There were many times in Tiana's life that she could easily point to as being foolish. Not changing her work schedule the day that Naveen left was certainly near the top of that list.

The idea had been a simple one: if she was too busy working, she wouldn't spend that time thinking about him. How every minute was taking him further and further away from her. How it would be days before she would even receive a letter from him.

True she did have the letter Naveen handed to her right before he left, but Tiana had it in her mind to save it to read until she was desperate. The letter was safely stowed away in her dress pocket, and Tiana found herself checking every few minutes just to make sure that it was still there. Its simple presence gave her a small comfort.

When her hands weren't in her pockets, they were undoubtedly fiddling with her necklace. Tiana tried to convince herself that this was only because she wasn't used to wearing jewelry, but she knew that wasn't true.

Naveen's gifts were like a gift and a curse to her. Yes they were a reminder of how much he cared about her, but they also reinforced the fact that he was gone, and neither knew when he was coming back. Still, Tiana clung to the hope that it would be a swift return.

"Tiana!"

She blinked and looked up at Buford, her hand still wrapped around her necklace. "Sorry, what was that, Buford?"

"Your head is in the clouds today, Tiana," he said, frowning. "This is the third time I've had to repeat myself."

"I know. Sorry."

Buford sighed. Tiana hadn't told him that Naveen had left just a few hours ago. It wasn't any of his business, first of all. And even if she did tell him, Buford wouldn't have any sympathy for her. He still hadn't forgiven Naveen for kissing her while she was working.

Tears threatened to spill as that memory washed over her. Quickly, Tiana turned, pretending to straighten up dishes and glasses that were all perfectly straight.

"What was it you needed, Buford?" Tiana asked, once she felt under control.

"Table twelve has been sitting there for five minutes and you haven't even taken their drink orders."

"Oh right. I'll take care of it right now," Tiana said, and rushed to the table before Buford could scold her again. She had to stop thinking of him, and focus on her work. That was the whole point of working today, Tiana reminded herself.

After taking table twelve's order, more people came in for the lunch rush. Tiana ran from table to table, from kitchen to dining room, and all the while she just felt empty and numb. She couldn't even smile as she gave people their food, which resulted in rather lackluster tips, and for once Tiana didn't care.

As crazy as it seemed, every time the bell above the door rang, she would turn expecting to see him. Because, really, he couldn't possibly be gone. Naveen would smile at her in that charming way that made her heart swell up, and he say something like "My princess! I couldn't bare to be apart from you, so I convinced the captain to turn the ship around. Here I am to stay." Then he would kiss her and everything would be alright.

Tiana knew it was foolish. She had seen the boat sail away, and as charismatic as Naveen could be, there was no way he could charm the captain off his route.

Still, she looked to the door, and each time it wasn't Naveen her heart broke a little more. 'Stop this, Tiana,' she told herself. 'This is getting ridiculous.' What she needed was to get away from the door. Now that everyone in the dining area had their orders taken, maybe there was something Buford needed help with in the kitchen. Yes that was it. She couldn't possibly think of Naveen when she was busy working with food.

When Tiana asked, Buford gave her the side eye. He had always made it clear that he was the one in charge of the kitchen. The only thing he had ever let her make was beignets.

Maybe it was the pleading look in Tiana's eyes, or maybe Buford was really strained today. Either way, Tiana was eternally grateful when he sighed and said, "Alright."

This was what she needed. To be away from the door and just focused on her food. "What do you need me to do?" Tiana asked.

"Mince these mushrooms."

Try as she might, Tiana could help but burst into tears.

Dear Naveen

How are you? I suppose by the time you read this you'll have landed back in Maldonia. How was the trip? Do you get seasick?

Yikes. This….isn't a very good letter is it? I've never really had to write a letter like this before, and I don't know what to say. Lottie and I used to leave each other letters in a hollowed out tree, but she could never wait long enough for me to read what she left. We ended up just tell each other whatever we had written.

