Did you want to start the series from the beginning? The Letter: Part 1

MARCH 1949

It had become their little routine. The boys would come home from school, dump their books in their room then race out into the neighbourhood to do see if they could scout out some odd jobs. Then they’d meet at the kitchen table while their Aunt Dorothy cooked dinner. They’d inspect their new change they’d earned from mowing lawns, delivering papers, and doing odd jobs around the area. By now most of the neighbours knew they were trying to earn money to visit their sick mother and were more than happy to hire the boys. Most of them were thrilled the boys requested to be paid in small change. Today, their dad came in came in sorting through the mail. Immediately, the boys looked up and watched his face to see if a letter had come from their mom. Lately, this had become part of the routine as well. At first, Alice had written nearly every day. Then, once or twice a week. It had now been six weeks since her last letter and Richard and the boys were growing more and more anxious. Richard had already gone through the stack of envelopes once, but he kept rifling through them, not wanting to see the crestfallen look on his boy’s faces again. Victor caught on and dropped his head to keep inspecting his coins, but Sam kept watching him. Finally, he shook his head and set the envelopes on the counter. Sam’s lower lip quivered, but he didn’t cry. He picked up another penny and held it up to the light twisting it so he could see the front and back. Richard reached into his pocked and pulled out loose change. Like he’d been doing for months now, he picked out the pennies and put them into a small pile on the table for the boys. “Thanks,” Sam said. Victor immediately grabbed one of the pennies. “We’re going to find rare coin one of these days,” he said. “Then we’ll be rich.” He grinned at Richard. Richard smiled at him. “Of course you are.” He was hurt that Lilly wasn’t writing to him, but he was angry that she wasn’t writing to the boys either. He hadn’t told the boys yet, but he had a surprise for them. He was going to take them to the sanitorium this weekend to visit her. He’d been pulling extra shifts and between what he’d made and what the boys had scrimped together, they would be able to make the trip. The doctors could tell him she was improving all they wanted, but he needed to see for himself. And he needed answers for her silence.

Part 9