Dead To Life

Chapter 4

Chapter 4Slowly, Huxley began lifting out the aging letters, placing them meticulously in a row on the tabletop. He found two larger envelopes, looked at the dates, and peeked inside. “Birthday cards.” He smiled sadly. “1971 and '72. His birthday was March 10th.” He placed them aside.

Sara watched him knowing that finding his brother's remains, and locating Emma, was Huxley's whole life. Sara remained quiet, more concerned with Huxley's emotions at that moment. He was a person as strong emotionally as she'd ever known. If anything could tear at him, weaken him, it would be finding positive proof that his brother had died.

Huxley wasn't obsessive-compulsive in the way he handled the old mail. He simply meant to treat the precious letters with respect. Next, he brought out a batch of letters tied together with a yellow ribbon in a bow, separate from the others.

“Mom must have tied them up with this ribbon.”

Lastly, he pulled out a fat yellow manila envelope. He opened it, peeked inside, and poured out a batch of various sized photos beside the letters. Huxley was always methodical. Sara had come to love this about him, though he was able to change the course of things in an instant when a situation dictated an immediate switch. He dropped the empty envelope and box onto a chair.

Sara watched him for any signs of extreme stress. She really had no idea how this search might affect him. “We will learn more. We will find Emma.”

He untied the ribbon from the separated batch and flipped through, reading each post date quietly as only his lips moved. “Oh no.” He handed the letter from the bottom of the small pile to Sara. “Tell me this isn't…” He swallowed hard, unable to speak.

Sara studied the handwriting on the envelope and then flipped it over. Goosebumps traipsed down her arms. Her hand shook as she looked closer. “Oh, Hux…” She felt a lump rise in her throat. “This letter hasn't been opened. It's from Emma to Rocky. Do you know what that post date means?”

Huxley took a deep breath and cast his gaze toward the ceiling, as if trying to retain some composure. “It means Rocky's never read it. Most likely, it's Emma's last letter to my brother before she learned he went missing. Rocky didn't have a chance to read it.” He placed the special letters aside and stood and paced like he usually did to dispel nervous energy and to think. “Rocky's personal belongings in Vietnam were delivered to Mom and Dad when the Navy listed him as an MIA. I didn't know about this batch of letters. Of course, Mom wouldn't read them to me. If they are full of love and commitment, I would have been too young to understand.”

Sara turned to face him as he leaned against the kitchen counter. “Did your mom at least tell you about these?”

He turned and slid the kitchen window open though the air conditioning was running. Normally, he'd say to open windows and air out the house a bit. The gesture of opening the window now was subconscious, representing his need for freedom from a situation encompassing him.

“No, Mom is not the type to pry. I have no idea if she read them. If she did, she would have read them privately just to feel closer to Rocky.”

“But still, she didn't open that last letter.”

They stared at each other, both knowing what the other was thinking. “We won't open this. We won't read this stack. These letters will be too personal.” She made a motion as if to push the letter away. “We'll find Emma and give her this special packet of letters along with the rest.”

He came to stand beside her, staring at the old mail laying on the table which was, undoubtedly, full of history. He turned to enclose her in his arms. “Thank you, my precious Sara. I'm glad you're with me in this.” He pulled away and gathered up the special letters, put the unopened one on the bottom of the stack again, and wrapped them with the yellow ribbon. He fumbled, trying to retie the bow. “You know? I have to look for her, but what if we find her and she's gone sour? What if we open a bucket of worms?”

“You're thinking too far into the future, Hux. Don't borrow problems.” Sara reached over and re-tied the bow for him. “These other letters and the photos will tell us where to begin looking for Emma.”