The only time I really wrote real letters was when Daddy left to go fight in the war, but I was so young, that I didn't really understand what was going on. I really only remember letters full of misspelled words and horrible drawings of stick figures.

I am a much better speller now, but I'm still at a loss for what to say to offer you the comfort these letters should give. What do you need from me? I should have asked before you left. There are a lot of things I should have asked before you left.

I miss you so much it hurts, and it's only been one day.

I went to work a few hours after you left, and I can hear you scolding me for it. You're telling me that on such an emotional day as today, that I should take it easy, and not exert myself. As strange as it sounds, it brings a sad smile to my face - to hear your voice even if it is lecturing me about my poor decisions.

I wanted to turn off my mind. To try and think of anything else but you being so far away from me, but everything at work reminded me of you. Everything in the entire city reminds me of you. Even now, while I'm writing this I'm reminded of you. I'm in my room and it's evening. I've got the window open and I can hear frogs croaking in the distance.

It's almost enough to make me break down and cry again. I won't though. At least while I'm writing. I don't want the ink to get smudged.

I still can't get it in my head that you're so far away. In about a week you'll be halfway across the world.

I've never even left Louisiana. Did you know that? You probably could have guessed. It's not like we ever had the money or the time to do any traveling.

Still, I always knew the world was a big place, but now it seems impossibly big. After work I took out a map and found Maldonia on it. Looking at how far you'll have to travel, and how far away you are from me…. I never felt so small in my life, even when we were frogs.

Now I'm crying again, so I'd better stop. This letter took a sad turn, and I apologize. It's hard for me to be anything but sad right now. I'll try and do better in my next letter.

I love you, and I miss you.

Come home soon.

All my love,

Tiana

A few days later, it was a nightmare that woke Tiana. What seemed strange about it, was that it wasn't one of the shadow dreams she had grown used to ever since the Friends had taken the Shadow Man away. It wasn't a nonsense nightmare that she could just shake off after her mind cleared.

No, this one was about Naveen.

In the light of day she couldn't even remember any of the details. Had she been with him in the dream, or was she just some omnipresent being that watched over him? Regardless, there was one thing that she did remember. In the dream there had been an accident on the ship. Something that caused it to leak, and so in her dream she had watched it sink in the ocean, taking all of the passengers with it.

She could still remember hearing the cries for help. Naveen had called her name. That was when she woke up.

Ridiculous as it was, Tiana knew she couldn't rest until she knew for sure that the boat was still on it's way to Maldonia. She didn't care that it was taking Naveen away, just as long as it landed safely.

She thought she had been doing relatively well with the separation these past few days. Yes she was sad and upset, and was crying a lot more than usual, but she hadn't become hysterical. At least, until now.

Tiana clutched her necklace while she paced, waiting to speak to someone at the port authority. She had already combed through the morning newspaper, and though she didn't see anything there, it did little to settle her nerves.

If the ship sank last night as it did in her dreams, the news might not reach the newspapers until tomorrow. Or they might not even report on it if the news had reached them already.

Tiana needed to know now, and the only thing she could think of was that someone at the port authority would have the answer she so desperately needed. They had to know the status of any ship that had left New Orleans, right? If any distress signals had been sent, wouldn't they somehow make their way here?

"Is there something I can help you with, Miss….?"

Tiana turned to find a middle aged man with salt and pepper hair. His warm smile and friendly demeanor would normally put Tiana at ease, but right now it only irritated her.

"Tiana," she said quickly. "My name is Tiana. I need-"

"Well charmed, Miss Tiana," he said, interrupting her. "Leroy Wilkins is my name. Would you like a cup of coffee? Or tea, perhaps?"

She wanted to scream. No, god damn it! There was no time for pleasantries! Tiana squeezed her fist as it clutched her necklace, and forced a smile. "No thank you, Mr. Wilkins. I really just need some information and I'm hoping you can help me."

"Alright, well, I'll see what I can do. What is it you need?"

