Love Letters (5 page)

She went to the kitchen to get some paper towels soaked in water. The attic was filthy and filled with boxes. One box was crammed with Christmas decorations. Another box held old children’s books. Other boxes contained family albums, old receipts and old clothing.

“
Definitely trash,” she said to the box of receipts.

More boxes contained trash, and again Chloe segregated everything. She yawned, not caring if she was up all night. She couldn’t begin a task without finishing it. By 2:00 in the morning, Chloe rubbed her eyes.
One more box.
Chloe sneezed several times upon opening the box. Inside old toys and baby clothes lay in a neat pile. A rush of tears filled her eyes and spilled down her face.

Mom is right; there
are
too many memories here.
She fingered her old Monopoly and Scrabble games that she used to play with her dad. Now they were dusty and faded with age. So many things reminded her of Dad.
She wished he was here right now.
Chloe set the games aside, then removed all the stuff inside the box, and dusted them individually, including her old Sesame Street toys, which she loved playing with as a child. Just when she thought she had emptied the box, she caught sight of a big brown envelope at the very bottom.

As Chloe reached for the envelope, she sneezed twice. In her mother’s familiar writing were the words Suzanne Rogers and the date 1968. She opened the envelope, and saw a stack of folded stationary wrapped in a rubber band. Chloe yawned one more time and was about to put them into the box, but instead decided to take them with her downstairs.

Probably Dad’s letters to Mom.
She stuffed the letters into her dresser drawer in her bedroom, and then went to bed.

Morning came too soon. The buzzer from her alarm clock heralded nine o’clock. Still groggy from the night before, she stumbled into the shower and got ready for the day. She was scheduled to meet with the wedding photographer after lunch, and then a band called “Wanted.” Finally, she would meet Nicole for an afternoon snack.

After taking a shower, she put on some comfortable jeans and a white shirt. It was a little windy outside, so she wore a blue pullover that she still had from college. She was about to step out the door when she decided to snag the letters and take them with her.

In a hurry now, she hopped in her car to drive to “Reves,” a studio three blocks away that featured weddings and events. When she arrived, Evan, the manager, was outside waiting for her. They discussed Chloe’s needs, while he showed her samples of his work. They both agreed to do a test shoot a week before her wedding. Then, after their meeting, Chloe was on the road again. She agreed to meet with the band at the lead singer’s house. “Wanted” was a young local band featuring two men and three ladies. The band was in the middle of rehearsing when she walked in. Chloe sat and watched them play a few songs.

“
What kind of songs do you want us to play?” Liana, the lead singer asked while holding her guitar.

“
I made a list,” Chloe said, handing her the sheet of paper with music titles.

She had to give her assistant Maureen credit for informing her that Wanted was the hottest band in town. Liana’s voice was low and deep while Austin had a very powerful voice. Liana read the list, which was a combination of love songs, R & B and contemporary rock.

Austin, the bass guitarist, nodded. “Sure we can divide the songs among sets.”

“
Yeah, no problem,” Jenny said, from behind the drums.

Chloe smiled, happy that the band understood what she wanted. She informed them of the dates and the venue. They discussed fees and agreed to a contract. Chloe had reserved the Ritz for the entire evening, knowing her friends would party till the wee hours of the morning.

An hour later, Chloe was back in her car, glad to have accomplished two things today, but since she’d barely had lunch, she was starving and ready to meet Nicole for an afternoon snack. It was Nicole’s day off, which was ideal since they could have the rest of the day together. Today, as per Nicole’s request, they had planned to have sushi and spend the rest of the afternoon lazing around by the beach. Chloe parked her car outside Shiki Japanese Cuisine and waved at Nicole who had just arrived.

Chloe gave Nicole a big hug. “I’m starving.”

“
So am I.” Chloe raised her eyebrows when she saw Nicole wearing tight leather black pants and a red leather jacket.

“
My gosh, look at you,” Chloe exclaimed, opening the door to the restaurant. “You’re not going to the beach in
that!
”

Nicole tucked her hair around her ears showing off her big gold earrings. “Is there a rule about what people should wear to the beach?”

Chloe didn’t respond because she knew Nicole always had an answer to everything.

Once inside, they ordered Salmon Sashimi, California Rolls and other types of sushi. While waiting for their orders, they sipped on sake.

“
Don’t you just love days like these, when you don’t have any obligations?” Nicole said, lingering over her sake.

“
Not in my case. I had a busy night cleaning up the house, and then today I met with the photographer and the band. At least now I’ve marked two things off my list,” Chloe said, taking out her chopsticks.

Nicole didn’t answer. She was still sipping her sake.

“
Did you hear what I just said, Nicole?”

Nicole poured more sake. “Yeah, yeah, I heard you.”

Chloe knew Nicole wanted to discuss Richard so she decided not to push it.

After lunch, Chloe drove to the beach where she parked her car at one of the many open spots along Half Moon Bay, and then they walked down to the beach. Nicole and Chloe had been to almost every beach in Half Moon Bay, each place beautiful in its own right. Today, a few people were walking their dogs along the beach but with spring approaching, the place would be packed. Half Moon Bay was known for the “Maverick,” which was the biggest and most dangerous wave in the world. Every year, Maverick Surf Ventures would sponsor a Maverick surf contest wherein twenty-four of the best surfers from all over the world would compete in this event. In 2007, thirty thousand people had come to watch the event.

Chloe exited the car and the two carried their straw hats and blankets to the beach. They picked an ideal spot on the sand to lay out their blankets. The weather was perfect, not too windy, nor too hot.

“
So what book did you bring today? I hope it’s not one of your cheesy romance novels,” Nicole said, removing her leather jacket.

