Chapter 12 Φ

Dear Mr. Steve,

You have received my letter! Honestly, I didn't think it would work. I was almost conviced that you got your letters hold off at the postal office, but here's your reply instead.

I had a great time at Cassie's house. She has an amazing family. Her mom's a great cook. I think I gained a few pounds there. Her dad kept on throwing jokes all day. There was this one time when he was telling me something and I thought it was a punchline, so I laughed. It was embarrassing, but they were really cool. We only laughed about it.

Her older brother, Carl, who is an intern at Creeksburg Medical Center, was also there. He has the same dark auburn hair with freckles on both cheeks as his sister, so it's easy to tell that they're related. Personality wise, he's the opposite of Cassie. Oh, except that they're both friendly. It probably runs in the family. He was very easy to get along with.

I got home on Sunday afternoon and instantly missed their family. Cassie would be back in a few weeks. Speaking of which, Julianne also went home for the rest of the summer. I'm all alone here in our apartment. A while ago, I might or might not have danced around like no one's watching.

About college, I still think I could make this work. I haven't inquired about the scholarships yet, and I regret it. I have a few days off every week, but I find myself idling around lately. I will go to NWU soon. Thank you for your offering a helping hand again, sir.

Sincerely yours,

Chelsea

***

I couldn't stop myself from quivering as I slid the letter into the mailbox. There was a security camera nearby, and I wasn't sure if it was related to Mr. Steve receiving my letters even if I directly dropped them here.

Looking to my left and right, I made sure that no one else was around, before I walked towards the bench that was located at the other side of the street right in front of Mr. Steve's house. Since this was all getting confusing, I started to refer to this house as Mr. Steve's property as well, whoever he might be.

I took a seat on the bench, and for the hours that had passed, I made sure that I wouldn't miss a thing. That letter had to disappear from the mailbox at some point. I doubted that there was some kind of electronic tunnel underneath that old, cramped mailbox.

After two hours, I couldn't help but yawn, wiping away the tears that formed at the corner of my eyes. I suddenly felt bored. Stretching out my arms, I tilted my head to one side and counted, "One... two... three..."

Another hour passed. I took out my phone and scrolled to see who I could talk to. I saw Natalie's name and thought of saying hi.

***

Me: Hey!

Natalie: You're texting me! This is amazing, Anna.

Me: Haha, I'm bored. So here I am, figuring out how to text people.

Natalie: Well, that's a drastic improvement. How are you?

Me: Okay, I guess. I met a few friends here.

Natalie: Guys?

Me: One. Oh, there's another one. He's my roommate's older brother.

Natalie: You like him? ;)

Me: No, I don't.

Natalie: Then why would you even mention him. Spill!

Me: A crush? But don't get ahead of yourself, we won't be seeing each other until who knows when. He's busy with his hospital internship and all.

Natalie: Ohhh... is he a doctor?

Me: Yup.

Natalie: Does he like you, too?

Me: How would I know that?

Natalie: Gut feeling! You'll be able to tell it by instinct, whether you be right or wrong.

Me: Okay... well, I felt a connection there. Friendly connection.

Natalie: Connections are good. It's the start. :)

Me: This is called getting ahead of ourselves. I might be completely wrong about this, you know?

Natalie: Your secret's safe with me.

Me: How's the shop? How's Aunt Coral and the twins?

Natalie: I'm hiking with some friends that I've met a few weeks ago. Speaking of which, reception's getting cut off. I'll text you when I get a good signal. Mom's fine. Twins, too. Shop as well. x

Me: Take care!

***

Natalie was into outdoor activities. Sometimes, she took me with her. But most the time, I was either working or tired from doing all these part-time jobs to even have enough energy to walk another mile. We only got to do two short treks with her hiking group for the past few years, and that was how far she had been able to bring me along.

I went back to Mr. Steve's mailbox to see if I'd missed anything while texting Natalie. I was cautious not to take my eyes off the mailbox even when texting, but I needed to be sure that it was still there. And true enough, the letter was still inside the mailbox, so I went back to sit on the bench across the street.

A few minutes later, I'd received a text from Eric.

***

Eric: Are you at work?

Me: I'm sitting here right across Mr. Steve's house. Guess what I'm doing.

Eric: Stalking a dead person.

Me: Haha, try again.

Eric: Wait, are you waiting for someone to pick up the mail??

Me: For four hours now.

Eric: You're crazy.

Me: I know. :D

Eric: Any luck?

Me: I just checked the letter and it's still there.

Eric: Well? What happens next? You're not going to wait for it until tomorrow, right?

Me: I wish I could do that, but I'm on night shift today.

Eric: Don't be late for work.

Me: The café's right beside me. How can I be late?

Eric: Just saying.

Me: I haven't seen you around lately.

Eric: Miss me?

Me: It's just that we bump into each other a lot. That's not happening for days now.

Eric: So you do miss me.

Me: A bit. I'll admit it.

Eric: That's all I want to hear. It feels good to be missed.

Me: Why is that?

Eric: It shows that someone cares.

Eric: I went on a vacation. Now I'm with a bunch of strangers. We're hiking.

Me: Hiking? Where?

Eric: A five-day trail. Oh, this ends at Averns Creek.

Me: My hometown. I want to miss the place, but I'm not really feeling it.

Eric: You tell me. But maybe I'd stay there for a few days after the hike.

***

"Anna? What are you doing there?" Gina asked when she saw me. She got out a while ago to receive a delivery.

"I was just texting someone," I replied, putting my phone back into my bag. I was about to ask Eric if he had met someone with the name Natalie. They were both on a hike. The chances were slim, but it was still there. What were the odds?

"Aren't you coming in?" Gina smiled, holding the door for me.

"About to," I replied, following her inside.

***

Later that night, as I was about to go home, I went to Mr. Steve's mailbox. Apprehensive, I turned on the flashlight on my phone to see if the letter was still inside.

Gone.

I looked again, just to make sure. But the mailbox was really empty. Someone took the letter.

I hurriedly dialed Eric's phone. Right after he answered his phone, I exclaimed, "Eric!"

"What happened? Are you okay?" Eric worriedly asked on the other line.

"The letter's gone. Someone took it," I hurriedly told him the news.

There was silence, and then he replied, "It's gone?"

"Yeah," I said. "I checked right after my shift had ended. It's not here."

There was another silence. And then he said, "Told you it was a ghost."

***

Dear Chelsea,

I've received a call from a friend who's associated with New Waulds University. He's an English professor there. A few weeks ago, I met him during a trip. Do you remember the piece you wrote for your school paper before? I showed it to him, and he was impressed by it. He said that that he wanted to meet you in person and discuss a possible scholarship with you.

Don't take this the wrong way. I only made him read your work, and it so happened that he liked it. And it's not like I'll be financing you or anything. I know full well that you want to go to college by your own means. This is your talent. All I did was show him one of your works. This could be your chance.

He's in Averns Creek right now for a vacation. I told him that you lived there, before realizing that you had already moved to New Waulds. He said that if you were interested, I could contact him and arrange for a meeting. He's staying near Black Beans Café. You might be familiar with that place. How about a bus ride back to Averns Creek?

I noticed that you've been dropping your letters right into my mailbox lately. I'll receive it just the same. Looking forward to your reply!

Sincerely,

Mr. Steve