"A few days ago a ship sailed out of New Orleans. It was going to Maldonia."

A blank look appeared on Mr. Wilkins' face. Apparently even the port authority didn't really know where Maldonia was. "And?"

"I need to know if it's still sailing there. That it hasn't sunk." As soon as she said the words out loud, Tiana felt foolish. What was she doing here? But Naveen's frantic calling of her name as the boat sank in her dream came back to her mind. "Please. Can you tell me?"

Mr. Wilkins raised his eyebrows. "This is… an unusual request."

But was it really? Surely other wives had come asking about ships their husbands had been on. "But can you find out?"

"Mmm, well I suppose so." Mr. Wilkins started to look in his filing cabinets. "We haven't gotten word of any kind of SOS lately." He gave Tiana another kind smile. "I would have remembered that."

She felt a little relief, but not much. The way he was looking through his files indicated that he wasn't finished.

"But that doesn't really mean anything," he continued. "The wireless signal for transmitting distress calls only has a radius of about 500 miles. And the ship sailed when, exactly?"

"Four days ago."

Mr. Wilkins nodded. "I'd say it's a traveled a lot further than 500 miles by now."

Tiana's knees started shaking. "So you can't find out?"

Mr. Wilkins looked a little helpless. "Typically we only get notifications when the ship has docked safely. It's all sent by Morse code. It's very fascinating. I can show you the machine if you like?"

The look on Tiana's face dissuaded him from giving a tour. "That's not what you're looking for though, is it?"

"No," Tiana answered. "It's not."

Mr. Wilkins asked, "Why is it that you need to know the status of this ship?"

Tiana knew she should have come up with a plausible lie to give before coming here. Anything other than having to explain that she had a dream where the boat sank and was now losing her mind with worry. But she had been too preoccupied to think straight.

She struggled for a moment. "There's someone I care for very much on that boat," she explained. "I just wanted to make sure he was alright."

"Ah. Young love, is it?"

Tiana felt heat rush to her cheeks, but nodded.

"I understand," Mr. Wilkins said. "Look, I can try to find out for you, but it will take some time. And I can't make any guarantees, either. It's hard enough keeping track of things in New Orleans, but finding something halfway around the world? Well…" he sighed. "I'll do what I can. Come back in a few hours, and I'll see what I have for you."

"Thank you."

Dear Naveen,

I have it on good authority that you landed back in Maldonia today. I hope that you were received well there. I know you said that everyone there thinks poorly of you, but I hope this trip gives you the opportunity to show them the Naveen that I know and love. When they see the real you, they'll be sure to change their minds.

I'm sure you've talked with your parents already. Are they angry with you? Are they angry at me? I'm afraid that I've made a poor impression on them, and I haven't even met them yet. Do you think it would help things if I wrote them a letter too? Maybe if they got to know me more, it would make them feel better about our marriage. Tell me what you think would help and I'll do it.

I'm enclosing the picture that you took of me before you left. I'm amazed that it turned out so well! Mama likes the picture too, so of course we had to make some duplicate prints. She's handing them out to practically everyone we know! It's embarrassing but also somewhat flattering. She says she misses you, and so do Louis and Lottie.

That band that Louis played with at Mardi Gras has finally come around, and now they play together in the neighborhood almost every night. I wish you could hear them play, it's really something. They call themselves The Firefly Five Plus Lou, which I think you'll agree is the perfect name for a band. I can't wait to have them play in my restaurant.

I know it's too soon to expect a letter from you, but I'm still checking my mailbox every day. I miss hearing your voice. A letter isn't the same, obviously, but it will help.

I still have the one you gave me before you left. I wanted to save it for when I was really desperate to hear from you. I keep it in my pocket, and not reading it is probably the most self disciplined thing I've ever done in my life. I can hear you now, 'Tiana, I gave it to you so that you would read it!' and I know, I know. But this is who I am, and you of all people should know that by now.

In the meantime I'm just living with memories of the time we spent together, and that helps me feel less alone. I hope the same is happening with you.

