ON OUR OWN
PROLOGUE-DAMAGED GOODS
"Good morning!" Shane McInerney called cheerfully as her high heels clicked on the floor of the DLO. She placed her bag on a desk and gently folded her coat over the back of one of the rolling chairs.
"Hi Shane!" Rita Haywith said eagerly waving energetically. "It's so cold out there!"
Rita was dressed in a pale blue pencil skirt and a powder blue patterned sweater. In her ears were small owl dangle earrings and her long dark brown hair was pulled into a braid and hung over her left shoulder. She reached up and adjusted her dark rimmed cat eye glasses.
"Isn't it supposed to snow?" she continued.
Shane put her hands on her hips and tilted her head slightly. Today, she was dressed in a pair of silver pants and a white sweater with a gold belt wrapped around her waist. Her blond hair fell around her shoulders in soft waves.
"I think so yes," she said nodding. "Where is Oliver and Norman?"
"Oliver's running a bit late and Normal should be right back. They found a batch of dead letters upstairs so he ran up to get them," Rita said as she tucked a few loose strands of dark hair behind her ear.
Sure enough, Norman Dorman, their third colleague came through the white, red and blue striped doors pushing a large mail cart. It was filled to the brim. Norman was dressed in a pair of gray slacks, a multicolored shirt beneath a soft gray sweater vest. His short dark brown hair was neatly brushed off to the side. His brown eyes lit up when he spied Rita but quickly shrugged his shoulders in case anyone might've caught the look.
"Here's the dead letters," He said pushing it to the center of the office.
"Good morning everyone," a voice said from the door way. Oliver O'Toole stepped in walking briskly to his desk. He placed his briefcase down on his desk and his coat on the coat rack. He reached up and took off his gray fedora hat and hung it up on the rack. Today he was dressed in a dark blue suit and tie. He was tall, about six foot and slim, but not scrawny. His blue eyes swept over everyone and then landed on the massive pile of dead letters sitting in the bin. "Is that everything they found upstairs?"
"Yep," Rita said excitedly clapping her hands briefly.
Oliver nodded and reached over his desk to grab one of the many letter openers he had. He, Norman, Rita and Shane stood around the bin as he briefly closed his eyes and reached into it, plucking one letter from the top. It was a ritual he did every day with the mail to choose one 'lucky' letter for them to solve and deliver the letter to its rightful owner.
He flipped the letter over to the front where the return address and recipiants address would be along with the stamps.
"Okay," he said taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders back. "Letter appears to have been water damaged, but there is a name somewhat visible in the upper corner as well as the recipiants name. Norman?"
He handed the letter over to Norman, who gently took it and studied the handwriting.
"Handwriting appears to be female," he said gently examining the envelope. "In her late teens, maybe 18? I see a city though…Denver and a state…Colorado." He said looking up from the envelope.
"So it originated here?" Shane asked glancing from Norman to Oliver and then to Rita.
"Apparently so," Oliver said.
"Wait," Norman said holding up a finger. "I think I can make out the name of the recipient and the sender." He said raising the envelope to his face a bit more and squinted. After a few moments, he looked up. "The recipient looks like the name…" his voice trailed off as a bit of color drained from his face.
"Like what Norman?" Rita asked.
"Oliver," Norman responded. "And the sender's name looks like Imogen. I can't make out a last name or anything though."
Shane, Norman and Rita looked over at Oliver, who had been leaning against his desk with his ankles crossed and his hands gripping the edge of it on either side of his waist. He swallowed, causing his Adams apple to bob against the collar of his shirt. He looked like he'd seen a ghost or something. Concern swept across the three POstables' faces.
"Oliver?" Shane asked taking a tentative step forward. "Is everything alright?"
Oliver swallowed again.
"I knew an Imogen in high school," he finally answered, his voice sounding strained and watery. "She was my best friend and I was told she had died."
Gasps went around as Shane and Rita raised a hand to their mouths in sympathetic surprise.
"Do you think this is her letter then Oliver?" Rita asked gently.
Oliver shook is head.
"I don't know Rita," he said in a miserable tone. "I never knew the truth exactly. All I know is that we met freshman year. She loved history and reading. We met in the library. She was carrying several thick volumes back to her table when one of the jocks just went up to her and knocked them out of her hand. The group laughed and slapped each other high fives before leaving. Imogen had bent down to pick them up so I had gotten up to help her."
