A petite woman, much thinner than the pictures he’d seen of her, stood before him, her mouth open in shock.
“Mary Jane? MJ? I’m Rob Michelini.”
“I know who you are.” Her tone was bitter. “They sent me his things. I saw the picture he had of the two of you.” She looked him up and down, pausing momentarily at his cane before shrugging. “Why are you here?”
“I promised Trevor I’d bring you the letter he wrote. I promised him I’d make sure you were okay.”
A tear rolled down her cheek, and although he wanted to, he was afraid to reach out and wipe it away. She shook her head. He wasn’t sure if it was in answer to his unspoken question of whether she was okay, or scoffing at the idea. Her expression suggested her mind was filled with thoughts and feelings about Trevor.
She stepped to the side and opened the door. “Come in,” she said. There was nothing inviting about her words.
He pulled open the door, taking a quick look back at the truck. He gave a hand gesture to remind Maverick to stay. He wouldn’t be here long. Only long enough to deliver the letter and find out if MJ was ready to take custody of Trevor’s very special dog.
***
Mary Jane led Rob down the hall, wiping her tears with the sleeve of her T-shirt. It seemed as if she’d been crying for months. She’d lost interest in almost everything and developed dark smudges under each eye. She wasn’t sure she had the energy to deal with Rob. How could she cope with reading a letter Trevor had written just for her? Especially one he’d written in case he’d been killed?
She gestured for Rob to sit at the kitchen table. “Can I get you something to drink? Beer? Coffee? Iced tea?”
“Water’d be good,” he replied gruffly. He hung the cane on the back of the wooden chair and slid down into it.
She took a glass from the cupboard, filled it with ice and water from the tap, and set it down in front of him. He looked as uncomfortable as she felt.
He took a deep breath and reached into the back pocket of his jeans, pulling out a folded envelope. He spread it in front of her. “Trevor wanted me to give this to you if something happened to him.”
“Thank you.” She stared down at the familiar writing, wondering if she had the courage to open it. She looked up to see Rob studying her.
“It looks like you’ve had a hard time of it.”
She snorted. “Nice way to tell me I look like shit.”
“I didn’t mean that. Only, it looks like you’ve lost weight. Trevor had a picture of you he kept with him. He got it right before…um…that is…”
“I know. I sent it about a month before. Yeah, I haven’t had much appetite.” She paused. Would he understand? “Nothing’s been the same.”
“Yeah. For me either.” He gestured toward his right leg. “I lost my ability to pay attention and concentrate. Got shot by an insurgent. I’d have been here sooner, but I spent three months in rehab. Got out on a medical discharge.”
“I’m sorry. Trevor said you were a Lifer.”
“At one time I planned to be, but you never know what will happen. Things change.”
Another tear rolled down her face, and she reached for the box of tissues on the kitchen counter behind her and wiped it away. “Yeah.”
He nodded toward the letter. “Aren’t you going to open it?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure I can handle it.”
“Tell you what. You can read it while I go out and check on Maverick.”
For a moment, she felt a surge of energy. “Maverick’s here? Can you bring him in? I want to meet him. Trevor loved him so much.”
“Sure.” He got up and headed for the door, as Mary Jane reached for the letter. Sliding her finger under the flap, she pulled it out of the envelope, taking a deep breath to muster her courage.
My dear MJ,
If you’re reading this, it means something happened, and I didn’t make it. I’m sorry. You were my very best friend from junior high school on, and I wanted us to become much more. I didn’t plan to stay in the Marines after this deployment. I wanted to come home to you and build a life together. Although I never told you this, I’ve loved you for years. Somehow, we never seemed to be available at the same time—I was always in relationships in high school, and you were involved with guys in college. I was so relieved when I came home for Papaw’s funeral and discovered that you were unattached, too. You were there for me during those difficult times, and I knew then that I loved you. I wanted to make a life with you. I hope you never have to read this and that we can live a happy life together in Ridgeview, making a family of our own and loving each other till the end of our days. If that is not to be, I hope you’ll move on with your life and be happy. Please, always know, you owned my heart.
Love,
Trevor
She couldn’t breathe. She whimpered as she clutched the letter to her chest. Her vision tunneled and darkened around the edges, and she felt herself slide to the floor.
***
Rob approached the truck and gave Maverick the signal to wait as he opened the door and grabbed onto his harness.