I miss you so much. Please write to me soon.

Love,

Tiana

She should have gotten a letter by now. It had been long enough for Naveen to read her letters and to reply, but where were they? Why hadn't she gotten any yet?

Tiana almost went down to the post office to talk to someone, but this would have been different than her experiences at the port authority. Besides which, she didn't think they would have any answers for her there. All she could do was wait, and hope that each day would bring a letter.

She was developing a new routine. In the mornings before work she would check the mailbox. During her lunch break she would go to the post office to mail her latest letter, and since she was there, ask if they had anything for her. They didn't. She would check again once she was home, before starting a new letter for Naveen. Typically she would check once more before bed, and then in the morning it started all over again.

Eudora was growing frustrated with her, Tiana could tell, but for once, her mother kept her mouth shut. Mama knew what it was like to wait for a letter from a man overseas.

So she waited, and waited. It made her anxious, but more than that, it made her frustrated. If there was only something she could do, then it wouldn't be so hard.

Naveen's original letter still sat unopened in Tiana's pocket, though she was growing more desperate to read it every day. 'One more day,' she would think to herself. 'If I don't hear from him by tomorrow, then I'll read it.' Tomorrow would come with no new letter, and Tiana would convince herself that she could wait one more day.

It wasn't until a week later that Tiana had an idea. If she had all this time to wait, she might as well use it to her benefit. There was so much about Maldonia that she didn't know. If Naveen's parents really were on the fence about her, wouldn't it help their situation if Tiana knew more about the country she would be princess of?

So she went to the library, hoping they would be able to help her. When Tiana opened the door she immediately felt overwhelmed by it all. There were so many books, how could she ever find what she was looking for?

"Can I help you find anything?" the librarian smiled at Tiana.

Well that was convenient. "Um…yes. I'm looking for information about Maldonia."

"Maldonia?" The librarian furrowed her brows in a way that everyone seemed to when Tiana mentioned it.

"It's an island country in South Asia," Tiana added, helpfully.

The librarian perked right up. "Oh! Okay. Are you looking for history? Cultural information? Traveling there, perhaps?"

"Well… maybe," Tiana answered. "I'll just take a look at what you have. Anything will be helpful."

"Alright. Let's check the card catalog and see what we find." The librarian led Tiana over to the card catalog and she opened up the correct subject drawer.

"Malaria…. Malaysia… here we go. Maldonia."

Tiana's heart skipped a beat. They actually found something? "What is it?"

"Hmm. Well, I'm afraid we only have one book on Maldonia," the librarian said. "It's about the history of the country, though it looks like it's out of date by about 15 years."

"That's okay!" Tiana said. "Can I check it out?"

"Of course!" The librarian said with a grin. "But let's make sure we can find it first."

That night Tiana settled in bed to read her new library book. Her heart was pounding as she opened it to the index. Yes she planned to read it cover to cover, to learn as much Maldonian history as she could. But she needed to check something first.

As soon as the librarian mentioned the book was 15 years old, Tiana's mind had started to work. If the book was written 15 years ago, Naveen would have been six years old. Was it possible that this book mentioned the young prince?

Tiana scanned through the N's in the index, her heart thumping so loud she could hardly concentrate. But there. She almost wept.

Naveen, Prince…. 765, 766 [illus.]

Two whole pages! He was mentioned in two whole pages! Well, one was a picture. But a picture! Tiana frantically flipped to the correct page, and now she really did start to cry.

The picture in question was a reproduction of what looked like a family portrait. The quality of the portrait in the book was poor, and it was all in black and white, but there was enough detail for her to recognize her husband as a six year old child. It was the smile that gave him away.

Naveen's parents, King Sunil and Queen Idhal looked so serious sitting in their regal chairs. Their gazes were straightforward and thoughtful. You could tell weight of the crown rested heavily on them both. Though Tiana thought she could sense a hint of a smile on their faces.

