Love Letters (26 page)

They all have their own families now. The youngest just turned forty. I’m a proud grandfather of eight grandchildren. I have a lot of stories to tell you about them. Two of my children live here in San Francisco, while the other two live in New York. I worked for the same company in New York for thirty-six years, until they gave me an early retirement. My son, who is also an architect, opened a business here so I moved to San Francisco four years ago. We work together and, at sixty-three, I plan to retire for a second time in two years.

Please tell me more about you. I still remember the last time we spoke, when you told me that you were pregnant. Do you have a daughter or a son? Are you married? There’s a reason why you found me again. Suzanne, I will never give up on you.

Te quiero mucho,

Ignacio”

OMG it’s him!
After all these years, Ignacio was still in love with her mom. She let loose a shout, which made Greta jump. Now what was she going to tell Ignacio?

She wrote:

“
Dear Ignacio,

I’m glad to know that it’s you. I’m sorry to hear about you and Giselle, though I’m delighted to hear about all your grandkids. They must be your pride and joy. I have a twenty-four-year-old daughter named Chloe. After we last spoke, my husband’s job relocated to Half Moon Bay and we lived there until two years ago, when he passed away. He was a good man. When he died, I moved to San Rafael and got my own place.

I live beside Jill, who’s also a widow like me. She convinced me to move closer to her, and we are both actively involved in charity work. My daughter lives in Half Moon Bay, where she works as a bridal shop manager.

I did think about you on several occasions, wondering if you were happy and how your life was going. I know it was difficult for both of us not to be together but, like you, I also devoted my life to my daughter and our family. You can say I learned to accept our situation, despite how painful it was for me.

I’m glad that your kids turned out so successful and that you and your son share a wonderful business.”

Chloe’s eyes misted as she wrote the letter. She wasn’t sure she was doing the right thing by contacting Ignacio. What if her mom got upset with her? She frowned, then shook her head. Her mom deserved a second chance and so did she. Or maybe she was overstepping her bounds and should just delete it. She needed time to think.

With a sigh she stood up to change into her pajamas and get ready for bed. But before she could shut her computer, naughty little Greta jumped on top of her bed and placed her paw on the keyboard of her laptop. When Chloe sat back on her bed to look at the message, it read “Message Sent.”

“
Oh look what you did, Greta! I didn’t even finish writing the letter. How can I undo that now?”

Greta let out a guilty whine.

Chloe had no time to dwell on what had happened though, because she heard a loud knock on her door. She grabbed her robe and rushed downstairs with Greta by her side. She peeped through the peephole and sighed.
Richard.
And he wasn’t alone.

She opened the door halfway, but to her dismay Richard pushed it wider and walked right in with a stocky man, tall and in his fifties, following close behind. “I’ve been trying to reach you for three days. This is Guy. He’s ready to make an offer for your house today. I showed him all the photos and paperwork, and he’s willing to buy it for eight hundred fifty thousand.”

Chloe turned her back to Richard and walked towards the living room without turning on the lights.
The price seems to go higher each time.
“Can we do this another time? I’m already in my pajamas.”

Richard gestured for Guy to follow while he turned on more lights. “There’s no time to waste. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you and you haven’t returned any of my calls.”

“
I’m sorry to disturb you, Ms. Rogers, but I’ve been looking for a house like yours in Half Moon Bay for some time now, and your fiancé was kind enough to offer information about your house,” Guy said.

“
That’s all right,” Chloe said, eyeing Guy. “Richard, can I talk to you for a second?”

Greta growled at Richard as he followed Chloe to the kitchen.

“
Will you tell your dog to shut up,” Richard said.

“
No, you shut up. Who do you think you are, barging in here bringing a client at this unholy hour!” Chloe snapped.

“
Chloe,
you’re
the one who never returned my calls. Don’t tell me you’re still upset over what happened in Yosemite.”

“
That’s beside the point. This is my house and you don’t have the right to march in whenever you want,” Chloe yelled. “And yes, I’m still upset about Yosemite but more than that, I’m fed up with you.”

“
Will you keep your voice down! You’re going to drive away the client.”

Chloe walked back to the living room, Richard following at her heels. “I’m sorry, Guy. There has been a misunderstanding. The house is not for sale.”

“
Chloe!” Richard turned to Guy. “Don’t listen to her. It is for sale.”

“
Richard, you both better leave or I’m going to call the cops,” Chloe said, picking up the phone.

“
Chloe, are you out of your mind?”

Chloe dialed 9-1-1.

Guy held up his hands. “Excuse me, but I don’t want to interfere with the both of you. It’s clear to me that the house is not for sale. No hard feelings, Cleo, er, I mean Chloe. This happens all the time. I know how difficult it must be for you since it looks to me that you have wonderful memories here. I wouldn’t sell it if I were you, and I can always find another house in Half Moon Bay.”

“
Thank you, Guy. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell Richard, but unlike you, he doesn’t seem to get it,” Chloe said, glaring at Richard as she escorted the pair out, then shut the door.

Thank God! They’re gone.

Five minutes later, her cell phone rang. “Richard, I told you I’m not selling the house and that’s final.”

“
Is this Chloe Rogers?” A woman with a husky voice was on the other line.

“
This is she,” Chloe said, still shaking with rage.

“
Well, hello there, Chloe, this is Trish … Trish Stewart.”

“
Um, I’m not sure I know any Trish Stewart,” Chloe said, hoping it wasn’t a telemarketer at this late hour.

“
You don’t know who I am, but I know who you are. I’m Josh’s girlfriend.”