"Aw," Rita said in an adoring tone. "Such a gentleman." She said clasping her hands and swaying slightly from side to side with a dreamy look on her face.
Oliver's lip twitched as he continued.
"So I had seen the titles of the books and we just hit it off from there," he said clearing his throat. "We were inseparable for the first three years. Senior year is when I noticed something terribly wrong." He said closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "She was coming to school late; she wore long sleeved shirts even during the summer months. She became reclusive and withdrawn and stopped talking to me. I confronted her at one point. We got into an argument and that's when I noticed the bruises on her arms."
Horrified gasps went around as Shane felt tears forming in her eyes at the insinuation of what Oliver was telling. The others were silent as well. No one interrupted him.
"One day she came to school with a black eye," Oliver went on not looking up. "Then, one day, she didn't come at all. I got worried and went to her house after school. Her father answered the door, drunk as a squire and told me that she fell down the stairs and died…that it was nothing more than another so called 'accident'." Oliver air quoted the word accident. "I was so stunned and shocked. I wanted to help her so badly. So if that is her letter…." His voice trailed off as he finally looked up and stared at the letter in Norman's hands.
"You need to open it," Shane said in a gentle tone putting a hand on his arm as Norman came over and handed it to him. Shane could see Oliver's blue eyes misting over a bit before he adjusted his shoulders and sniffed.
With the utmost care, Oliver gently slipped the letter opener up the crevice. He took a deep breath and pulled the letter out. Some of the wording was water damaged and smudged, but he was able to make out most of what it said.
"Dear Oliver,
I am so sorry I have been distant with you lately. Please understand its not you, nor is it your fault." Oliver read aloud slowly trying to keep his voice steady but there was still a bit of a waver and wobble to it. "I want to tell you what's going on so badly. But I can't. If I tell you, you'd want to help and be my hero and I can't let you get hurt too. All I can say is that Dad's been drinking a lot more and he does hit me on occasion. But it's my fault. I sometimes provoke him into getting angry." Oliver's voice broke after reading the sentence and he had to take a moment to compose himself to read on. Shane and Rita had tears in their eyes and Norman was completely silent with a distraught expression on his face as he stood near Rita.
"I will be okay I promise. I never told you this Oliver, because I had a fear that you'd reject me or wouldn't want someone like me. But I love you. I've always loved you. I just never had the courage to tell you. You're so sophisticated and brilliant and I'm me. That's why I never had the chance to tell you. If you receive this letter, please, don't feel like you have to pity me. It's all good. If something should happen to me, please make sure that you take care of this necklace you gave me. Remember? It was so sweet on Valentine's day. I remember that day so well. It was the happiest day of my life. Be well Oliver, I miss you.
Imogen"
Oliver reached into the envelope and pulled out a semi tarnished silver locket. Oliver gently slid his fingernail in the crack and opened it. Sure enough, it had the engraving inside that he had done.
"To my best friend, Imogen. Love Oliver," he read aloud quietly.
"Oh my God Oliver I'm so sorry," Shane whispered.
Oliver cleared his throat and gently slipped the locket into his pocket.
"The date on the envelope suggests it was mailed the day before she disappeared," he said feeling the other's sympathetic eyes on his back as he turned to place the letter opener back on his desk. "So she had to have known something was going to happen."
"Was her father normally a violent man?" Rita asked gently.
"From what I remember Rita yes," He said keeping his back to them. He shrugged off his suit jacket and placed on the back of his chair. He adjusted his suspenders. "But what did she mean by not wanting to get me involved for fear I'd get hurt?" he finally slowly turned around and he could see Shane on her laptop, typing frantically.
"Maybe she thought her father would try and do something to you if you interfered?" Norman suggested.
Oliver clenched his fist up and banged it on his desk momentarily startling the others, but no one said anything which he was grateful for. Oliver heard a few beeps coming from Shane's computer.
"Oliver," Shane said suddenly and he looked up at her. She had a strange look on her face but then a grin broke out. "There is no death record of anyone named Imogen."
"So does that mean she's alive?" Rita asked eagerly.
"It would certainly seem so," Shane said. "If you can remember her last name I can do a search in the database."
Oliver frowned deep in thought before realization dawned on him.
"Price. Imogen Price," he said at last.
Shane nodded and continued typing. After a while, Oliver watched Shane's face fall into despair.
"What is it, Miss McInerney?" Oliver asked quietly.