But Naveen, oh bless him, he was beaming. Grinning from ear to ear in that way he always did. He looked so happy and carefree, but also full of mischief, like he had stolen a piece of pie from the kitchen, or that he had a frog stuffed in his pocket.

Tiana wiped away her tears, laughing to herself. What would Naveen think if he knew this childhood portrait was in this book? Would he laugh about it, or would he be embarrassed?

She tore herself away from the picture and began to scan the text on the previous page for his name. Tiana found it relatively quickly, but was disappointed to find that it only mentioned his name a few times. Stating simply when he was born and that he was the new prince. The rest of the book appeared to be policies under the King and Queen.

Perhaps this book could be of more advantage to her than she thought. The more she learned about Naveen's parents the better. Tiana would definitely be combing through the text later.

But for right now…. Tiana fetched Naveen's picture where she had it proudly displayed on her dresser, and turned her attention back to the portrait in the book. She would spend the rest of the evening going back and forth between the two pictures, comparing the boy and the man he grew into.

My Darling,

I love you, Naveen. I worry I haven't said it enough in my letters, and also that I didn't say it enough in person, but I do love you. I love you with every fiber of my being. I wish I could express my feelings for you better, but I've never been that great with words. Not like you, anyway. I know your letters probably contain the most beautiful declarations of love ever written. The thing is though, I still haven't received any letters from you.

It's been a month. You were supposed to be back by now. I even waited at the docks for you just in case, but obviously you weren't there. I won't lie to you, it makes me feel uneasy. None of this seems like you - the you I know and love.

My imagination has started coming up with all sorts of crazy ideas. One minute you're sick on your deathbed, the next your being held prisoner by Kedar, or maybe worst of all, in the arms of another woman.

Tiana put her pen down and rested her head on her hands. Had she really written that? But the words stared back at her plain as day. It made her feel sick inside. How would she felt if she got a letter from Naveen that said he was worried she was seeing someone else?

Heartbroken, that's for sure. And she would feel like he didn't trust her. Like everything they had been through together had been a lie. Of course she would have to have received a letter from Naveen in the first place to feel that way.

Tiana found herself clutching the necklace he had given her as her eyes wandered over to Naveen's picture. Where was he? Why hadn't he written? Was it possible that he really had moved on to someone else? But they loved each other, that couldn't have happened.

Tiana's mind started wandering though, as she imagined his parents who disapproved of Naveen's marriage to her so much that they forced him to get married to someone more suitable. Tiana gritted her teeth. Even if this fantasy were true, Naveen would still write to her to tell her. He wasn't like that. He wouldn't string her along that way.

She felt tears sting her eyes as her heart broke a little, and Tiana let out a quick sigh. She was just so tired. Tired of waiting, tired of hoping, and tired of being sad. Her hand clenched the necklace tighter as anger washed over her.

She hadn't planned for any of this. Ever. She'd never planned to want someone so much, or to wish that her future entwined with his, or to wish to see his face every day for the rest of her life.

She'd planned to be happy, yes. To have her restaurant and follow her dreams. Getting married and falling in love had never entered into any of her plans. Of course now when she had done both of those things, it had to be to the one man in the entire world who had to be dragged across the ocean and couldn't even bother returning her letters to her!

Harder than she meant to, Tiana flattened Naveen's picture on her desk. She didn't want to look at that stupidly beautiful smile right now. How dare he! Yes, how dare he not return her letters. Didn't he know how upset she was by all of this? Didn't he know how much she missed him? Didn't he know how helpless she felt with an entire ocean between them? Didn't he know that she would do anything if they could be together again? And he hadn't even bothered to do the most effortless thing, which was to write to her. To let her know even the simplest thing, like that he had arrived safely, or that he still loved her! And all the while she had sat and wrung her hands and fretted every single day he had been gone. Writing to him every day like they had promised they would, and a month later, when he had said he would be back, he wasn't, and she hadn't heard anything.

