The Letter Drawer
True
love never dies, but is it enough to heal a broken faith?
Claire and Evan met
when they were children. They grew up together and fell in love. When Evan
became a soldier, he and Claire held onto their love, remaining faithful to one
another through every deployment. As the years passed, it seemed that life had
given them everything they ever wanted … until tragedy struck.
Evan, left in the
wake of tragedies, is now forced to decide what is most precious to him. Will
love heal him or will devastation destroy his faith? Can Evan’s family show him
the way? Can love truly set him free?
About Sarah Galloway
Sarah Galloway is an
Army wife and a mother to four wonderful children. She began writing as a child
and continued her love of writing throughout her life. Sarah wrote
The
Letter Drawer while her husband was deployed in Afghanistan in 2012. She
and her husband are residents of Colorado Springs, CO, but are currently
stationed in beautiful Monterey, CA.
Sarah and her
husband are both avid readers and enjoy a library of books that they keep along
the length of their wall in their home office. One of her favorite past times
is curling up with a good book while her Great Dane snores at her feet.
Sarah is also a
Registered Nurse and spent many sleepless nights working in the Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit in Colorado Springs. She is very humbled by the tiny
miracles that she saw during her years there and she loves all of the babies
and families that she had the opportunity to care for. Sarah is continuing her
education to become a Family Nurse Practitioner and plans to graduate at the
end of 2014. Sarah’s passions include writing, healing people, and providing
comfort to those who need it most.
How to reach Sarah
Galloway
Twitter @GallowayBooks
Excerpt of The
Letter Drawer
They had been so young,
so very young. She remembered walking to the school bus, alone and scared. Her
first day of first grade and then there he was, a young boy in a dress shirt
and slacks, a lunch box in his hand and a blue and red backpack on his back.
Tall and quiet, the boy’s eyes did not meet hers. His dark brown hair was well
cropped above his big brown eyes. She saw him and lost some of her fear.
Walking up next to him, she stood silently as they waited for the bus.
That was the beginning
of it. From that moment on, they were never far from one another. She chose a
seat next to him in class and she always picked the seat next to him on the bus
ride home. They sat in silence at first, both looking straight ahead with their
hands folded neatly in their lap.
Later, when she could
finally stand the silence no more, she glanced over at him. “My name is Claire,
what’s yours?”
The boy’s voice was
quiet. “Evan.”
“Evan,” she repeated
softly. “Okay.”
He gave her a puzzled
look. “Okay what?”
“Okay, I like your name
Evan. You can be my friend.”
Evan looked at her, a
small, confused smile playing at the corner of his lips.
Time went on. They
played, built forts, explored the forest behind their neighborhood, and
laughed. They grew up together. They became best friends, and that did not
change.
Middle school
approached and Evan became an awkward, lanky boy while Claire was a
dark-haired, green-eyed beauty. She didn’t seem to care. All of the sudden, the
boys noticed Claire, but still, she stayed by Evan.
“Hey Claire,” they would
say. “Want to come hang out with us after school?”
“No thanks,” replied
Claire.
“Why not?”
“I’m studying with
Evan.”
Despite the whispering,
whining, and complaining that came from the other boys, Claire never wavered.
When she left school, she always walked to the bus with Evan. She rode with
him, laughed, and told jokes with him, even when the others snickered or
sneered.
One day, as they rode
next to each other, Claire realized that what she felt for Evan was more than
just friendship. She reached over and took his strong, masculine hand, clasping
it in her own much smaller one. He looked up at her, waiting for something.
Wondering what was on
her mind, he interrupted the silence. “Claire?”
“Yes, Evan?”
Brown eyes sparkled
back at her. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, Evan.”
The gaze lasted a
moment longer. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, Evan.”
He left his hand
sandwiched between hers. “Alright then.”
When the bus came to a
stop, Claire stood and waited for Evan to stand beside her and they walked off
together, as they always did.
Standing there on the
sidewalk, Claire silently stared at Evan, not moving.
Evan was clearly
confused. “Ummm, did you want to come over and study?”
“Not really.”
Absently, he scratched
the top of his head. “Alright then. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“No.” She halted him
with her hand on his shoulder. “Come with me.”
Pausing for a moment,
he gave her an inquiring look. “Where are we going?”
She clasped his hand in
hers. “Just come.”
They were seventeen and
when she took his hand this time, it was because she loved him. She led him
into the forest and back through trees they hadn’t been under in years. They
walked through the thick underbrush and finally came to a clearing. He looked
at it and smiled. A couple of old, beat-up pieces of plywood leaned together
were held there by nails creating a sanctuary fashioned by children. Various
odd blankets and pieces of bark and wood that were tattered and faded and
barely recognizable lay underneath them.
Confused, he glanced
from her to their favorite childhood place. “Claire, this is our old fort.”