"Oh Oliver, I'm so sorry," Shane said turning the laptop around so he could read the title of the article she'd pulled up.
WOMEN'S SHELTER FLOODED. SEVERAL SURVIVED INCLUDING AN IMOGEN PRICE.
IMOGEN
I stood next to one of the large barrels, rubbing my hands together as the fire crackled inside. I had on a gray crocheted cap pulled down over my dark brown hair with two blue streaks in it. I also had on a pair of ripped jeans, worn down sneakers and a pair of fingerless gloves which didn't help one bit. I had on a sweater and an old peacoat, but the temperature was still brutal. My green eyes looked up at the small community of homeless people around me that took up residence here. Most were from the women's shelter that flooded a few years ago. The pipe had burst due to the freezing temperatures but so far, the government hasn't bothered to fix it and most of us ended up on the streets…starving and homeless. Each time I exhaled, my breath congealed in the air in front of me before evaporating. I had soot and dirt smudged on my cheek and jaw line. I basically now sleep in a cardboard box. Not the best shelter especially when it rained. Them things get soggy like you wouldn't believe.
"Yo Imogen!" a woman in her mid-fifties shouted waving at me as she approached me with a shopping cart. "I have something good for you today."
"Really?" I asked. "What is it?"
"Canned tuna and an apple," she said handing the items to me. "I found them."
"Thanks," I said eagerly feeling a shiver running down my spine from the cold. I sat down on the ground with my back pressed against the wall of some run-down mechanic garage and drew my legs up to my chest. I hungrily dug into the tuna with my fingers and began chowing down on the apple. We tend to look out for one another here. Being I lost my own family, everything I owned was gone. My dad was arrested for abuse as my mother had turned him in. I had to drop out of high school because she and I had to relocate to another state after I had fallen down the stairs by 'accident' as he so called claimed. I lost contact with my best friend Oliver whom I miss terribly. I don't even know what he does today or even where he is. That hurt the most. I had mailed a letter the day before dad pushed me down the stairs, but I don't even know if he got it. Or if he did, he clearly didn't feel the same way. It was a moot point.
I didn't tell Oliver because I knew Dad would want to go after him and hurt him too for wanting to protect me. Dad was nothing more than a monster. He's still in jail too. Mom went into a nursing home herself a few years ago. Dementia had set in badly. After mom went away, I was left on my own to fend for myself and ended up the streets. I'd done things I'm not proud of to get buy but I had to live and find food. I'd found the shelter which was a blessing at the time, warmth and a roof over my head plus free meals. But then the pipe burst, and that was taken away from me as well.
I tossed the apple core into the trash and sighed.
Suddenly, a pair of headlights rolled over me, illuminating the alleyway. I winced and raised a hand to shield my eyes. It was a light blue Jaguar sedan, an older model though. I saw all four doors open and a tall, slender man climbed out from the driver's side.
"Dude, shut those lights off man," I scolded wincing. "You're blinding me here."
"Imogen?" a familiar voice hit my ears.
I slowly rose to my feet. I wrapped my arms around myself and cautiously took a step forward.
"Yeah? Who wants to know?" I demanded.
The headlights blinked off. I saw someone step forward and when one of the street lights fell over him, I raised a hand to my mouth in shock. It was Oliver.
"Oliver Oh my God," I said rushing toward him, but stopping just short of his personal space. There was a lump in my throat as tears formed in my eyes. "I thought I'd never see you again!"
He looked emotional too and the next thing I knew, he stepped forward and threw his arms around me, drawing me into a hug. I was stunned for a moment but then slowly wound my arms around him. His embrace tightened.
"My God I thought you were dead," He whispered in my ear.
I had always felt safe in his arms no matter what. I almost didn't want the moment to end.
"Well," I said lightly. "I smell like death I'm sure."
He gently pulled back from the embrace.
"Miss McInerney, Rita, Norman, this is Imogen," Oliver introduced. His blue eyes were misty but he quickly blinked.
"Hi!" Rita said eagerly stepping forward and hugging me too. "We've heard so much about you!"
"Hi," a blond haired woman said warmly extending her hand out to me. "I'm Shane. I work with Oliver in the post office."
"Yep!" Rita said excitedly. "We work in the DLO. Dead Letters office. That's how we found yours!"
"Mine?" I asked confused.
"The one you mailed the day before you vanished," Oliver said watching me intently.
"Ohh that one," I said feeling the heat creeping into my cheeks as I deliberately avoided looking at him.
