind on how it should unfold and what the ending should be. Having depended most of the plot on the contents of the letter, she felt it would unhinge the beginning from the end if she took the liberty of making it her own. With that conclusion, she decided to find out who this “Louie” character was and learn more about what happened to him and Irene.

  Her first instinct was to rummage through the yearbook and determine which among her batch mates was named Louie. Having had a very limited social circle, she couldn’t trust that she’d come up with anyone at will. Besides, she couldn’t call Jodie, Melissa or Hanna to help because they were all busy with their Spring Break excursions. It was a tough few minutes and confusing at best. But Lisa was able to round up a clue on which her mystery writer was. Much to her surprise, it was John Mitchell.

  John Louie Mitchell??

  Of all people, why him? What was aggravating about this finding was that John was the only one who had the name Louie in the grade level, which was weird. And moreover, he was taking the same class as Lisa was, making him fit the bill. It was hard to believe that such a classic jock jerk would have a sensitive and shy streak
to him or would even have the time to write love letters for a girl. Going back on their encounter at the park, John was definitely a ladies man and not the hopeless romantic the writings depict. Still, it was worth giving the theory a shot. And so Lisa called John up using the home phone number that was registered.

  * * *

  Lisa rode her bike to Riddell’s the next day to meet up with John for snacks. Surprisingly, he was there early and had ordered a Bacon Burger with a huge helping of fries. He stood up and waved at Lisa when he saw her come in. And they both gave an uncomfortable smile before they sat down. When she had settled in, the waitress offered Lisa a menu, to which she reacted with…

  “No, thanks. But I’ll have the vanilla milkshake and peach cobbler.”

  “Interesting,” John spoke out loud.

  “What?”

  “It’s currently spring and you’re already packing for winter,” John teased to which Lisa responded…

  “Jerk!”

  “Kidding!” he laughed. “I’m just messing with you. You look so serious! So, what did you want to talk to me about?”

  With that question, Lisa gave him the letters she found in the compilation, stapled. John picked them up and read through them intently, stealing glances at Lisa every now and then, wondering what she meant to say. Failing to figure out what the deal was, he finally asked, “…so what am I looking at here?”

  Stunned, Lisa answered, “Did you write them?”

  It took about 30 seconds for John to distinguish whether Lisa’s question was deliberate or a joke. And upon realizing that she was sincere, he frankly confirmed, “No.”

  “I knew it!” Lisa exclaimed. But in spite of being proud of her instincts, the question of the letter’s author was still looming. And that proved to be more concerning than finding out that John Mitchell was her story’s subject.

  “What is this about?” John interjected.

  “Nothing.”

  Right then, Lisa decided to get her order to go and move on to finding out the answers elsewhere. But before she could stand up, John made a grave threat.

  “So you drag me here to meet up and then leave me hanging after serving your purpose? I don’t think so. If you don’t tell me what’s going on, I’m going to tell on you.”

  Curious about the basis of his warning, Lisa engaged John in a stare war to get him to cough out what he thought he could manipulate her with. John, amused by her response, stared back and waited for her to inquire about what his plan exactly was. Unluckily for him, Lisa was more masterful at the activity. So after a few minutes, John gave up and said…

  “Don’t think I didn’t pick up on one of Mr. K’s compilations being in your possession. The last time I checked, they couldn’t be borrowed. So, do you want me to tell on you or do want to tell me what’s going on?”

  Unnerved by this revelation, Lisa got John back with her own threat.

  “Listen you jackass! I’m not going to let you push me around. So if you tell on me, I’ll make you pay…but since I do owe you, I’m going to save us both the trouble. I’m using the letters for my writing assignment. And I was hoping I could trace its origin and find myself a good ending to my story.”

  “That’s all?! And you went through all this trouble? Couldn’t you just make up one?”

  “Well...I could. But...I wanted to know if there was something more to it.”

  “…something more to Louie and Irene? Well, from the looks of it, I don’t think so.”

  “Well, that’s for me to find out. Thanks for your time. And sorry for bothering you…” With that, Lisa got up, fetched her meal and made her way out.

  * * *

  While walking down to the bicycle parking, Lisa thought about what other means she could explore to achieve her goal. It was obviously more limited now since she has confirmed a few constraining details through the yearbook. And as if that wasn’t enough aggravation, she currently had to worry about what John would do with the information he just acquired. Was he going to hang it over her head forever? Was he going to really tell on her? If he had the audacity to bully her then he could pretty much do anything. But before she could let out her frustrations, John was already behind her, ready to offer her some peace of mind.

  “Hey, Lisa, wait up! Is it really that important for you to find out?”

