Rest Stop

Image supplied by author

By Marc Alexander Valle

She stepped off the bus and bought a postcard at the rest stop.

Dear Tom,

I hope you’ll understand when you’re much older. I’m sick – In ways you can’t understand. You shouldn’t be around this.

Love, Mother

She mailed it and stepped back on the bus.

The bus crashed. Authorities were unable to identify her body.

***

Tom’s father died. Tom found the postcard in the basement safe and read it.

“Daddy?” his daughter said, “Why are you crying?”

“An old letter from a nanny,” Tom said.

“You had a nanny?”

He put the postcard back. “Yeah, that’s what they said.”