Grand Central: Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion by Karen White & Jenna Blum & Sarah Jio & Melanie Benjamin & Sarah McCoy & Alyson Richman

Author:Karen White & Jenna Blum & Sarah Jio & Melanie Benjamin & Sarah McCoy & Alyson Richman
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2014-07-01T04:00:00+00:00

WESTERN UNION

Dear Rose,

I am Sam Gearhart’s sister, Jane. He told me about you before he proposed. He said he met a wonderful girl and that I would love you. Sadly, the night you left on the train, his cab was struck by a truck and Sam died. I am heartbroken, as I’m sure you are. I am so very sorry.

“No!” I scream, before letting out a deep, guttural cry. “No, not Sam. Not Sam.” The telegram slips from my hands and I fall to my knees.

One year later

Mama pulls out her handkerchief and dabs it to her eyes. “Are you sure you’re ready to return to New York? I imagine it will be awfully emotional for you.” She doesn’t want to see me go. And I don’t really even want to go. All I know is that it’s time. Sam’s sister, Jane, has offered to give me some of Sam’s belongings, and I miss the energy of the city. Maybe I’ll even take night classes and pursue my dream of writing a novel.

“Please, Mama,” I say. “Don’t cry. I’ll be fine. I’ll call you every Sunday. I’ll write.”

She nods. “Yes,” she says. “I know you will be. You’re a grown woman now. No sense in me fretting about you.”

“That’s right,” I say with a smile. I have to be strong for both of us. I kiss her cheek and step onto the train. I think of Grace and our long cross-country conversations as I head to the dining car and order a club sandwich and a Coca-Cola. I remember how confused I was, how uncertain. I pull out the stationery set in my purse and write her a letter.

Dear Grace,

I’m sorry it has taken me so long to write you. I hope you still remember me. I was in a terrible place then, and you listened. You encouraged me. In many ways, it was you who made me believe that I could handle whatever was coming. And there were storms coming. Louis fell in love with another woman, a friend of mine, in fact. And then, I received a telegram telling me that Sam was killed in a car accident. I didn’t think my heart could take the pain. It was so deep, so raw. But I thought of you a lot this past year. I thought of what you said about inner strength. And because of you, I’ve found mine. And you were right. Once I learned to tap into that strength, I knew I could weather any storm. And I got through this one. So thank you, Grace. Thank you for passing along that wisdom, for believing in me, and most of all, for being a friend to a stranger on a train, who so desperately needed to talk to someone.

Please write soon. I’m on the train now, returning to New York for Chapter Two of my journey. Wish you were here sitting beside me.

With love,

Rose

P.S. I hope you found your pot of gold.

“Excuse me,” a man says just as I finish tucking the letter into an envelope.

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