Saturday, March 8, 1975
Angela sat in her room for hours after dinner trying to figure out how to go about responding to the letter. She had read it over and over that the words were imprinted into her brain. If any line stood out to her, it was always the very last line. Pray for me, Jason.
She held a notepad in her lap and a pen at the ready. Clicking the top a few times, she took a deep breath and began to write.
Dear Jason,
I found your letter in a pile of mail the other day and I have to say I was scared to open it. I didn’t know what to expect from a letter addressed with the word “Vietnam.” I can honestly say that I have no idea what to say to you to put you at ease, but that’s just it. I don’t know what to say to you. I can’t imagine living everyday never knowing whether or not it was my last day to live.
Angela felt like her heart was beginning to feel lighter and lighter as she wrote her private thoughts down on the notepad.
Ever since the start of the war my hometown has been a miserable place. I say that about where I am, but I can only imagine where you are is much worse. I was hoping after hours of thinking, I could come up with a better response and I’m sorry I can’t. The only thing I can truly tell you is that if you do get this letter and you do send one back, you can count on a response.
I’ll be praying for you,
Angela
She tore the sheet of paper from her notepad and folded it evenly into three parts. Reaching over to her night stand, she retrieved an envelope which she slid the letter into before putting the address of Jason’s letter on it. She made sure to tuck the letter safely into her nightstand drawer before sliding under the covers of her bed. Tomorrow was another day of school for her, and she was dreading going to classes when Jason was the only thing on her mind.
“Goodnight, Jason.” She whispered as she said a silent prayer to herself before sleep overcame her.
“Angela, come on honey. Wake up!” Angela’s mother smiled as she walked into her daughter’s room. She raised the blinds, letting the morning light brighten the room.
“It can’t be morning right now.” Angela groaned in protest feeling the covers being ripped off of her by her mother. She grunted. “Just ten more minutes.” She pleaded.
“No can do kiddo, now let’s get a move on. You only have a half hour to get ready before Carly comes to get you.”
Angela reluctantly rose from her bed and made her way over to the bathroom across the hall where she proceeded to get ready for another day of school. She was in the final stretch of her senior year and she couldn’t wait to get out of her local high school.
Splashing water on her face, she rinsed away the dark circles under her eyes before hopping into the shower to freshen her up. Angela stood in the shower hardly ten minutes before her mother’s voice came from the other side of the door. “Breakfast is ready, Ang! Fifteen more minutes!”
Angela shut the water off and grabbed a towel to wrap around her body before she walked back into her room to find some decent clothes. She settled on a crochet top and a pair of high waisted shorts. Angela never spent a lot of time on her appearance because she didn’t care how she looked to anyone else. She was herself and that was enough for her.
“Good morning, dad.” She greeted her father with a kiss on the cheek.
“Morning, sweetheart.” He said back as he folded his newspaper back up. “Are you leaving for school?”
Angela bit into her toast before saying, “Ten more minutes.”
“Oh well on your way out can you drop this into the mailbox?” Her dad gave her an envelope which she figured had to do with the bills or the country club.
She nodded. “Sure, dad.”
“Thanks sweet pea, have a good day at school.” Her father said standing up from the table and kissing her on the forehead. Angela took another bit of her toast before hearing a car horn coming from outside her house. “That’d be my ride.” She gave her mom a kiss on the cheek before walking towards the door.
Holding the pristine white envelope in her hand, she slapped her hand against her forehead as she darted up the stairs to get to her room. “I can’t believe I almost forgot.” She was breathless as she grabbed the envelope containing the letter from her nightstand before going back downstairs. Slinging her school bag over her shoulder, she bid her parents goodbye again and waltzed right out the door.
“Hey Ang, let’s go!” Carly yelled from her car as Angela jogged down the driveway to drop the mail in the mail box.
“Hold on!” Angela yelled back as she walked back up the driveway. Reaching Carly’s car, Angela opened the door and hopped in. “Let’s go!” Carly laughed as she backed out of Angela’s driveway like a mad person. “Jesus Christ, don’t kill us!” Angela breathed feeling like she was about to have a heart attack.
Carly rolled her eyes, “Oh relax I’m not that bad of a driver.”
Angela controlled herself from saying, “So you think.”
“Angela, where have you been like all weekend?” Holly, another one of Angela’s friends asked.
She shrugged. “Nowhere, I just stayed home.”
Carly scoffed. “Hanging out with the rents is more interesting that hanging out with us?”
Angela rolled her eyes. “I didn’t hang out with my parents all weekend. I just found something more interesting, that’s all.”
“What could be ‘more interesting’ than hanging out with your best friends.
“I’d tell you, but I’d probably bore you.” She admitted refraining from tell her friends about the letter or Jason.
Holy scoffed this time. “Try us.” She tested.
Angela flipped back the flap of her messenger bag and pulled the letter out of the small pocket. “This is the reason why I didn’t see you guys this weekend.” She stated holding up the dingy brown envelope.
“Gross, what is it?” Carly asked looking at it in disgust.
“That dirty envelope was the reason you didn’t hang out with us this weekend? You can’t be serious.” Holly said.
Angela sighed and shook her head as she put the letter back in her messenger bag. “This is the reason I don’t tell you guys everything. You just don’t get it.” She said closing her locker.
“Look, we’re sorry, but what does that letter have to do with us?” Carly asked catching Angela by the elbow.
Angela sighed and took a deep breath. “This letter wasn’t meant to go anywhere,” She looked around at the other students talking amongst themselves in small groups. “But it came to me.”
Holly and Carly looked at their friend like she was crazy. “What are you talking about?” They both asked at the same time.
“Look, there’s no receiver address and yet it came to my house.”
“So you think this is a sign or something?” Carly asked.
“When it comes from Vietnam, I think it is.” Angela stated as her friends looked at the dirty brown envelope in a different light.
“Who wrote it?” Holly asked now holding the frail paper between her fingertips.
Angela shrugged and said, “A boy named Jason.”
“Well, what did you do?” Carly asked.
“What do you mean?” She responded confused.
Carly rolled her eyes. “Did you respond to the letter?”
“Well, yea. I thought I should. I mailed it this morning.”
Carly and Holly took turns looking at the envelope. It was like their whole tune had changed. Angela didn’t understand why they had a sudden change of heart, but it was as if they were thinking the same thing she was. What are the odds of this happening to anyone? Let alone me?