Tiana hadn't even realized she was still clutching her necklace tight in her grip. The angrier she got, the more twisted the chain became, until it was too much for the thin chain. With a soft snap the chain broke apart.

Tiana gasped and stared helplessly at the two dangling ends.

"Oh no. Oh please, no no no." But no amount of pleading would fuse the two ends together again.

Her lips started to tremble and soon fat heavy tears were streaming down her face. Tiana gasped for air as she sobbed and when she couldn't take it anymore, she buried her face in her arms and let it all out.

Tiana tried not to think of it symbolically as she cried, but it was hard not to. Naveen had given her that necklace as a symbol of his love for her, and Tiana had broken it when she began to doubt. Maybe he really didn't love her anymore. This only made Tiana cry harder.

"Babycakes, what's wrong?" Tiana felt the warm comforting hand of her mother gently rub up and down her back.

She took a few more gulping breaths of air as she tried to control her sobs. Unable to form words, Tiana simply held out her hand and showed Eudora the broken necklace.

"Oh Tiana. That can be fixed." Her tone was so caring that Tiana almost broke down again. She sniffed and wondered how she could even begin to explain what this all meant about her and Naveen.

But before Tiana could speak, Eudora kissed her on the temple whispering that she would be right back. A few minutes later, Eudora handed Tiana a hot cup of tea and began working on the necklace with a pair of needle nosed pliers.

Tiana watched silently, sniffing occasionally while the warmth of the tea and the comforting presence of her mother brought her back to her old self. Tiana felt all kinds of foolish crying over a broken necklace she could have easily fixed herself. Besides which, none of that meant that Naveen didn't care for her.

"There." Eudora lifted the newly reformed necklace and helped Tiana fix it back on. "Good as new."

"Thanks, Mama," Tiana managed to squeak out. She leaned into her mother's embrace, as once more Eudora rubbed Tiana's back.

"I miss him, Mama," Tiana whispered

"I know, sweetheart." Eudora pressed another kiss to Tiana's temple. "I miss him too. It certainly is dull around here with him gone."

Tiana gave a half smile at her mother's words. Dull was putting it mildly. Ever since Naveen had left, it seemed that all Tiana could feel was this gaping sadness all around her. She'd gotten so accustomed to having him around. Naveen had been a part of her routine, and had become such an important part of her life that his absence sparked an unrest deep inside her being.

"What if he never comes back?" Tiana asked, tentatively, but if anyone could understand what she was going through it was her mother.

Eudora tsked. "Of course he will." Tiana's heart instantly felt lighter. "The way he looked at you?" Eudora continued. "That boy is in l-o-v-e love."

Tiana felt heat rush to her cheeks and hid it in her cup of tea.

"Honestly, Tiana, I don't think I've ever seen anyone as much in love as that prince of yours. Besides which," Eudora nudged Tiana's elbow playfully, "you're quite a catch."

"Mama!" Now Tiana was full out laughing. It seemed like it had been ages since she last laughed. It felt good.

"He'll come back. It just might take more time than you thought." Eudora placed a soft hand on Tiana's cheek. "I think things are… more complicated that we realize."

Tiana sighed but gave her mother a small smile. "I think you're right." She didn't even know the first thing about what it took to marry into royalty. Despite what the storybooks said, and what Naveen had told her, there must be a lot of hoops to jump through to get to where they wanted to be.

It was late, and so with another kiss to the temple, Eudora wished Tiana a goodnight. Tiana was feeling much better than she had in ages, and was left alone with her letter, Tiana stared at the words she had written, holding her necklace again, gently this time.

She couldn't send this letter, she knew, and so she tore it up. She would write a new letter tomorrow. A much better letter.

With a sigh, Tiana got herself ready for bed. As she tucked herself in, Tiana couldn't escape the nagging feeling inside her. Her eyes glanced towards her dresser where James' picture smiled back at her, and now Naveen's alongside it. Naveen's own letter he had given her was there, safely tucked underneath his picture.