She pulled him toward
it. “Yes.”
“I had forgotten about
this place.”
The light breeze rushed
through her hair. “Do you remember when we built it?”
Nostalgia was obvious
on his features. “Of course I do! Oh gosh, how old were we, nine, ten maybe?”
“We were in third
grade. It was fun. Come and sit with me under it now, will you?”
As she pulled him
forward, he laughed. “Okay Claire.”
On their hands and
knees, the dusty ground was cool and soft as they crawled into the tattered old
fort. When they were sitting under it, there was barely enough room for both of
them and Evan’s body was cramped against Claire’s so that they would fit.
Claire smiled at Evan
and touched his forehead, brushing a lock of fallen hair away from his eyes.
A serious expression
fell across his face. “Claire, can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
Evan’s eyes trailed off
to the horizon. “Why do you still stay with me?”
“What do you mean?”
He shifted his gaze
back to her. “I mean, you’re … well, you’re beautiful Claire. All those guys
want to be with you, the good looking ones, the ones all the girls want to be
with, and you still always hang out with me.”
“Well,” said Claire
blushing. “That’s part of what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“What is?”
Unblinking eyes stared
back at her as she spoke. “Evan, I think I’m in love with you.”
A friendly bear hug
enveloped her. “I love you too, Claire.”
“No, you don’t
understand. Not like a friend, not like we are best friends. I think I have
fallen in love with you.”
He looked at her, as
though he was barely registering what she was saying. She looked back into his
dark brown eyes. Still, he said nothing. Finally, she leaned forward and kissed
him on the lips. It was a soft and tender kiss, yet it was warm and inviting,
too. And it was perfect, like they had done it all of their lives.
The words fell out of
her mouth in a whisper. “Evan, I mean it. I love you.”
His voice was soft and
tender. “Oh Claire, I love you too.”
Now he put his arms
around her and she rested her head on his shoulder, feeling the warmth of his
body. They stayed that way, he held her and she curled up within his arms,
finally able to relax now that she knew that he loved her too.
That had been twenty
years ago.
Claire thought back on
the memory and smiled. Twenty years. Has
it really been that long? Twenty years since she realized that she truly
did love Evan. It seems like only
yesterday.
She closed her eyes and
pictured him as he looked now. Sharp jaw, strong features, tall and lean and
handsome. Evan was the kind of guy that women looked at twice when he walked
by, although he didn’t realize it. Those soft, gentle brown eyes that she loved
and adored still made her feel weak and he still had the shock of deep brown
hair that he had to trim constantly because it grew so quickly.
He had been such a
scrawny kid that nobody understood why she went for him when she could have any
boy in the school, had she wanted them. They simply didn’t understand love. She
had belonged to Evan from the first time she saw him. She had always been his.
Evan had taken more
convincing. It wasn’t that he didn’t love Claire, because he did. It was more
that he was terrified of her. He was scared to death that she would realize how
amazing she was and that she would go fleeting off into the arms of one of the
rough looking muscled guys that were always hitting on her. Eventually though,
he realized that she only saw him and he began to feel safe with her. In time
he learned that they truly did belong together and that she would never leave
him. He didn’t quite understand why, but he knew it to be true all the same.
Claire closed her eyes
and pictured Evan next to her. She could almost feel his breath on her skin.
But it was too soon, he wouldn’t be home for another five months. Sighing, she
forced herself up to make breakfast.
Claire pulled the
contents from her cupboard to make pancakes and began mixing the batter. As she
was holding the bowl under one arm and whisking with the other, she heard Eve’s
soft footsteps on the linoleum. The quiet, dainty sound of Eve’s feet were soon
overshadowed by Connor’s much louder thuds.
Her two children came
into the kitchen, both still half-asleep. Seventeen-year-old Connor was in
sweatpants and a t-shirt, while thirteen-year-old Eve stood in a long night
shirt and knit sleep pants.
Claire greeted them
warmly. “Good morning kids.”
“Mmmph,” groaned
Connor.
Eve yawned. “Morning.”
“Oh come on now you
two, it’s a beautiful day, just look outside.”
They both looked out
the window, indifference on their faces.
Jackson, the family
pet, came meandering into the kitchen when he heard the kids. The huge, black
Great Dane pressed himself against Connor.
“Oooph.” The air rushed
out of Connor. “Jackson, it’s too early.”
The dog quite happily
moseyed away to Eve who patted him lightly on the head. Then he walked to
Claire and sat down next to her. She leaned playfully on him while she waited
for the pancake in the skillet to be ready to flip, he didn’t budge.
Connor got out the milk
and poured himself a glass. “Do you want some Eve? Mom?”
“Yeah,” yawned Eve as
she took her place at the table, wiping sleep from her eyes.
Claire flipped a
pancake in the skillet. “No thank you honey.”
