As soon as he heard the mail hit the floor, Elliot shot up off the couch to retrieve it. Like the previous days, he scattered the envelopes, looking for one in particular. The moment he spotted it, he grinned, holding it up like a hard-earned trophy. He tore open the envelope, not even bothering to pick up the rest of the mail. He began reading as he made his way to the kitchen. He cursed when his coffee cup began to overflow. He quickly cleaned off the counter and breathed a sigh of relief when the letter remained dry. Slowly, he began to read. The first line was straight and to the point.
I've been here a few days. By the time you get this, it'll be about a week or so. The people give us weird looks. I guess we're considered foreigners. The number of people in this town could fit inside a hotel back home. They even have one of those signs that says the population, like it'll never change. Do you think it's against the law to get pregnant here? Elliot scrunched his nose in disgust. He always hated small towns. His kids would be bored after the first few minutes.
The sunrise is beautiful this time of year. It reminds me of a painting or something. I was never good at the art thing. I always wanted to sign up for an art class or two. He grinned as he pictured Olivia standing there next to an easel with paint all over her face where she'd brushed a hand across her cheek. She'd turn the picture toward him, after several moments of badgering her to show him what she'd painted. When he finally got a peek, he'd be astonished. Amazed at how she was holding out on him all that time.
They talk a lot here. I can hear them whispering. I shouldn't be so paranoid, but I know they wonder what our stories are. Why we're here. I can't pinpoint it, but something's off. Gut instinct. Her instincts had usually been dead on. Woman's intuition? Something more? Even if she didn't know it, she was usually right on some level. He just never told her that. He'd heard once that no one ever loses if no one's keeping score. He thought of all the times he could have just relented, pushed his pride aside and told her she was right. The crimes they dealt with were serious. What did it matter if he was wrong?
The police here, well the deputies or whatever they're called. Think Andy Griffith. It's nothing like I've seen. They take weekends off. If they have an emergency on the weekends, they have to call in the sheriff from the next county over. Pretty crazy, isn't it? It's almost like people plan their lives during the week in case something happens. Elliot rolled his eyes. He scoffed at the lack of training and seriousness that small communities had. He didn't blame them. Some towns didn't have to worry about rapes and homicides. Sometimes the worst they saw was the old mill burning down because someone dropped their pipe in the stack of hay. Assuming they had hay. He was just going off of the postcards he'd seen of the wheat fields and hay bails. The occasional tumbleweed.
Today, three people said hi to me. One opened a door the other two stopped me on the street. Can you believe it? It's kind of nice when people acknowledge that you exist. Elliot let his mind wander to the time they'd been tracking someone down the subway stairs in Brooklyn. It had been icy and Olivia had fallen on the stairs leading to the platform. When he'd caught up with her, he'd been furious to see that people were stepping around her to get to their destinations. She'd joked around at the time that her pride was the only thing bruised, but she'd limped the entire day while he'd cursed all of New York.
There's a county fair this weekend. I think I might go. I know it seems silly, but I guess it's the kid in me. All the houses are decorated for Halloween and kids are running all over the streets. I never thought I'd live in a world where you could let your children loose without worrying to death whether they'd make it back. Small towns were like a novel where all the loose ends were tied up in the end. He was so thankful the time Olivia had knocked on his door one night with Dickie in tow. The poor kid had gotten separated from his friends at a comic book store and had been left behind. By some miracle, Olivia had been in Queens, on a Saturday, and had picked up the distraught child. Elliot had never been so scared in his life. He took a sip of his coffee and set the letter on the table as he willed his heart to slow down. He could still see the scared look on his son's face. All that night he'd held his son on the couch as the two guys watched movies. He couldn't bear to let him go.
I ate lunch today for five dollars and sixty-three cents. I think it was the slice of cheese on my hamburger that put me over. I don't think I've paid that little for a meal before. Elliot groaned as he remembered he'd forgotten to give Kathy money for the kids' lunches at school. He wished they were cheaper than they were. He was glad Olivia could eat a decent meal on what little the Feds were giving her.
They have a radio station here. It's one of those Northern Exposure type of things. You know, the little one-man shows. It's playing in all the little shops here. The music isn't that good, but it's something to listen to; something to occupy my mind. Now I'm going to have these songs stuck in my head. They remind me of the one time I went to my grandmother's house as a kid. We never went back to her house. I never asked why, but I always wondered. Elliot had always taken the kids to his in-laws. Kathy's parents were always good with the kids and they were always begging to stay the night. He wondered what happened with Olivia's grandmother. Did she reject her like her own mother?
There's even a newsletter. Every Friday afternoon the delivery boy takes it to all the homes and buildings for everyone to read. The news is slow here, as you can imagine. Did you know Colleen Caldwell lost her first tooth, and TJ Stewart is going to get his driver's permit? I hope he isn't expecting a Lexus. You should see the car lot here. I think it has maybe a dozen cars, all of which wouldn't last a day back East. Elliot laughed when he thought of the story he'd told Olivia of the first time he learned to drive and how the instructor wore the brake out of the passenger side. Smoke had filled up the car by the time he'd rolled the window down. By the end of the story, Olivia had tears streaming down her face and had to excuse herself to fix her mascara.
I wish I could shake this feeling that something was going to happen. I don't want to stay here but I don't want it to end badly. Don't tell anyone, but I'm kind of nervous. I wish you were here to tell me I'm just being paranoid. You know that anxious feeling where your stomach won't settle? I can't seem to calm my nerves. Maybe I'll splurge for some coffee today. I keep telling myself it'll be over soon. Somehow. Elliot froze. She was scared. He'd wondered what was behind the words in her previous letters. What feeling was pouring out of her as she wrote. If she was scared, as her partner, he was terrified. He glanced over at where he'd set the envelope and found the familiar red circle. He had to find a way to get in touch with her.
I was going to make this one longer but there's just not much going on here in the way of things to do. I'll let you know how the fair went. Tell the guys hi. P. He realized there had been no funny banter, no joking, no mention of Fred. He stared at the letter wide-eyed, unable to formulate a thought as to what to do. With shaky hands, he set the letter down. He went to grab the envelope again when the phone rang.