Between the Lines (11/17)
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“Kevin?”
Kevin started, turning away from the window he was staring out of and towards his wife. She gave him a small smile.
“Writing?”
“Yes. Trying to, anyway. Sorry - were you calling?”
“No, it’s fine. I just…I wanted to talk to you.”
Kevin put his pen down, facing Rebecca fully. “What is it?”
Rebecca sat down, folding her hands in her lap. She took a deep breath. “I have a proposition for you.”
Kevin nodded.
“Next week is our anniversary,” Rebecca began.
Kevin smiled. “Yes, I know. I reserved us a table at that new restaurant downtown.”
“That sounds lovely. So…we’ve been married for almost a year now, and…and I think things have been going really well.”
“Me too,” Kevin said with a grin.
“I would like a child,” Rebecca said quickly.
Kevin blinked.
“I think it’s something we both would enjoy,” she continued. “Being parents, I mean, not - anyway. I want to have a baby; I think it would help if I had someone or something to focus on besides… And I think you would make a wonderful father, and it perhaps would help - maintain the appearance of - ”
Kevin stared at her, then looked down at his hands. “I think,” he said slowly. “I think that’s a good idea.”
“You do?” Rebecca asked, laughing in relief.
“Yes, I’ve…I’ve been thinking about…legacies recently.”
“So, uh, I guess we just…”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll come to your bedroom tonight.”
Rebecca smiled. Kevin kept the appointment, arriving at her room promptly at 10. After knocking back a couple large shots of bourbon.
***
“What does she say?” Jason asked excitedly.
Chad shrugged. “I just skimmed until I saw his name and then I came over here.”
Jason rolled his eyes. “Give me the diary,” he ordered.
Chad handed it over. “We should start from the beginning,” he said, walking over and climbing onto the bed.
“Of course,” Jason agreed, lying down next to him. He placed the book between the two of them and opened to the first page.
They read quietly, flipping through the pages, skimming sections that were clearly unrelated. Chad was half a page ahead when he exclaimed.
“Look at this. Letter from Julia this morning. She says that Kevin stopped by their house that day, and Tommy again refused to see him. It’s been almost ten years now. While neither boy told me what happened, I can guess based on some of their comments on the matter. I don’t know why Tommy is being so difficult over something that should really not have been that much of a surprise. It’s something I’m sure we all suspected, even if no one voiced those concerns out loud.”
Jason shook his head. “I think this confirms it wasn’t an affair. It would make no sense.”
Chad nodded. “I agree. Of course we still don’t know what it actually was.”
Jason sighed and continued reading. Silence filled the room again, broken periodically by the turn of a page or the rustle of sheets as one of the men shifted position. Jason paused in confusion as he read a sentence, and then reread it again.
“Letter and picture from Kitty today. Little Evan looks more and more like his father every year,” he said aloud.
“Yeah?” Chad asked. “What is it?”
Jason shrugged. “Nothing. It’s just I’ve seen pictures of my dad as a kid, and I don’t think he looked anything like my grandpa. He clearly took after the Walker side.”
“Maybe Sarah was imagining things. People often say those types of things regardless of how the kid actually looks.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Jason said.
***
Scotty stared in admiring awe at the rather large ranch house in front of him. He couldn’t quite believe that Kevin lived here, but this is where he had been directed to. It had taken him an obscene amount of time to get to California - first there was the prisoner camp and, after the war was over and they were freed, recuperating; then returning to Mississippi and trying to save money for the move; and then finally finding Kevin’s address just outside of L.A. Scotty sighed; it didn’t matter. He was here now, and he and Kevin could hopefully find a way to pick up where they left off.
He walked up the drive and knocked briskly on the door. After only a few minutes, the door opened. Scotty furrowed his brow in confused surprise when he saw the obviously pregnant woman in front of him. Then he smiled politely.
“Good afternoon, ma’am. I may not have the right house. I’m looking for Kevin Walker.”
She looked warily at him. “I’m afraid he’s not home at the moment. I don’t expect him back for several more hours.”
Scotty nodded, still confused but started to feel a sinking sensation in his stomach. “I see. I’m - I’m Scotty Wandell. We knew each other during the war.”
Scotty saw - or imagined, at least - a flinch of recognition. She opened the door further, reaching out to shake his hand. “Mr. Wandell, I’m Mrs. Walker.”
And that’s when the truth struck him. “You’re - ”
“I’m Kevin’s wife, yes.”
“I…see.”
“If you leave some contact information with me, I’ll be sure to let him know you stopped by.”
“No, that’s…yes…I mean, if you have some paper, I’ll write him a note.”
“Certainly,” she paused. “Wait here, please.” Then she turned away, closing the door and leaving Scotty reeling on the porch.
She returned several minutes later, handing him a piece of paper and a pen. Scotty smiled uncomfortably at her as he turned away, leaning over the railing of the porch to write. He stared at the blank sheet and tried to think of how to put his feelings into words. Finally he began, recalling their coded letters from long ago. When he finished, he folded up the letter several times, wrote Kevin’s name on top and handed it back to…Kevin’s wife.
“Thank you, ma’am,” he said.