"Let's get in the car guys, it's freezing!" Shane said rubbing her hands together. "Imogen I'm sure you'd like a nice hot meal and a shower am I right?"
"Oh yes," I said grinning.
We climbed into the Jaguar and headed off.
Back at the post office, Rita and Shane had snuck me into the employee showers and they'd managed to find a box of clothes left in the lost and found. I scrubbed clean with the hot water, relishing in it. I washed my hair, towel dried it and quickly pulled on the clothes they'd found; a pair of tan pants and a burgundy blouse. I pulled my hat down over my head and quickly braided my hair so that a few shorter strands hung down against my cheek. I glanced into the mirror. I almost didn't recognize myself. But my goodness that shower felt good. When I was done, I met them in the DLO office which was in the basement.
There were shelves of all kinds of knick nacks and a conveyer belt that would send down bins of mail. I took a seat beside Oliver's desk. The others were lounging around. Oliver rested his hip against his desk and folded his arms over his chest.
A muscle twitched in his jaw as he regarded me.
"So, what happened all those years ago?"
I sighed and stared at my hands on my lap.
"Dad pushed me down the stairs," I admitted at last. I heard horrified gasps go around. "He was drinking. I don't even remember what started the fight. All I remember was waking up in the hospital with mom beside my bed. We decided to leave after that and mom turned him in. he was sent to jail for life."
"Good," Norman said vehemently nodding.
"I wanted to tell you Oliver so badly what was going on," I said raising my eyes to his. "But we knew that if we did, my dad would find you and hurt you too for trying to intervene. I missed you so much and I felt horrible for ignoring you all during senior year. I was just so depressed and miserable."
Oliver's gaze remained on mine. He had this intense look he always did that made you almost shake in your shoes. It was intense, but warm at the same time. Oliver scooted closer to me, so that his hip was resting on the opposite end of the desk near my chair. He unfolded his arms and grabbed the arms of my chair, leaning in. My heart raced a mile a minute in my chest.
"I would not have cared, Imogen," he said in that firm, stern voice that you knew he was angry. "Your father was nothing more than a coward hitting a young woman. He's nothing more than a monster and I would not have cared if he had hurt me. I would do anything to protect you. I spent all this time thinking you were dead. Do you realize what that did to me?"
I felt tears forming in my eyes at this point.
"I know," I said in a cracked voice. "I missed you and our time we spent together."
Oliver's blue eyes remained locked on mine for a moment before he straightened up and exhaled, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger.
"Mom had to go into a nursing home due to dementia and then I ended up on the streets," I continued clearly my throat. "Then the shelter flooded, and I really lost everything."
"You poor thing," Shane said with a sympathetic expression as she reached over and gently placed a hand on my arm, giving it an affectionate squeeze. Rita looked upset as well as Norman.
"So basically you have no place to stay, am I right in assuming?" Oliver said clasping his hands behind his back as he began pacing a bit.
"Uh pretty much," I said tilting my head to the side. "You did find me in an alleyway, Oliver." I said in a deadpan expression.
The corner of Oliver's mouth turned up briefly before he turned to Shane.
"Miss McInerney, would you be so kind as to put up Imogen?" he asked her as he stopped pacing.
Shane seemed stunned but then she quickly recovered.
"Of course," she said kindly. "There's plenty of room."
"Wonderful," Oliver said rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. "Well being we solved the letter today," He said wringing his hands. "I think we can all call it a night now."
It was late, around 12 AM.
"Wait how did you guys find me exactly?" I interjected as I got to my feet.
Rita and Norman were already heading out. Oliver turned to me.
"I still had this," he said reaching into his wallet and pulling out a picture. I stood next to him and peered over his elbow. "The picture we took on Valentines day remember? And this."
He reached into his other pocket and pulled out the locket. I gasped as he gently handed it over to me.
"We can get that cleaned like new," Shane said softly.
I gripped the locket tightly. Oliver and I had taken a photo in front of a tree on Valentines day by my house.
"I just showed this around and a woman recognized you," he said. "So she directed us to where you were."
I smiled and gently placed a hand on his chest before following Shane out the double swinging doors. I could feel Oliver's eyes on my back the entire time.
Shane put me up in one of the guest bedrooms she had. She had also managed to find some extra clothes for me and the minute I face planted on the bed, I was out cold. I was warm now and what's more I'd found my best friend. I just hoped he hadn't read that letter aloud…but something told me he had.