  “What is it to you?”

  “I can help you.”

  “And why would you?”

  “Because then, you’d owe me another favor. And I could really use some help starting that writing project.” Feeling that he’s lost some of the girl’s confidence, John went on saying, “Look, I won’t tell, I promise. But it’s pretty clear that you need my help. It’s Spring Break. How else could you gather information about people?”

  John had undeniably presented a strong argument. And at the moment, it was clear to Lisa that the only way she’d be able to push through was with him by her side. But before she agreed, she had to make sure he was earnest in his intentions.”

  “Why do you need my help writing your project? Aren’t you capable of that yourself? You’re not stupid John, you and I both know that.”

  “You’re right. I could do it if I wanted to. But I can’t right now. If you’re interested, I could talk to you about it more tomorrow.”

  Hesitant, Lisa agreed. And they set to meet up at the park again in the morning.

  * * *

  Lisa woke up a little bit late the next day, having gone over some of the ways she could look for “Louie” without having to rely on John. But after an exhaustive evening, she came up with dead ends and was forced to attend their meeting at the park. When she got there, he was already exasperated of her tardiness. And when he met her at the foot of the hill, his forehead was crumpled up from all directions.

  “What took you so long?!” he snapped.

  “Sorry. I woke up late. I didn’t realize this meeting had to commence on time.”

  “Well, get used to it. I don’t make people wait on me so I expect them to extend the same courtesy,” John retorted while dragging her off to the field.

  “Where are we going?!” a puzzled and worried Lisa asked.

  “Just shut up and walk fast,” John asserted.

  His stride was long and quick. And it was a challenge for Lisa to keep up. But he had quite a grip on her arm – strong enough to keep her from falling away and gentle enough to avoid hurting her – so she managed in spite of herself. Once they crossed the field, they made their way to the recreational area where a bunch of old folks were gathered up. John approached one of them and gave a warm greeting.

  “Hi Grandpa! Sorry for taking my time. This is my friend, Lisa.”

  Stunned with the turn of events, Lisa was unable to pay her respects right away and gaped back and forth between John and his supposed grandfather.

  “Don’t worry about it kid. I don’t even see the resemblance,” the old man joked.

  “So, are we set?” John intervened.

  “Yep. I’m on a winning streak. I better leave before someone starts getting the better of me!”

  Lisa went along with them as they walked towards John’s car. And after he helped his grandfather in, she pulled John aside and asked, “Where exactly are we going?” John just kept quiet and carried on by opening the passenger seat for Lisa. Conscious of making a scene, she compliantly sat down and participated in the awkward scenario.

  John’s grandfather was very chatty. But he was also charming and witty so it wasn’t a pain to follow up his quips. It didn’t seem obvious from the banter he was instigating though that he was scheduled for admission that day at Grand Rapids Memorial. From the looks of things, John’s grandfather seemed to have been going back and forth to the hospital for some time now. He was telling stories of hospital staff and patient’s he had met and kept in touch with for some time. And he even looked comfortable with the prospect, unlike Lisa, who was ready to jump out of the car if she found it necessary.

  It had been
four years since she last set foot in that facility. And although she had successfully reconciled with her parent’s early demise, she still hasn’t felt at peace within that environment. As luck would have it, John only needed to deliver his grandfather to the emergency room because his mother was already there, attending to the paperwork. Thus, Lisa only had to hold her breath for a few minutes.

  It felt strange to her how she couldn’t even bring herself to set foot on the steps of the hospital. Being in that setting gave her flashbacks of that Monday morning when she was fighting for her life. It was even more absurd how she was completely aware of what was going on even though she was unconscious. She could see her parents being wheeled in to the morgue, her uncle consoling her devastated aunt, and the anguish of the rest of the families that were affected. It was like she was having an out of body experience. And as she and John walked back to the car park, more and more memories came flooding in.

  She remembered the truck that was a few meters ahead of their car and how it appeared to have some trouble with its attachment. It stopped a few times during traffic, which aggravated everyone else on the freeway. But since it couldn’t park right away, everyone had to bear with the situation. When the truck was already near the exit, a speeding vehicle from the opposite lane crossed the island, hit the truck’s trailer and forced it to roll onto the succeeding cars, which included Lisa’s family. The last image imprinted on Lisa’s mind was of her mother and father and their heroic attempt to protect her from the impact. Everything else was a blur. And like snapshot images, she saw herself being dragged out of the crushed car, being assessed and resuscitated by the paramedics, and being crowded over by onlookers and victims. And then she recalled being able to fly overhead and watch the devastation from a safe distance.