Connor poured a second
glass and walked it to Eve who took it, thanked him and sipped at it as she
tried to will herself awake. Claire finished cooking breakfast and put some on
the plates, handing them to the kids. She watched as Connor carefully poured
syrup onto each pancake and then handed the bottle to his sister. Eve cut up
her pancakes with a fork first, and then lathered syrup all over the small
fragments.
Eve handed the bottle
to her Mom. Claire put a tiny dollop of syrup on her single pancake and then
spread it across in a thin, even layer. She smiled as she watched the kids eat.
Slowly, they began to wake up.
Connor finished first,
his voice still hazy. “I’m gonna shower.”
“Okay,” said Claire.
Connor left and Eve sat
at the table with her daughter.
There was silence
before Eve finally spoke. “Mom?”
“Yeah?”
“I miss Dad.”
Claire sighed. “So do
I. Five more months and he’ll be home.”
Eve’s face drooped.
“It’s still so long.”
Claire’s heart ached as
she looked across the table at her daughter. “I know honey. I miss him too.
Soon, soon he will be home.”
Eve looked up at her
mother with solemn eyes. “Can he stay this time?”
Patting her daughter’s
hand, she spoke. “I hope so honey.”
“Me too.”
Eve’s young face
flushed and Claire could tell she was holding back tears. Claire opened her
arms and Eve walked to her mother and hugged her. Claire held her daughter and
silently thanked God that, unlike most thirteen year olds, Eve still let her
comfort her this way. She stroked Eve’s dark brown hair until she finally let
go.
Her daughter’s eyes
looked moist, but she no longer looked as though she would begin to cry. “Are
you okay honey?”
“Yeah, it’s just one of
those days I guess. I’m gonna get ready.”
She watched Eve
disappear down the hallway to her room. Alone in the kitchen, Claire began
picking up plates and putting them in the sink. She heard the shower stop and a
few minutes later, Connor emerged looking much more like the bright, chipper
boy that he was. He takes after his
father so much. He was tall and lean, just like Evan, and he had those same
deep brown eyes. Claire smiled at him and he returned the grin.
As she finished rinsing
the dishes, she looked over at him. “Connor?”
He slung his backpack
over his shoulder. “Yeah?”
“Would you mind
dropping Eve off at school this morning? I am going to write your father a letter.”
His free arm wrapped
around her shoulder and hugged her. “Sure Mom.”
“Thanks honey.”
“You’re welcome.”
He was such a good boy.
They were both good kids. She was so thankful for them. “C’mon Eve,” Connor called from the kitchen. “Five
minutes.”
Eve’s voice trailed in
from her bedroom. “Okay, I’ll be there.”
Just in time, Eve
appeared with her book bag slung over her shoulder and Connor walked with her
to the door. Eve looked as though she were a little less sad and Claire felt
relieved.
Claire lifted her hand
to wave goodbye to her children. “Have a good day guys.”
“We will Mom,” replied
Eve. “Love you.”
“Love you,” chimed
Connor.
Her heart swelled with
joy. “I love you both, too.” Her children were so good to her. She watched out
the window as they climbed into Connor’s old but reliable car, laughing about
something. Then she returned to the nook.
As they pulled away,
Claire sat in the warm light that shone through the window onto the breakfast
table. The glossy surface was cool against her wrists, but the sun was warm on
her back. She brushed her hair back with her hands, feeling the soft curls run
through her fingers. Retrieving a piece of paper from the little drawer hidden
under the surface of the table, Claire began to write.
My Dearest Evan...
Claire wrote the
letter, telling him everything that was in her heart. She read it over. When
she was satisfied that she had said everything that she needed to say, she
signed it:
Your wife,
Claire
She placed a red
lipstick kiss at the corner of it by her name. She slipped the letter into an
envelope and addressed it to the APO address where the Army would receive the
mail before dispensing it to the soldiers.
She closed her eyes for
a moment, holding the letter in her hand and feeling the sun on her back. In
that moment, she felt at peace. Her white, gauzy nightgown flowed softly in the
ruffle of the breeze coming in through the window. It brushed against her thigh
and then floated away as quickly as a whisper. Her hair fluttered against her
face and she closed her eyes, embracing the wind. As she opened her eyes and
rose, she felt the sun’s rays leave her back. Placing the letter on the edge of
the kitchen counter, she walked to the bedroom. As she slipped into a pair of
jeans, she retrieved a lemon yellow blouse that was well fitted to her figure.
She could almost hear Evan telling her how beautiful she was and how he could
get lost in her eyes forever. Moving back to the kitchen, she paused to pick up
her car keys. She glanced at the letter before deciding she would place it in
the outgoing mail in the afternoon. When she climbed into her car, a soft smile
rested gently on her lips.
That was the last time
Claire’s family ever saw her alive.
