Short Story

Mystery Letter: In The Library

Episode #7

Tom was out of breath when he arrived at Nicole’s son’s house. He saw Cathy joining Felix while he played with his wooden blocks. He made a very high tower, just like a corporate building.

“Well, Tom, you need a cup of tea. Please, sit down, then I will give you some delicious green tea.”

“Thank you, Nicole. That is very sweet of you. That kid has so much energy. I can’t keep up with her. She was so fast running to you, that I am out of breath now.”

“You know,” said Nicole while she poured a cup of tea for Tom and her, “we all have that when we get older. That is a part of getting older. That is fine, you know!”

“Yeah, but look at those two little children, so energized.”

“I think you had that energy too when you were a little boy.”

“I just want those days back.”

In the meantime, Cathy was able to reproduce the same high tower as Felix. She was proud as well as Felix and he hugged her. Nicole laughed at him and gave him a cookie. She went to the kitchen to finish the lunch she prepared for all of them.

“Cathy and Felix, would you like to make the table, please?”

Cathy and Felix ran into the kitchen while they left their wooden buildings as they fell on the floor. And they laughed about it. Tom and Nicole looked at each other, and they laughed with each other.

“What are you laughing?”

Felix and Cathy looked at each other. They whispered something and went back on to do the table. They gave each other high fives after having done the table. In the meantime, Tom helped Nicole wherever he could making dinner.

After a very intense and emotional morning in the hospital, Leo and Loretta came back to the hotel. They sat on the couch in the room. Loretta was tired, but she also wanted to do something before the day was over. Then, she saw The Letter Leo got and asked what that Letter was about. When Leo was not ready to tell about his past, he got so many tears. She comforted him by squeezing in his hand. Through his tears, he got a little smile when thinking about his past wife. Loretta reminded him a little bit of his late wife.

When he explained that he got those Letters, he looked mysterious to Loretta. Now she was more curious to know what is in his mind, but she knew that when she asked for more, he would be out of balance. She felt that. His little smile did something good to her too.

There was a knock on their door. They looked to one another. Surprised, there was room service, but they didn’t order any room service. Strange.

“Sir, we didn’t order any room service.”

“Ma’am, I have done this because I have been told to do so.”

“Who did this?” added Leo.

“Sir, I don’t know who ordered you room service, but these are orders I got.”

“Well, thank you, but do we have to pay for it?”

The man in his suit looked onto the bill, but it said that it had been paid already. Leo and Loretta looked at each other and took the room service. It was so nicely decorated. A bottle of champagne, a croissant for everyone, other luxurious bread, fruit, and a menu for late lunch.

As fast as they got the room service, as soon as the man left. They looked at each other again, flabbergasted. “It is so strange what is happening right now. And I am not used to those kinds of things”, said Leo while taking grapes into his hands. “Crazy, isn’t it”, answered Loretta looking at Leo with a glimpse in her eyes. She laid her head on his shoulders. That felt comfortable for Leo. He wants more of that.

Both took a sip of the lovely champagne and they both ate all the fruit basket empty. It was so much fun, and they were a little bit drunk after a while, but both decided to go to The Library in Munich before it closes. Loretta stood up and she walked a little bit of the path so that Leo had to catch her while she almost falls on the floor.

Standing straight again, Leo took the chance to kiss her. Long, with his tongue in her mouth, and very smoothly. Then slowly she stopped, kissed his lips gently, and then she put her head against his big muscled body, strong that she felt. His arms wrapped around her, he hugged her, kissed her forehead, and pushed her away. “We need to go before it is too late,” he said whispering it. Yet, they also have been reminded of the pain Loretta had.

The taxi arrived at the hotel and he brought the two love birds to The Library. The driver looked into the mirror to see them hugging and kissing, which makes him smile. He drove further and stopped right in front of The Library. A beautiful big building, and very old, but also very modern inside the building.