Chloe was silent.
Josh has a girlfriend?
Had he been lying to her? “Josh Goldman?”

“
Yes, Josh Goldman.”

Chloe was breathing hard now. Why didn’t Josh tell her that he had a girlfriend? He never told her much about his life in Oregon.

“
Please stay away from Josh, Chloe. It’s because of you that Josh and I are apart. He belongs to me and you stole him.”

Before she could answer, there was another knock on the door. “I don’t understand.”

“
Oh sure you do. You’re fooling around with Josh when you’re supposed to be getting married soon,” Trish said. “So stay away from Josh.”

Chloe heard her shut the phone. She had almost forgotten the door when she heard another knock. Chloe ran to check.
Richard.
What was she going to do? She needed to talk to Josh.

Chloe took the last tissue from the tissue box on the hallway table before answering the door. “Look, I can explain.”

“
I’m listening,” Richard said, storming past her. “You don’t know how important that client was to me.”

“
And you don’t know how important this house is to me,” Chloe said, drying her eyes. “Didn’t I make myself clear? I’m not selling the house.”

“
Will you at least talk to me?” Before she could answer, the phone rang again.

“
Hold on, I have another call,” Chloe said, picking up the call. “Yes, Mom, what can I do for you?”

“
Don’t give me that ‘what can I do for you?’ I’ve been calling you since yesterday and you’ve never returned any of my calls,” Suzanne said.

“
Didn’t it occur to you that I’m busy?” She immediately regretted her words, but she’d had so much on her mind lately that she was having trouble juggling everything.

“
Too busy to talk to your own mother?”

Chloe sighed. “I know, Mom. I’m sorry.”

“
Where is my invitation? Jill said she still hasn’t received hers. What kind of wedding do you plan to have if you haven’t mailed the invitations? When are Richard’s parents coming over? Are we going to Atlanta?”

“
Listen, Mom, I hate to cut you short again, but Richard’s here. I promise to call you again tom—”

“
Chloe, before you put down the phone, please let me know if you mailed the invitations. When are Richard’s parents coming?”

Chloe groaned inwardly
.
“I promise I’ll mail them tomorrow. Richard’s parents are coming next weekend. Now, Mom, I really have to go.” Chloe hung up, then forced herself to remain calm as she turned to face Richard who was seated on the living room sofa. Richard held out a hand to invite her to sit next to him, but she pulled out of his reach.

“
We need to discuss a few things,” Richard said. “First of all, I don’t understand the sudden change of mind. I thought we had agreed—”

“
For the last time, I don’t want to sell this house, give up my job and move to the city with you,” Chloe said, shaking with rage. “It was never my idea, and you never considered what I wanted. You even told me to give Greta away.”

“
I thought that we had agreed on all this, and that it was a mutual decision,” Richard said, scratching his head.

“
You never listen to me. The problem with you, Richard, is that only your opinion counts, and that’s unfair,” Chloe cried. “You’re only interested in anything that benefits you.”

“
That’s not true.” Richard raised his voice. “Moving to the city is ideal for my job and you don’t even have to work.”

“
Did you ever ask me what I want?”

Richard sighed. “What is it that you really want, baby, because life for you seems to be a fairytale?”

“
Will you quit telling me that,” Chloe said, crossing her arms. Her whole day had been ruined. How could Richard try to sell her house out from under her? And now Josh had a girlfriend. She had been so stupid. She closed her eyes and fought back tears, opening them only after she had herself under control. “It’s not like you don’t have dreams as well.”

“
At least my dreams are realistic.”

“
That makes us different, which brings me to the conclusion that this relationship will never work,” Chloe said softly. She knew now a relationship with Josh was impossible, but after the last few weeks, she couldn’t marry a man like Richard either.

“
What?” Richard stood up. “You’re not breaking up with me, are you?”

Chloe shrugged her shoulders. “We’re incompatible. We don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things.”

“
You can’t break up with me,” he said, his voice breaking. “I’ve paid for the wedding. There’s no way to back out.”

“
I can request a refund if that’s what you’re worried about.” He held her hand but she pushed him away.

“
You know how embarrassing this would be to my family?” he said. “I can’t believe how ungrateful you are after all I’ve done for you.”

“
What do you mean ungrateful? What have you ever done for me? All you’ve ever been is a selfish bastard,” Chloe yelled. “Now, will you get out of my house before I call the cops this time?”

“
Baby, please calm down,” Richard said, raising his hands. “What do I need to do to make this work?”

“
You don’t get it, do you?” Chloe shook her head.

Richard sat down and cleared his throat, clearly shaken. “The thing is, I do get it, but when I was a child I saw how hard my father worked. He worked two to three jobs, while my mom stayed home to raise the eight of us. There were times when I wore the same clothes to school every day, while the rest of my classmates had new clothes. We all wore hand-me-downs and were the laughing stock in school. My mom was the coupon queen. She made sure we got everything on sale. We spent the weekends helping mom with errands and chores.”

Chloe swallowed hard then looked away from Richard.
I never knew he had such a difficult life.

“
When I was a kid, I remember watching my dad day in and day out. He only came home to eat a quick meal. Then he was on the road again.”

“
What did he do?” Chloe asked.

“
When school was in session, he worked two jobs, one at a construction site and the other one delivering goods to warehouses. During summertime, he had a weekend job where he delivered dry ice to grocery stores.”

“
It must have been difficult for you.”

“
Eight kids in a two bedroom house was rough for all of us, but Mom tried her best to raise us with good values,” Richard said. “We got teased a lot in school.”