“How long will you be in town, Mr. Wandell?”
“I suppose it…depends,” he answered truthfully.
“I see,” she said, echoing his words from earlier. “Well, good day.”
She gave him a strained smile and went back inside. He stared at the door for a moment and then turned away. He had no way of knowing that, on the other side of the door, Rebecca Walker leaned against the wood. She held one hand to her mouth and pressed the letter against her protruding stomach with her other hand, fighting curiosity and fear and doubt. She thought of the life she and Kevin were slowly building together - not ideal, but happy in its own way. She thought of the life she had dreamed of, with every letter she received from Justin until all hope was taken away. She thought of the life Kevin could still have, if she stepped aside. And she thought of the life growing inside her.
Rebecca opened the letter, reading the contents quickly. It was rather innocuous at first glance, but she had experience reading her husband’s work and could recognize the signs of someone, in a sense, trained by him. And the emotions it held in it, just below the surface, were a danger to her. Rebecca wavered, uncertain, and then she moved. She went to the attic, found the trunk from Kevin’s Army days - and the letters at the bottom which he thought were well-hidden from her. She slipped this last one into an envelope, reburying it deep underneath the others.
***
“I hope you both slept well,” Paige said politely over breakfast. “You seem rather tired.”
“Oh, travel,” Jason lied. “You know how it is. The bed was very comfortable.”
“Absolutely,” Chad chimed in.
“Well, good. You two are welcome to stay as long as you like.”
“Thank you very much,” Jason said. “I think we might take you up on that, for at least one more night. But we planned on doing some sight-seeing today.”
Chad looked at him, smiling lightly, and Jason looked away. The previous night, they had made it to the entries around Kevin’s last visit. Kevin found what he was looking for, Sarah had written, giving the name of a small town less than 20 miles away. He was happier than I’ve seen him in a long time. He was going back there for a few days, but promised he would finally give me all the details before he returned to the States. I don’t really care what it is, as long as it keeps that smile on his face. My poor baby brother has suffered too many losses.
The excitement the discovery had produced was immediate. Chad and Jason both sat up, exclaiming simultaneously that they had to go to the town and see if they could find any clues. They seemed to realize at the same time how loud they were, shushing each other and laughing quietly. Chad grabbed Jason’s wrist, tugging slightly in enthusiasm, even as he tried to calm himself down.
They came very close to kissing again.
Chad had backed away then, sobering immediately. He said they should get some sleep, go to the town tomorrow, and then finish the diary the next night. Then he escaped the bedroom for his own. Once he left, Jason took a deep breath, exhaled it slowly, and collapsed onto the bed.
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“Kevin?”
Kevin started, turning away from the window he was staring out of and towards his wife. She gave him a small smile.
“Writing?”
“Yes. Trying to, anyway. Sorry - were you calling?”
“No, it’s fine. I just…I wanted to talk to you.”
Kevin put his pen down, facing Rebecca fully. “What is it?”
Rebecca sat down, folding her hands in her lap. She took a deep breath. “I have a proposition for you.”
Kevin nodded.
“Next week is our anniversary,” Rebecca began.
Kevin smiled. “Yes, I know. I reserved us a table at that new restaurant downtown.”
“That sounds lovely. So…we’ve been married for almost a year now, and…and I think things have been going really well.”
“Me too,” Kevin said with a grin.
“I would like a child,” Rebecca said quickly.
Kevin blinked.
“I think it’s something we both would enjoy,” she continued. “Being parents, I mean, not - anyway. I want to have a baby; I think it would help if I had someone or something to focus on besides… And I think you would make a wonderful father, and it perhaps would help - maintain the appearance of - ”
Kevin stared at her, then looked down at his hands. “I think,” he said slowly. “I think that’s a good idea.”
“You do?” Rebecca asked, laughing in relief.
“Yes, I’ve…I’ve been thinking about…legacies recently.”
“So, uh, I guess we just…”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll come to your bedroom tonight.”
Rebecca smiled. Kevin kept the appointment, arriving at her room promptly at 10. After knocking back a couple large shots of bourbon.
***
“What does she say?” Jason asked excitedly.
Chad shrugged. “I just skimmed until I saw his name and then I came over here.”
Jason rolled his eyes. “Give me the diary,” he ordered.
Chad handed it over. “We should start from the beginning,” he said, walking over and climbing onto the bed.
“Of course,” Jason agreed, lying down next to him. He placed the book between the two of them and opened to the first page.
They read quietly, flipping through the pages, skimming sections that were clearly unrelated. Chad was half a page ahead when he exclaimed.
“Look at this. Letter from Julia this morning. She says that Kevin stopped by their house that day, and Tommy again refused to see him. It’s been almost ten years now. While neither boy told me what happened, I can guess based on some of their comments on the matter. I don’t know why Tommy is being so difficult over something that should really not have been that much of a surprise. It’s something I’m sure we all suspected, even if no one voiced those concerns out loud.”
Jason shook his head. “I think this confirms it wasn’t an affair. It would make no sense.”
Chad nodded. “I agree. Of course we still don’t know what it actually was.”