“
Don’t worry; I didn’t bring any of those,” Chloe said, removing the envelope from her purse. “In fact, I brought something more exciting.”

Nicole turned to look at her. “What is it?”

“
You’re never going to believe what I found last night while cleaning the attic.”

“
Tell me.”

“
I think they’re letters my dad wrote to my mom when they were dating. I never knew my dad to be the romantic type,” Chloe said, opening the envelope, “so they should be interesting.”

“
Show me,” Nicole said, moving closer to Chloe.

“
Wait, I haven’t read them yet.”

The waves came in close and Chloe shrieked as she opened the letter, but the swell quickly receded with the tide. She counted the letters. “There are nine, all in order, knowing Mom.”

“
Read me one,” Nicole pleaded.

“
Okay, here goes.”

“
Dear Suzanne,

Today, I left my heart in San Francisco. Hope that doesn’t sound too cliché. I have never met a woman as beautiful and extraordinary as you. Your eyes, your hair, your smile – everything about you makes me feel alive. I don’t know when I will see you again, as we’re traveling to Asia, but spending these last few days with you has been the best time of my life. I hope to see you again as I hold you dear in my heart.

Te quiero mucho mi amor,

Ignacio Rodriguez

January, 1968”

“
Oh my gosh!” Chloe exclaimed. “I can’t believe it. All this time I thought these letters were from Dad. Mom never told me she had a mysterious lover. Who the heck is this Ignacio Rodriguez?”

“
Ignacio must have been a sailor from South America or Spain,” Nicole said, looking at the letter.

“
Let’s see.” Chloe tapped the letter on her knee. “I know she met Dad on August 14, 1968. According to the date on the letter, she met him before she married Dad.”

“
Let’s read the next letter,” Nicole said, stretching her toes and leaning backwards to get more sun.

Chloe opened the next letter.

“
Suzanne amor,

You don’t know how happy I was to receive your letter today. I could hardly believe it was from you. We are out at sea and there’s nothing much to tell about my life here. I can hardly sleep at night thinking about you and what you’re doing. Thank you for telling me your stories, and for sharing your feelings with me. I will never find a woman as beautiful and kind as you. You are like a precious flower that has touched my life. I look forward to your next letter, and until then I shall be thinking about you.

Con cariño,

Ignacio Rodriguez

February 1968”

“
Oh my goodness, he sounds so romantic,” Chloe said.
He reminds me of Josh.

“
He sounds just like you,” Nicole teased.

“
Wait a minute, Nicole,” Chloe said, snapping her fingers. “I’m curious to know why she didn’t end up with this man. I mean it sounds like he was madly in love with her. She must have felt the same way about him, since she responded to his letters.”

“
Chloe, sailors have women in every port.” Nicole said, turning over to lie on her stomach.

“
Yeah, but I know my mother. She wouldn’t waste her time writing to this man if it weren’t serious.”

Nicole looked at her watch. “It’s almost three o’ clock. Hey, it’s getting late and I promised Matt I’d come see him.”

“
Oh sure, we can do this another time,” Chloe said, removing the sand from her feet.

They folded their blankets and arrived at the car just in time to feel the wind pick up. Chloe was silent as she drove Nicole to the restaurant. Finally, Nicole broke the silence.

“
There’s only one way to find out who this guy is, Chloe – call Suzanne.”

“
I’ll never hear the end of it if I tell her I’ve found these letters,” Chloe said, while making a left turn.

After dropping Nicole back at the restaurant where she left her car, Chloe drove back to the beach. She still had time to hang out before seeing Richard for dinner. She parked her car, then carried her blanket down and laid it on the sand. She sat down and curled her toes then tilted her head up to bask in the sun. She was listening to the waves, when she heard someone call her name.

***

Josh felt the hot sand between his toes as he prepared to go surfing. Trish had called him three times begging him to come back to her but no matter what he said, she wouldn’t listen. What was he supposed to do? As he was getting ready to walk down to the water with his surfboard, he noticed a woman with long black curly hair seated on a blanket. It looked like Chloe but he wasn’t sure.

“
Chloe, is that you?” he called, walking toward her.

Her eyes opened wide. “Josh, what are you doing here?”

He waved. “I’m going surfing.”

“
Oh?”
She leaned forward and wiped the sand from her hands.

He sat down beside her. “Care to join me?” Chloe didn’t respond. “C’mon, it’ll be fun. I have an extra suit and surfboard in my truck. I always bring spares for friends.”

Chloe wiped her mouth. “Sure, why not.”

“
Great, if you want we can drive to the shop so you can change,” Josh said, pulling her up.

“
I can change in the portable bathroom,” Chloe said, following Josh to his truck to get the extra wetsuit. She went to change and returned a few minutes later.

Josh was waiting for her in the water so she waded toward him. He was glad the waves were not overly strong. “Is it too cold for you?”

She dipped her head in the water to wet her hair. “I’m good. Can you believe it? I’ve lived in Half Moon Bay all my life and never learned how to surf. How ironic is that?”

“
There’s always a first time.” Josh winked,
remembering their first kiss. She looked more beautiful now with her hair wet.
It seemed like only yesterday that he’d seen her running around the playground in her pigtails, her cheeks turning red each time he smiled at her. Chloe seemed shy and innocent back then, but that hadn’t stopped him from approaching her. He often watched her as her mother dropped her off at school and would note her frustration.

He didn’t dare ask her about it until the day they kissed. She said her mom pushed her too hard. Nothing Chloe did was good enough for her mom whereas, she and her dad got along well. She was Daddy’s little girl, but her father was cold and distant towards her mom. Even at a distance, Josh knew they weren’t compatible. What Chloe said that day stuck in his head: “When I grow up, I’m going to marry my true love.”