My Dear Sister,
We walked for a few days more when we made it to a town called Clareville. "This is the town," Jack said.
"Where is the house?" Keeya asked.
"Down the road and to the right, I believe. There should be a street called Brenner," Jack said. We walked down the road until we found the street. We turned and walked towards a white two story house with pale yellow shutters and curtains.
"Are you sure this is the place?" I asked.
"439, I think so," Jack said.
"I'm nervous," I said.
"We came this far," Keeya said.
"Are you sure they're expecting us?" I asked.
"I'm sure," Jack said. He grabbed my hand and knocked on the door with his other hand.
A woman with light brown hair in a bun and rosy cheeks answered the door. "Jack!" She exclaimed. "You've made it! You've grown! And you!" She looked at me. "You must be the pretty girl Jack wrote me about. It's great to finally see you! And you are Keeya and Natta, correct? What lovely girls you are! And Natta, you're so tiny! Did you really walk all that way? When you told me you were walking I thought 'what a far way'. But you're here! Welcome to our little house. We run a place where slaves who have escaped north can live, and you're all welcome to live here for as long as you please. Wow, what a wonderful Christmas Eve surprise!"
"It's Christmas Eve?" Jack asked. "I had no idea."
"Really?" The woman asked. "Well come on inside where it's warm. Lila just made hot chocolate. I'm Jack's cousin Marie by the way."
We walked inside together. "This is my husband Walter and my daughter Grace is around here somewhere." A little girl about Natta's age came in.
"A little girl!" Grace said. "Look, Mama, the new housemates have a little girl!"
"This is your cousin Jack," Marie said.
"He came," Grace exclaimed. "We were wondering when you would. Are you the girl from France?"
"Yes," I said.
"Do you speak French?" She asked.
"I do," I said.
"I can say hello in French. It's bon-jer. Right?"
"Sort of," I said.
"You have a French voice," Grace said. "Is Lila making hot chocolate?"
"Right here," a woman said as she walked in. She was one of the escaped slaves. She wore a beautiful green dress. When she saw us she looked shocked. She carefully put down the kettle on chocolate.
Her gaze met Keeya's. "Keeya," she whispered. She looked down to the little girl. "Natta," she said.
"Mother!" Natta screamed. Keeya stood there shocked. Natta ran into Lila's arms.
"Natta, Keeya, my daughters," Lila said warmly. "When Marie told me the names of who was coming, I thought there was no way it could be my daughters. But here you are'"
"Mother, I missed you," Keeya said.
They started speaking to each other in African. I looked over to Jack still holding my hand. "What a small world," Jack said. "It's amazing that after all that happened they found their Mother."
A little tear fell from my eye. "Are you alright?" Jack asked me softly.
"Yes…" I said. "There is just something I want to do for the last time."
I ran into the dining room of Jack's cousin's house. I opened up my pillowcase and took out my last piece of letter paper. I got a dip pen and started writing this letter.
I used to think that your death was the end. There was nothing I could do about anything. I was sad and depressed and the only thing I could use as escapism was writing letters to you.
Now I realize that it wasn't the end. It was just the beginning of something new. I realize that by writing letters to you I was holding onto the past. I was attaching strings to myself that were getting harder and harder to untie.
I can never forget you. But I'll never be able to move forward with the future if I keep attaching myself to the past. So this will be my last letter to you.
Seeing Keeya and Natta reunite with their Mother just reminded me that I'll never be able to reunite with you. I can't keep writing these letters for the rest of my life.
I have my new life now. I have Jack and Keeya and Natta and Jack's cousins. So to you this is
Goodbye,
Your Sister, Azelma