A/N #1: A few of you were worried about Edward...more specifically, what happened to his parents. I think this will answer that question for you.
Let's check in with him...
~oOo~
From: EAMasen
To: Bella Swan
Date Sent: Wed, Apr 07, 2010 at 4:47 A.M.
Date Received: Tues, Apr 06, 2010 at 4:47 P.M.
Subject: PEANUT BUTTER? That package can't come fast enough...
Bella,
I promise to truly answer all your questions from your last email, but I'm about to leave for Kandahar. My men and I are being sent out within the hour, and I'm not sure how long we'll be gone.
As soon as I'm able, I'll email you back.
Edward
P.S. I'm always as safe as I can be, but thank you for the concern, truly.
~oooOOOooo~
From: EAMasen
To: Bella Swan
Date Sent: Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 10:24 P.M.
Date Received: Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 10:24 A.M.
Subject: I'm back :)
Bella,
Are cookie crumbs bad for a laptop keyboard? Oh well...they're staying there until this entire batch of peanut butter is gone. In fact, both them and the shortbread totally make up for the teasing you did by speaking of real coffee. I was a desperate man – I would've taken it black, with peppermint, or just about anything else you could think to throw in there.
Speaking of coffee...THANK YOU! I thank you, my coffee mug thanks you, and my men definitely thank you. Actually, thanks for everything in the box you sent. I didn't realize just how in need of socks I was until I put a new pair on. However, I could kiss you for the music sheets. It's been too long since I was able to sit and jot down ideas.
I'm sorry it took so long to get back to you, but we had some delays. We just got back from Kandahar last night, where we were patrolling the streets. Someone blew up three buses in the city, and we were there to keep things under control until they cleaned up. I lost a man there...Mendez. Carlos was a good man, had a baby on the way. He was hit with shrapnel when one of the fires got too close to a car's gas tank. He was only 19 years old.
I'm an only child, too. I was born and raised in Chicago. Technically, I'm a junior, though I rarely use it. My father was a lawyer, and my mother stayed at home, but like I told you, she played the piano, so she would give lessons for the neighborhood kids on the side just so she wouldn't be bored senseless.
My mother was diagnosed with kidney disease when I was a sophomore in high school. By the time I reached the middle of my senior year, they'd removed one kidney and placed her on the waiting list for a new one. I applied to local colleges and universities, because I wanted to stay nearby, and I was accepted into NIU. She died before I graduated high school.
Dad was just...lost. He started drinking heavily, so I was constantly cleaning him up. One night, just about a month before I was supposed to show up at NIU, he took his own life. I stuck around Chicago just long enough to settle all of their affairs, sell the house, and join the Army. I've been a soldier ever since.
I imagine your students are very lucky, because if you put half the care into your class that you do into these cookies, they'll all grow up to be president, rocket scientists, and astrophysicists. I either need to finish the box or hide the rest before lights out. No one gets a crumb, I tell you!
Edward
P.S. I meant to thank you for the pillowcase, as well. It smells amazing – unlike the guy in the cot next to me, who smells strangely like old cheese and curry. ;)
~oOo~
A/N #2: I know that some of you are ready for reactions and dialogue. Patience, please? Learn them like they are learning each other. Okay? Please trust us. I promise you that it's worth the wait.
So Edward's soft spot is peanut butter cookies! LOL And a new pillowcase...and coffee... Hmm...simple pleasures... Leave some love... See you tomorrow... Mooches, Deb! :)