Chapter 4

Something that I heard when I dropped David's suitcase kept bothering me. I needed to satisfy my curiosity, and then throw them all away, once and for all. When I got his bag open on the bed, I tore out every bit of the lining. I found just what I'd thought I'd find – a packet of letters, hidden from everyone, which meant they held something David needed to keep secret.

The letters were recent, each one was dated, and they were written and presumably sent, about a week apart, for the last four months. The final letter was dated just days before the family would have left New York on the way to Arizona.

The author was a young girl. Her handwriting was beautiful. Every stroke of her pen was a unique work of art, and each word a masterpiece in itself. Wherever that child learned penmanship was not public school.

Each letter was signed with her first name only – Cindi with an 'i', and each 'i' was crowned with a sweet, slightly off center, heart. For some reason I was captivated by her precision and devotion to perfect writing.

Whoever Cindi was, she deserved to know that the whole family was dead, without divulging that I was the new resident in David's body. That was a conundrum all by itself. I contemplated ways to get her the information, without having her transfer her affections to me, but nothing came to mind, so I set that thought aside.

In truth, I couldn't wait to read David's private mail and see what I might learn about him while I inhabited his shell.

The oldest letter was from just after the first of the year. We were in the last week of May, so they'd been pen pals for at least four months, give, or take. I settled back against the headboard, with a small mountain of pillows stuffed all around me, and began to read...

Dear Davy,

I arrived home from the ski trip on Saturday night, just as I said I would. Our young adult group had a wonderful time skiing in Wyoming. Everyone chattered non-stop about their trip except me.

I sat in the far back and volunteered to have the small bags stuffed on the floor and seat beside me, all the way home, so I could be alone and think about you.

It's Monday night, and I can't believe I met my true love just seven days ago! Every girl dreams about the day she meets her one and only, and my day finally came. When you helped me up after I tumbled off the ski lift, you smiled when I slipped trying to get up, and I lost my heart, forever.

It's gone, because I gave it to you at that instant.

My mother says that I would know when I was in love, because it is impossible to miss, and I know she was telling the truth because I knew I loved you from that first smile I can't tell you anything about the rest of our young adult group, and how they liked the ski trip, because the only thing I remember is your smile, soft hands, and gentle voice. Mom says you swept me off my feet, and insisted we go to the OBGYN to get me on birth control pills, so that's what we did two day after I got home.

I know you promised to call me Tuesday night, but I couldn't wait so I'm writing to you now. It's kind of funny, because we will have talked long before you get this letter, telling you I'm going to talk to you tomorrow.

Oh well...

My mother's husband keeps making stupid jokes about puppy love, but this isn't that ... I Am Totally, Completely, and Perfectly In Love, and nothing sarcastic that George says can ruin it for me! If you could see how he speaks to mom, you'd want to stay as far from him as I do. I can't imagine what my mother sees in that monster. He's loud, mean, and he smells.

I Am NOT going to think about George when I'm dreaming about you, so that's the end of that.

Let's talk about important things, like when we can be together again. You leave for Arizona in just a few months, and then you'll be so much closer, we might be able to see each other when school lets out, and I graduate. Just think about it! I will be free of all this drama! Mother can deal with George by herself, because I'm getting away from him as soon as college starts in August.

Speaking of college ... George says that we don't have the money to pay my tuition, and Mom is going to have to get my real father to come up with it. He lives in New York, somewhere, but my mother only hears from his work address, so she doesn't know where he lives. Maybe he'll want to know me someday...

I miss you so much. I know I'm just rambling on and on. I don't want to close this, and send it, because that means I will stop thinking about you, and go do the things that I have to do, instead.

Please don't forget me.

I will never forget you, or your smile, or those soft, sexy eyes of yours...

Don't laugh but some nights I wake up in the middle of the night thinking that you are in bed with me, and try to find you. I wish it was true. I would love you so much, and we could do those things that everyone else talks about.

I love you...

Cindi...

Clearly that child had a big time crush on David. I didn't see anything to indicate that he kept copies of his replies, so whatever came of this love affair, I was going to have to discover how that came about by reading only Cindi's side of the story.

Suffice it to say that I was already hooked.

I set down the pile of letters and reflected on her childlike devotion. Colleen used to love me like that. Beth Ann loved me like that for a little while, but Regina loved me like that the most. She LOVED me, adored me, and nearly worshipped me.

I could see a lot of Regina through Cindi's letter, and it made me lonesome for home. The only problem with that was, home wasn't there anymore. Whatever I had now, Branson and my girls weren't it.

Just then, my phone rang, breaking up the beginnings of a pity party. Ernie Wright was calling.

"David? It's Ernie Wright.

"I heard from the trucking company and they are playing phone tag with each other, while they get a settlement offer together, so we'll not see their offer till Monday. I know you wanted to hit the road, but can you stick around long enough to see how it goes?"

I couldn't imagine laying over in Durango for three more days. "Mr. Wright, I really don't wish to make things hard for you, but my entire family was killed here. I need to get away from this place before I sink into depression over it. Is there any way to handle things without my staying over the weekend?"

Ernie Wright mulled over my answer, and then said, "You know what? You are the injured party. The freight hauler and their underwriters need to please you, not themselves. You hit the road as you choose, David, and I will get this done as close to Monday as possible, and call you with updates."

I liked that answer and said so.

Having the question of when I was leaving answered, left me wondering about where I was leaving for. I wasn't heading back to Florida anytime soon, just as I wouldn't be hitting Branson for the foreseeable future. DC wasn't my cup to tea, and New York was out due to the potential of running into someone who knew David. I struggled coming up with a plan for some time.

Then it hit me.

The return address on Cindi's letter was somewhere in Idaho, and I'd never been to Idaho. It made sense to take a little side trip and see what was so special up there.

After a nice dinner at an Italian place, that had food tasting like – I don't know – steak, I crawled back up against my mountain of pillows on the bed and read Cindi's next letter.

It was dated a week after the first one, and started out quite differently.