A Twist of Fate

Chapter 1

It was a cold, blustery day in Denver, Colorado. The air in the DLO was no different, you could see your breath while speaking. The crew was into their normal routine looking up addresses and sorting mail.

Shane walked in and asked Oliver, "Good Morning! Brrr...Why is it freezing in here? What has happened to the heat?"

Oliver replied, "Ms McInerney, I am aware that it is rather cold in here the Post Office is working on it. You might want to leave your coat on."

"Oliver, you know I will need extra coffee breaks to warm up today." Chattering Shane.

Oliver announced, "That is fine with me, we will all take more today. I know an excellent place that sells coffee. Now, if you are ready to get to work, I will to pick an envelope off the cart."

They all gathered around and watched as he rubbed his hands together and blew into them to keep warm. Then, he carefully moved his hand over the letters and finally settled on an envelope. It was blue in color and the address was impossible to read. The stamp was a Forever stamp in which meant it could be up to 10 years old. Oliver decided to let Norman open the letter and read it.

Dear Matthew:

Do you believe in fate? Not a day goes by that I don't thank God or think of you saving my life. Are you a betting man? I was years ago and I almost lost my life to a wager to take a ski run that was closed. Luckily, you and your team beat the odds and rescued me from almost being frozen to death. You found me buried under 6 feet of snow after an avalanche for 14 hours. I never thought I would be so glad to see another person in my life. I'm so grateful for you and your team who beat the odds to find me.

I'm writing this letter not only in appreciation but, to let you know how your one act of kindness has impacted my family. Because of your act, I walked my daughter down the aisle, became acquainted with my grandchildren, and have been married for over 40 years to a wonderful woman. Also, I have a son that is a fireman and a daughter who's a nurse. My children chose to work in the service oriented field after your heroic act. You could have given up after being tired and cold but you to decided to check that one spot that Katie, (retriever) sniffed and marked that was 50 yards away. And by some twist of fate you found me.

Again, I just wanted to thank you MJ (Chiller) for trusting your intuition and trying one more spot before leaving. You never know what ripple effect you cause with one good act.

Indebted to you,

Christopher J. Collins

After Norman read the letter aloud, Rita and Shane were in tears and handed the letter back to Oliver.

Rita said, "Wow, we have to find the recipient."

Oliver replied, " Yes, we do Rita. That's why we are here." ( looks over and smiles at Shane)

Shane - "Oliver, I'll research the ski lodges in and around the Denver area. Then, Rita and I will call to find if a rescue response worker named Matthew, MJ, or Chiller is still employed. Hopefully, he is still in the area. Without a last name, it might be a challenge to find him."

Oliver- "I'm sure Ms McInerney you have your ways to find him. I have faith in you." As he looks Shane in the eyes, she smiles back. "Norman, see if you can use your solution to bring out the address."

Norman replied, "Okay, Oliver." He takes the envelope to the back table.

After the second coffee break at the Mailbox Grille to warm up, Shane's search turned up 4 possible lodges with either a Matthew either having worked or is still working at present.

Shane looks at Oliver and asks if they all can have the rest of the day off. It was too cold in the DLO. One look in those baby blues and he caved. He sent the girl's home. He and Norman stayed behind to work the last few hours.

The next morning, the supervisor told Oliver that it would be a couple of days before the heat would be back on. When the POstables arrived to work, he informed that it would be a few days without heat and he thought it would be a good idea to investigate the letter on the road.

Shane said, " Oliver the search turned up several possible ski resorts. I called all of them yesterday and found one that has a Matthew that worked 10 years ago and is currently employed. "

Shane asked Oliver, "Since it is Wednesday and we have no heat til Friday, can we stay an extra day after we deliver the letter to go Skiing?"

Oliver looked at her at said, "Since it is the weekend, I guess that is a possibility? Well, it looks like we are going to Aspen Mountain Ski Resort."

Shane filled with excitement- "Great, I'll make the reservations. I promise you'll love it!"

Rita said, " Oh that will be fun! Hot cocoa, warm fires, and skiing -"

Norman replied, "It's so cold and icy. And, I don't know how to ski.'

Rita- "It's easy Norman. I'll teach you." (she smiles at Norman)

Norman states, " Rita, did I ever tell you I have a cousin that competes in Mogul Ski Racing?"

Rita - "I don't remember. Does he work in a Ski Lodge in the area?"

Norman - "No, he lives in Canada. His name is Francis. And his dream was to work on a ski rescue team. He was in the middle of his first rescue when he was taking the injured person back on a sled. He took a wrong turn back to lodge and wound up on the Mogul course. It was so rough that the sled broke away and proceeded down hill at a high rate of speed. After the many bumps and jumps, the sled came to a stop after turning over and the patient plowed into the crowd. Francis, however, flew down the course trying to catch the patient and ended up winning second place in the race. After that incident, no one would hire him for rescue, but he did take on the new career in Mogul Ski Racing."

Rita stated with enthusiasm, "Norman, you have so many talented cousins. I hope to meet them one day."

Norman responds, "Well, it will take some time to travel around and meet them. I have a lot of them."