Happiness for H: Ghosts
(Letters from the past)
Horatio became aware of the familiar sounds of Emily moving around in the kitchen. He heard the tea kettle begin to whistle, the "swoosh" of the patio door opening and the clickety-clack of Ghost's nails on the ceramic tile. Opening his eyes, he found his gaze drawn to the last 2 envelopes in the stack.
'How could all of that been going on and I never guessed that something was up?' he wondered. He tried to remember when the last time had been that he had seen or heard from his mother's brother. He had only met him once that he could remember, sometime when he was 8 or 9. John had come over to have dinner with them as Horatio's father was working his shift at the fire station. It had been a wonderful dinner. Horatio had found that his Uncle was a very good storyteller and he took an interest in his nephew's studies. Horatio remembered how he had wished it would never end.
But it had ended, badly, just as all the other family occasions seemed to end in the Caine household. His father had shown up, drunk and threatening to kill John. Horatio and Ray had taken refuge in their room, clearly hearing the adults in the other room through the thin walls. When it became clear that there was no way to calm his brother-in-law, John had taken his leave quickly. Horatio and Ray had watched from their window as their Uncle stood outside on the a sidewalk for some minutes looking at the house. He had noticed his nephews waving from their window and he waved at them, before turning and disappearing into the night.
Several weeks later he had worked up the courage to ask his mother if his Uncle would be back for another visit. She had turned away quickly, mumbling something about her brother being a very busy man.
Five minutes later, Emily entered carefully balancing two steaming mugs on a tray. Ghost was following at her heels, quite sure that he saw his mistress put several of his biscuits on that tray.
"I thought you might like something to drink," she said quietly, handing him a mug. "Careful, it's pretty hot," she murmured as she turned to hand the biscuits to her pet.
"To your doggie bed with those. And no hiding them under the sofa!" she admonished him sternly.
"Hot cocoa, Em? We're not in the North Woods anymore." Horatio's eyebrows rose. Emily sat down beside her husband, blowing on her own steaming mug.
"I know," she answered, "After my parents were killed, I would wake up with nightmares almost every night. Grandma would always make me hot cocoa and then I could go back to sleep again, with my nightlight on."
"I haven't had nightmares in a while Em." Horatio said quietly, sipping on the hot beverage.
"I thought we needed a little break." Emily looked at him, her heart aching at how exhausted he looked. "I wanted to do something to try to make you feel better," she added awkwardly. "I'm… er… kind of out of my depth here."
"You're doing fine, sweetheart." Emily had to lean close to hear him, but when he smiled at her, she felt relief wash over her.
They sipped in silence for a while. Surprisingly, Horatio found himself relaxing, his thoughts settling down, no longer stirring up unwanted emotions that left him feeling sick to his stomach. Setting his empty mug down on the tray and taking Emily's from her hands, he carefully put his arms around her, drawing her back against him.
"Let me hold you for a little while, Emily," he whispered in her ear. "Then we'll read those last two letters, if you feel up to it. I don't think I could have gotten this far without you, sweetheart."
Emily angled her head so she could see his eyes. Touching his cheek, she whispered,
"Of course, Horatio. I want to do whatever I can to help you with this. I know it can't be easy." He shook his head and she felt his arms tighten around her.
Emily lost track of time, they could have been there 10 minutes or 50 minutes.
Eventually, Horatio sighed and asked,
"Emily, do you feel like reading another one?"
She nodded, reluctantly leaving the warm embrace of his arms to reach for the next letter.
She noticed it had US postage. Looking at it closer, Emily said excitedly,
"Horatio, I think this was mailed from somewhere in New York!"
(Letters from the past)
Emily quickly slipped the single piece of paper from the envelope. As she unfolded it, two photographs slid to the floor.
"Oh, Horatio, there's something else in this one." Emily retrieved them, handing them to Horatio as she turned her attention back to the letter.
"Maybe this will explain them."
March 20, 1977
Sister,
I have arrived in New York and am staying with friends. It's best that you don't know all the details. I've been in touch with Uncle Tristan and he assures me all is ready for your departure. He did mention that you and he have been in contact and have gone over the plan. The money he gave you should be more than enough to get you and the boys out of the City and to the safe place upstate. Don't be afraid dear Sister, relatives will be there to help you and the boys on to the next step of your journey.
Eventually I will be able to join you. I dare not say any more as Uncle Tristan and I believe your husband has gotten wind that I am here in the US and so will be watching you more closely. I have not forgotten the threats he made against me and other relatives the last time I was here. We are taking him seriously, and so are being vigilant about staying in the shadows as you go about your daily routine.
I must leave you now. Mother has sent me with photographs of herself and our father, and the farm where they live. I have folded them in this letter. She hopes for you to show them to Horatio and Ray once you are on your way away from the City. Though she has tried to hide it, I can tell she is looking forward to having you and the boys home. At least once a day she would say that she has not seen Horatio since he was an infant and she has never even seen so much as a photo of Ray. I do not have to tell you how much she misses you, either dear Sister."
Be brave,
Your loving Brother
Emily stopped reading, glancing at her husband. He was staring at the photographs.
"Horatio?"
"My grandparents, Em. These are photographs of my grandparents. Until today, I had only seen a black and white photograph of them from when my mother was christened as an infant." Emily noticed that his voice shook a little. Carefully, she set the letter down and looked over his shoulder. Smiling, she said,
"I see where you and your mother and brother get the blue eyes."
"Mother said I had my grandfather's features," Horatio murmured, still not quite believing he was looking at a photo of his grandparents. As a child and a young man, he had been curious about his mother's family. She had been reluctant to speak about them and eventually he had stopped asking. But he had made a vow to himself that he would find them one day. All that had changed when his mother had died however. He hadn't wanted to have to admit to his grandparents that he hadn't been able to save his mother, their daughter. No, perhaps it was better to concentrate on himself and Ray.
He felt Emily's arm slip around his waist, bringing him back to the present.
"Ah, but you get that cute little tilt to your nose from your grandmother," she said, hiding her smile as her husband's cheeks reddened to the color of his hair.
"I wonder what happened, Horatio? It sounds as though everything was in place for you and Ray to leave with your Mother. Can you remember anything out of the ordinary that happened around the time you were… " she did some quick math in her head, "…ummm twelve or so?"
Horatio shook his head, carefully setting the photographs back on the table.
"No, Emily. She never let on that anything was going on or," he sighed, "that something was wrong. I should have realized that when this little box disappeared. She was so upset. I didn't push her for an explanation. Maybe if I had, I could have found my Uncle or something." Emily didn't miss the guilt behind his words and she tightened her arm around his waist.
"Hey, Horatio… You were only 12. I would hazard a guess that your mother didn't want to burden you with a secret like this." He nodded, not looking at her as he stared into the room.
TBC
