The Letter [Fiction]
Another Valentine's Day was around the corner. Nina Peak detested the month of February because it brought back bad memories that had haunted her for the past three years. You have to move on, her mama had begged. And she tried so hard. But no one could understand what it meant to be wanted and loved, and the feelings changed overnight into inexplicable animosity.
The gentle breeze and dark, cloudy sky heralded a storm. She wrapped her sweater tight around her and shut the windows. A sudden rumble and clap of thunder made her yelp and jump. She sighed and shook her head at her anxious self. When would her body stop reacting like this?
An image of the horrible incident that happened three years ago flashed through her mind. She shook her head vigorously to dispel it from taking shape but it was adamant, an annual torture that her mind subjected her body to. Then the doorbell rang, making her jump again.
It was six pm. She trudged to the door and looked through the peephole. It was a delivery man in uniform with a package. Strange. Nina often got packages on the fourteenth, not the twelfth. Chad never broke his pattern. He was predictable like that and she'd planned to stay away from her apartment tomorrow and the fourteenth.
She opened the door. “Yes?”
“Hi! You have a package. Please sign here and…here,” the young man said, shoving a clipboard at her. She took his pen and signed and collected the wrapped box.
Inside her apartment, Nina chewed on her lower lip while staring at the box on her table, debating whether to open it or not. The return address was Westbury Correctional Centre. Tears quickly pooled in her eyes. When would she be free of this torture?
You're not as free as you thought, a voice whispered in her head and she agreed with a nod. Her family was in Westbury and she'd never lived away from them. Perhaps it was time to do so. If she lived in a different state, the letters wouldn't come and maybe when he got out, he wouldn't find her.
She took her pocket knife and opened the box. Packaging peanuts filled it but in the middle was a small water globe and a letter. She gingerly held the globe, scoffing at the miniature Eiffel tower inside it. She tore the envelope to read the letter.
Nina, my darling.
Why won't you reply to any of my letters? I won't be in here for long, you know. Three more years and we can be together again. Please forgive me for the bodily and verbal assaults. I have no excuses and my therapist told me to stop justifying my actions. They were wrong. Unlike the past three years, I wanted to surprise you with an early Valentine's Day gift. Something to remember me by. I hope you like it. When I get out, we can visit Paris together, just as you've always wanted. But first, I'm hoping to earn your forgiveness.
Your love, Chad Brave.
Nina's screech quickly turned into a howl as she tore the letter into tiny bits and flung the globe against the wall. The glass shattered into tiny pieces, like her heart.
Her mind was made up. She won't be here when he got out. It was time to leave Westbury and start a new life.
I hope you enjoyed reading this short piece inspired by the Freewrite #dailyprompt word “not as free as you thought”. Thank you for visiting my blog.
Image created by AI in Nightcafe Studio