After dinner, Cathy, Felix, Tom, and Nicole made a walk through the neighborhood. This time, they made a different round than they do normally. Guess what? They found another spot of nature to see and they thought it was fantastic for Leo and Loretta too. They both love walking through nature as well.

When they arrived at a nice spot in a park, you could walk further to the forest or go back, the route back home, but take the longer route. They decided to walk back and wake up early tomorrow to go into the forest. While walking back, Tom got a message from Loretta with a picture that says “In The Library in Munich”. With a big smile on his face, Tom walked back as he knew that his daughter is safe and having fun in Munich.

“Why are you laughing, granddad,” Cathy asked her grandfather running from stone to stone through the park. “Nothing, darling,” Tom grinned all the time. “Go play with the big stones again, Cathy.” Tom started smiling again when he looked at Nicole. His heart bounced and bounced million times. He hadn’t felt it in ages, and he liked it very much. Without him realizing it, he put his right hand on his heart looking at Nicole and Felix. It made him smile that his heart filled with love again. Especially after the car accident eight years ago. It is the combination of love for Nicole and Felix as well as that his daughter has a lot of fun in Munich.

Cathy and Felix ran around the two elderly people to try to play hide and seek. But they realized that is not funny, as they will see each other, but instead, they were playing tag. And they added the rule to not tag each other when they were on a stone. But there were barely stones around them. Just a few, but far away from where they played tag.

Nicole took pictures of the kids playing with each other and she loved it very much. Smiling her mouth off her face, then looking to Tom. She looked back when Tom looked at her too. She got butterflies in her stomach. ‘What a great feeling’, she thought while laughing. “May I laugh with you?”, Tom whispered in her ears while he stood close behind her and holding her shoulders. This old man walked slowly back to make space for Nicole. He didn’t want to intrude into her life that fast, but he can’t help his feelings at this old age.

Cathy and Felix held hands while walking back home. Laughing out loud and running through the streets. When they had to say goodbye for the night, they hugged each other when both got some tears. They both had so much fun playing with each other.

When it was dinner time, Cathy saw the phone of her grandfather flickering. She saw it was her mother, so she assumed that she might pick up the phone while Tom was making dinner. “Pasta”, was his answer when Cathy asked what was on the menu for dinner.

“Hello, Cathy here.”

“Hey, sweetheart. How are you doing?”

“I am doing fine, thanks, mom. Granddad is making pasta for dinner.”

“That sounds delicious. Is he able to speak, or should I wait for a while?”

“I will ask.”

Three houses next to Cathy, Nicole made a simple salad with feta, nuts, beans, corn, tomatoes, and rasped carrots. With the salads, Nicole served baked potatoes with garlic sauce. Felix and his grandma had so much fun together, and they were so tired after the walk.

From the corner of her eyes, Nicole saw her son’s face on her screen. she answered the phone. “What is it, darling?” she asked.

“I just wanted to chat with you mom. I just had a lovely day today.”

“What have you done today?”

“In the first place, I have been to the hospital with that woman I told you about, but everything seems fine. She needs to take some rest, and there must be someone helping her. I took that task on me.”

Her father stood up from behind the table and told her that he is going to pick her up. She can’t just let a stranger help her with everything. Especially after what she had been through.

“No, dad, that is not necessary. He is very good to me! And I love it that I am going through this with him. He is a real gentleman and he takes care of me. I am going back to the doctor with him one day after tomorrow. That is two days more than I have planned. He just rebooked his flight to stay with me two more days.”

“Mom, this woman is terrific. You don’t need to worry about me. I am a grown-up man who can live his life.”

Nicole hangs up while Felix was already finished eating and took one more plate to fill his stomach with. This young man is growing as his father did as a child.

“Yeah, but you’re so vulnerable, and I don’t want you to be hurt.”, Tom told his daughter with fierce. “I love you too much if you get hurt again.”, continued Tom when walking through the living room.

Read more in these series:

Part Six, Part Five, Part Four, Part Three, Part Two, Part One