Dad's Diary

Chapter 1

Jackie Kennedy Onassis Fifth Avenue Apartment, NY

Friday 27th May 1994

7pm

John sighed as he sat on his knees looking through his mother’s private books and diaries from her life. She always said she never wrote any but she did only John and Caroline knew that.

It had just been over a week since she’d died. John felt lost but everything in her wardrobe stank of Chanel No. 5. “John?” Caroline asked standing in the door way.

“Yeah?” He replied turning to look at her.

“I’m going to go home and see the kids and Ed for a while. Don’t spend all night here, okay?”

He nodded. “I won’t.”

After Caroline had left John continued looking through the wardrobe. He’d just pulled the last box of photo albums out when he heard something fall down inside the closet. He grabbed the flashlight and started to feel around under all her clothes and shoes. As his hand grasped around, he felt something hard. He grabbed it and pulled it out.

It was a blue notebook, it looked really old. He wiped the dust of the cover. It looked like it hadn’t been touched since the sixties. He slowly but cautiously opened it. The first page was dusty, he blew on it. He gasped as his eyes landed on the name of the book’s owner. John F Kennedy. November 1962.

John’s fingers ran over the pen written name a few times. This was his father’s diary. Why hadn’t he known about this? Why hadn’t Mum told him? Why did his Dad have a diary? He was full of curiosity. His trembling hand slowly turned the page.

His whole body was shaking with nerves and excitement. The page felt old and crumbly as he turned it. He took a deep breath as he began to look at the quick sketches and doodles from his father. Both Caroline and John’s names were sketched. It pulled at his heartstrings. He quickly closed the book and shoved it in his coat pocket.

He rushed out of the apartment quickly, locking the door behind him and jogged down Fifth Avenue till he reached his house. He needed to know more.