gave me a letter to give to you upon his death.”
I gasp, “What?”
Mr. Grice pulls a sealed envelope out of one of the folders. My name is written on the front in Leo’s handwriting, and I immediately start to cry as I take the letter.
“I will see myself out. Please reach out if you need anything. I’m very sorry for your loss, Mrs. Harding.”
Mr. Grice retreats, and I’m faintly aware of the door closing in the distance. My fingers tremble, and I clench the envelope.
I stare at my name for the longest time, absorbing every letter. Leo wrote this. I can’t believe it. Tears stream down my face, and anticipation invades every pore. I’m about to read Leo’s words for the last time.
Finding my courage, I carefully open the envelope. Pulling out the pages, I unfold them and lose my breath when I see the stationery from the hotel on Mackinac Island, the place where we got engaged. Then, I look at the date.
He wrote this the night of our engagement, over four years ago.
My dearest Alma,
You’re asleep, drunk off of sugar from our excessive fudge-tasting, and I’m sitting here, watching you breathe, thankful for every breath. The diamond ring I gave you circles your finger, and I’ve never felt more happiness. In all my life, I never thought I would find someone as perfect as you, and I never thought you’d love me back.
Knowing that you’re going to be my wife someday is so overwhelming. I can barely process it all. Yet it’s true. I’m going to marry you, Almalee Hannelda Weber, and cherish every piece of you for the rest of my life.
My existence hasn’t been easy, but knowing that I get to finish this journey with you makes it all worth it. Any amount of time that I get with you is priceless. If everything I went through led me to you and our life together, I can’t regret any of it. I’d go through it all again just to get another hour with you. Your soul gives mine life. Your love gives me purpose. You give me everything.
Last year, I told you that I didn’t think I was long for this world, and it upset you a great deal. I mentioned that when I look into the future, all I see is blackness, and that’s still true. If you’re reading this letter, it means that I’m gone. I really hope that I’m wrong, and you’re reading this letter with a silver bun atop your head, swinging on our porch swing, surrounded by our grandchildren.
I hope I’m wrong, Alma. I truly do. More than anything, I want a long life with you. I want to experience everything this world has to offer. I want the house, the pets, the kids, the adventure, the grandchildren—THE LIFE.
From a very young age, I’ve accepted the fact that I’m going to die young. Most children dream into the future. They can envision what their life is going to be like. I’ve never had that ability. My future is unknown; it’s a blackness that I can’t predict. I don’t see myself old and gray with a grandkid on my lap, but I do see you that way.
Now that I’ve found you, the thought of leaving you terrifies me, and I want more than anything to be wrong. I will do everything in my power to stay with you, Alma. I will. But if my fate is a short one, I need you to know that you’ve made it enough.
I know I tell you all the time, but I don’t think you quite grasp how much I love you. There aren’t sufficient words that could ever describe it. The closest I can come is to say that I was dying, and you gave me life. I was suffocating, and you gave me air. I was drowning, and you pulled me from the depths of despair. I owe everything I am to you, and I’ll pay that debt with my love.
I can face whatever tomorrow brings because I had today. One day of your love is enough. You are my everything. And if you’re reading this letter and you’re younger than eighty, I’m sorry for leaving you too soon. Please forgive me. Please move on. Love again. Promise me you’ll be happy again. The only thing that terrifies me more than losing you is leaving you alone and sad.
I want you to be happy. You deserve a life bursting with love. You made all