The Letter - Chapter 69

“Did I hear something about a letter writing lady from Washington?”  A blonde woman with wire rimmed glasses walked into my hospital room carrying a vase filled with daffodils and irises.

“Ellie?  Is that you?”

“It is, George.  Are you okay?”

“I’m getting better by the minute.  Ellie, this is my ex-wife, Melissa Zingerman.  Melissa, this is Ellie Barnhart.  We graduated from high school together.”

“I was just leaving,” Melissa said.  “Nice to meet you, Ellie.  Melissa nodded toward Ellie and then turned to face me.  "George, take care.  Speedy recovery.”  Melissa waved as she left my hospital room.

“So, Ellie," I said smiling at her.  "We finally get to see each other after . . . how many years?”

“No need to count them on my account, George.”

“Ellie, thank you so much for the flowers.  I love them.  A breath of spring to chase away the midwinter blues.  I’d offer to shake your hand, but as you can see, my right hand has an IV and my left is in a sling.”

“Then how about a gentle hug – if you think you can bear it?”

“Sounds good to me.”  Ellie leaned down and attempted a hug.  I got a pleasant whiff of her Wind Song perfume.  “So, how did you hear about this?”

“It was all over the news in Cleveland.  But even before I heard it was you that had been shot, I was packing to drive to Pittsburgh.  I just had a feeling you were one of the victims.”

“To quote Ronald Reagan, ‘Honey, I forgot to duck.’”

Ellie chuckled.  “I hope that’s the only time you quote Reagan.”

“Actually, he supported the Brady Act when it was being considered by Congress, but I disagreed with him on most other issues.”

“I’m relieved to hear that.”  Ellie took off her coat and sat down in the chair next to my bed.   “So George,” she looked at me and smiled, “it appears you’ll do most anything to avoid a date with me.”

I laughed.  “Yes, I was planning to drive to Cleveland on Saturday to take you out to dinner, wasn't I?”

“Will you even be out of the hospital by then?”

“They haven’t told me yet when I’ll be discharged.  But I’ll be one armed for the near term.  I’m not sure when I’ll be cleared to drive.”  I heard a knock as the door to my room opened again.

“You are not going to stand up this lovely lady on Saturday, because I will drive you to Cleveland.”  Jennifer strolled into the room with a stuffed bear.

“Isn’t that your bear?” I asked.

“Yes, it’s Zachary.  I’m loaning him to you to keep you company and growl at the nurses if they don’t treat you well.  Or if they try to flirt with you,” she giggled.

“Well, I guess I’ve been promising to find you opportunities to get more highway driving experience.  So I will accept your offer, young lady.”  I looked at Ellie.  “Can you recommend a hotel for us in Cleveland?”

“I most certainly can.  The Hotel Barnhart.”  Ellie smiled.  “My son Jimmy insists that you stay with us.”

“So he can keep an eye on Dad, no doubt,” Jennifer grinned.

“No doubt,” I grinned back.  “So I’ve heard that your boyfriend Jeff is a hometown hero.”

“He’s not my boyfriend, he’s just a friend.”  Jennifer blushed.

“Really?  Not based on what I saw when the two of you returned from your date the other night.”

Jennifer gave a sheepish grin.  “Okay, he is my boyfriend.  Or was until I mistakenly thought he shot you.”  Jennifer described her shock and confusion when she saw Jeff holding the shooter’s gun.

“Well, it sounds like your boyfriend is a brave young man,” said Ellie.

“We’re both going to IUP in the fall,” said Jennifer.

“Who’s going to IUP in the fall?”  Jeff walked in with his parents.  Jennifer met him with a hug. “Hi, Aunt Ellie.  Hello, Mr. Leskovic,” said Jeff.

Bill and Marnie Radakovic each hugged Ellie.  “Jimmy called to tell us you were coming here,” said Marnie.

I assured Jeff and his parents that I was doing fine and on the road to recovery.  I thanked Jeff for his bravery in subduing the shooter.

“Yeah, I was thinking about studying to be a social studies teacher, but I’m reconsidering.  I’ve heard IUP has a really strong criminology program.

“I can’t believe you’re considering becoming a cop,” said Jennifer.  “I would be worried about you constantly.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” I said.  “You’ve got a lot of time to think about the future.”

We all chatted for a while, recounting the events of the night before.

“Lunch time!” an orderly carried in a plate with my lunch, bringing our conversation to a halt. 

“Well, I’ve got to get back to Cleveland,” said Ellie as she picked up her coat.

“Are you sure?” I replied.  “Jennifer can put you up in our guest room.”

“And you’re always welcome at our house,” said Marnie.

“That’s very generous, George, and Marnie, but Katie’s counting on my help.”

“Sure.  I understand.  Well, thank you again for the flowers, Ellie.  Jennifer and I will plan to see you in Cleveland on Saturday.”

“Looking forward to it George.  See you then.”

My visitors left the room.  Jennifer said she’d get some lunch and would come back to visit for a while longer.  I thought about Ellie and how fate had re-introduced us after so many years.  She had a very nice family here in Pittsburgh.  I looked forward to getting to know her better and to meeting her son and daughter-in-law in Cleveland.  I smiled as I wondered how we could build a relationship separated by so many miles. I pushed the thought out of my mind. If this shooting had taught me anything, it was to not worry about the future.  I was happy to be alive today.  I would enjoy life minute by minute, day by day.