Jason sighed and continued reading. Silence filled the room again, broken periodically by the turn of a page or the rustle of sheets as one of the men shifted position. Jason paused in confusion as he read a sentence, and then reread it again.
“Letter and picture from Kitty today. Little Evan looks more and more like his father every year,” he said aloud.
“Yeah?” Chad asked. “What is it?”
Jason shrugged. “Nothing. It’s just I’ve seen pictures of my dad as a kid, and I don’t think he looked anything like my grandpa. He clearly took after the Walker side.”
“Maybe Sarah was imagining things. People often say those types of things regardless of how the kid actually looks.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Jason said.
***
Scotty stared in admiring awe at the rather large ranch house in front of him. He couldn’t quite believe that Kevin lived here, but this is where he had been directed to. It had taken him an obscene amount of time to get to California - first there was the prisoner camp and, after the war was over and they were freed, recuperating; then returning to Mississippi and trying to save money for the move; and then finally finding Kevin’s address just outside of L.A. Scotty sighed; it didn’t matter. He was here now, and he and Kevin could hopefully find a way to pick up where they left off.
He walked up the drive and knocked briskly on the door. After only a few minutes, the door opened. Scotty furrowed his brow in confused surprise when he saw the obviously pregnant woman in front of him. Then he smiled politely.
“Good afternoon, ma’am. I may not have the right house. I’m looking for Kevin Walker.”
She looked warily at him. “I’m afraid he’s not home at the moment. I don’t expect him back for several more hours.”
Scotty nodded, still confused but started to feel a sinking sensation in his stomach. “I see. I’m - I’m Scotty Wandell. We knew each other during the war.”
Scotty saw - or imagined, at least - a flinch of recognition. She opened the door further, reaching out to shake his hand. “Mr. Wandell, I’m Mrs. Walker.”
And that’s when the truth struck him. “You’re - ”
“I’m Kevin’s wife, yes.”
“I…see.”
“If you leave some contact information with me, I’ll be sure to let him know you stopped by.”
“No, that’s…yes…I mean, if you have some paper, I’ll write him a note.”
“Certainly,” she paused. “Wait here, please.” Then she turned away, closing the door and leaving Scotty reeling on the porch.
She returned several minutes later, handing him a piece of paper and a pen. Scotty smiled uncomfortably at her as he turned away, leaning over the railing of the porch to write. He stared at the blank sheet and tried to think of how to put his feelings into words. Finally he began, recalling their coded letters from long ago. When he finished, he folded up the letter several times, wrote Kevin’s name on top and handed it back to…Kevin’s wife.
“Thank you, ma’am,” he said.
“How long will you be in town, Mr. Wandell?”
“I suppose it…depends,” he answered truthfully.
“I see,” she said, echoing his words from earlier. “Well, good day.”
She gave him a strained smile and went back inside. He stared at the door for a moment and then turned away. He had no way of knowing that, on the other side of the door, Rebecca Walker leaned against the wood. She held one hand to her mouth and pressed the letter against her protruding stomach with her other hand, fighting curiosity and fear and doubt. She thought of the life she and Kevin were slowly building together - not ideal, but happy in its own way. She thought of the life she had dreamed of, with every letter she received from Justin until all hope was taken away. She thought of the life Kevin could still have, if she stepped aside. And she thought of the life growing inside her.
Rebecca opened the letter, reading the contents quickly. It was rather innocuous at first glance, but she had experience reading her husband’s work and could recognize the signs of someone, in a sense, trained by him. And the emotions it held in it, just below the surface, were a danger to her. Rebecca wavered, uncertain, and then she moved. She went to the attic, found the trunk from Kevin’s Army days - and the letters at the bottom which he thought were well-hidden from her. She slipped this last one into an envelope, reburying it deep underneath the others.
***
“I hope you both slept well,” Paige said politely over breakfast. “You seem rather tired.”
“Oh, travel,” Jason lied. “You know how it is. The bed was very comfortable.”
“Absolutely,” Chad chimed in.
“Well, good. You two are welcome to stay as long as you like.”
“Thank you very much,” Jason said. “I think we might take you up on that, for at least one more night. But we planned on doing some sight-seeing today.”
Chad looked at him, smiling lightly, and Jason looked away. The previous night, they had made it to the entries around Kevin’s last visit. Kevin found what he was looking for, Sarah had written, giving the name of a small town less than 20 miles away. He was happier than I’ve seen him in a long time. He was going back there for a few days, but promised he would finally give me all the details before he returned to the States. I don’t really care what it is, as long as it keeps that smile on his face. My poor baby brother has suffered too many losses.
The excitement the discovery had produced was immediate. Chad and Jason both sat up, exclaiming simultaneously that they had to go to the town and see if they could find any clues. They seemed to realize at the same time how loud they were, shushing each other and laughing quietly. Chad grabbed Jason’s wrist, tugging slightly in enthusiasm, even as he tried to calm himself down.
They came very close to kissing again.
Chad had backed away then, sobering immediately. He said they should get some sleep, go to the town tomorrow, and then finish the diary the next night. Then he escaped the bedroom for his own. Once he left, Jason took a deep breath, exhaled it slowly, and collapsed onto the bed.
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