~ Two Years Later ~

It was the slow time at Bertie's when people were getting out of work. Linda was doing double duty as waitress and bartender. Gracie, the current bartender, would come on to help her in another hour.

The little post office closed early today, so Sam came in for a quick one. Linda caught Sam's eye as he sat on a barstool and called out. "The usual?"

He nodded and held a hand up to confirm. Linda expertly poured a draft beer and walked over setting it down in front of him.

"How's it going?" she casually asked.

He had news he was bursting to tell someone. "Another letter came for her today!"

Linda's eyes widened, and she leaned on the bar prepared for a good gossip session with Sam. "Same handwriting? Was there a return address?" she eagerly asked.

"Oh, it's from him all right. Got the usual 'please forward' written on the front." Sam took a big swallow of beer, the foam framing his lips. He wiped them with the back of his hand. "That's the fifth one now." He nodded knowingly.

The two of them looked at each other and shook their heads simultaneously. Sam's nose quivered with excitement while Linda just looked sad.

"I don't get it, Sam. I just don't get it. Doesn't make sense."

Linda and Sam had the same discussion every time a letter came, but they didn't mind rehashing it. Nothing much ever happened in this town. This was still news.

Linda reminisced. "She was so sad the first day she came to work without him. She didn't talk about it, didn't cry. It's like she had shrunk in on herself. It's like there was no life left in her."

Sam took up the story. "And the day that first letter came. I was there. She just stared at it, and her hands were trembling. She tore it open, dropping the envelope on the floor. Never cared and she was such a neat little thing. Her whole face lit up. 'He cares' she said. Heard her plain as day. 'He cares'. She practically danced out the door."

Linda said, "I remember, Sam. She was so happy that night. Sue and I knew something had happened. She kept taking it out and unfolding it and reading it and folding it back up. She always kept it on her. Either in her jean pocket or her shirt. Never a day went by, but she didn't have that letter."

They both sighed.

"I picked the envelope up off the floor, not that I was prying," Sam said virtuously. "It was just to clean up, and I happened to notice the handwriting. No return address, but it was canceled in Tennessee. It's the same handwriting that's on every letter with never no return address. The stamps are from everywhere though."

"Of course you weren't prying," Linda lied. Everyone knew Sam read everything that wasn't sealed tight.

"But I do remember that handwriting. Specially when she disappeared." Sam continued his train of thought.

Linda reminisced. "I thought for sure she had left to follow him. Everyone knew how crazy she was about him."

"Everyone thought it until the next letter came." Sam took another gulp of his beer.

"I sure hope Jenny's okay. She was a good one." Linda frowned.

"Everyone liked Jenny," Sam confirmed.

"Sue and I used to talk about how her eyes would follow him while he worked." Linda smiled. "She'd get this funny little smile on her face when she watched him. We liked to tease her about it, and she would get all embarrassed. Sometimes I think he heard us cause he would catch her eye and smile."

The door opened and a couple of guys came in. Linda shook herself and headed off to the back room to get another keg of beer.

Sam returned the greetings from the guys who had just walked in. He picked up his beer and walked over to their table, eager to share his news. Jenny and Stefan had become part of the town's history.

~ FIN ~