Read it when you need me, he had said. Well, she needed him now.

Tiana threw back the covers and picked up the letter in her hands. They were trembling slightly, she noticed as she walked back to bed. Before she could change her mind, Tiana broke the seal of the envelope and began to read.

A true smile appeared on her face, and Tiana felt love for Naveen wash over her. Why hadn't she read this sooner? She really was a fool. Laughing slightly, Tiana pressed the letter to her heart when she was finished reading. It wasn't a long letter, but it was perfect.

Tiana let out a happy sigh and turned off the light, but it was a long time before she was able to fall asleep. Even when she finally drifted off, Tiana still had that smile on her face.

To My Beloved,

Though I must leave you tomorrow, my thoughts go out to you, and when such wide abysses of space and land are between us, know that my love will go out to you as well. Even though we will be miles apart, that distance cannot separate our hearts which will always beat together as one. I hate to spend my days without you, that I won't be able to feel your warm touch, or see your happy smile. Without you, I only feel like half a man. I won't be complete until I am putting my arms around you once more, because only then do I feel at home.

Stay strong, my love and know that I am fighting to get back to you.

I love you, Tiana. With all my heart.

Yours forever,

Naveen

Tiana still checked the mailbox, but not as obsessively as before. Naveen's letter would come, Tiana was sure of that now, even if it took weeks longer than it should have. Though that ache in her heart never really went away, Tiana started to laugh and smile again when she spent time with Lottie and Louis. Work became enjoyable again, and not just a distraction to her.

She was becoming her old self again, Tiana realized, as she walked back home after a long shift. Well, not completely her old self. She was absentmindedly humming the new song that was buzzing around town, and every so often as she walked, Tiana found herself dancing to the beat. She had bough the music score for the song and was going to send it to Naveen in her next letter.

Tiana smiled to herself, taking another spin, as she imagined them dancing to the song at The Paradise Club, or even just in her living room. It was a great song to dance to, and Naveen was sure to come up with some innovative dance moves like he always did.

"Are you Tiana Batiste?"

Tiana blinked to find a young man on a bicycle in front of her house. She blushed a little at having been caught dancing by herself, but she pressed on. "Yes. How can I help you?"

"I've got a telegram for you."

Telegram? Tiana's stomach dropped even at the mention of the word. Telegrams always brought back the memory of finding out about James' death. Even before Mama had opened that fateful telegram, they both had known it wasn't good news. Nobody ever received a happy telegram during war times.

There was no war going on, Tiana reminded herself, as she numbly signed for it. The young man peddled away and Tiana sank to the porch steps, her legs unable to carry her weight any longer.

She stared at the envelope for what seemed like a long time. She could only think of one reason someone would send her a telegram. It obviously had something to do with Naveen.

He could be hurt, or even dead. This could be some sort of summons for her from his parents telling her to stop writing him. It could be… well it could be anything. There was only one way to find out.

Carefully Tiana opened the telegram and began to read.

TIANA

OUR LETTERS WERE KEPT FROM EACH OTHER STOP ALL WILL BE EXPLAINED STOP EXPECT MY LETTERS SOON STOP I SHOULD HAVE FIGURED IT OUT SOONER STOP PLEASE FORGIVE ME STOP I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU

NAVEEN

Tiana was laughing and crying at the same time. What the hell was he talking about? She didn't understand at all but who cared! He loved her! His letters were coming soon!

A week later Tiana arrived home to find two giant bags full of letters had been delivered to her. They were all from Naveen.

Giddy at the prospect of reading so many letters, Tiana had to stop herself from tearing open the first one she found. Instead, Tiana brought them all up to her room and began to organize them by the postmarked date. There were so many it took her awhile to get them organized chronologically, and was surprised to see so many letters dated from this past month. She could have been getting his letters this whole time? What had happened?

The answer would be in here somewhere, Tiana thought. And then, finally, when they were all in order, Tiana couldn't wait any longer. She opened the first envelope and began to read.