Message in a Bottle Read online

  "Oh, pooh," Deanna said, shrugging. "Nothing to be sorry about. I'm just glad you're okay." She paused for a moment. "You said the letter made you cry? Why? What did it say?"

  Theresa wiped her eyes, handed the letter to Deanna, and walked over to the wrought-iron table where Deanna had been sitting. Still feeling a bit ridiculous about crying, she did her best to compose herself.

  Deanna read the letter slowly, and when she finished, she looked up at Theresa. Her eyes too were watering. It wasn't just her, after all.

  "It's... it's beautiful," Deanna finally said. "It's one of the most touching things I've ever read."

  "That's what I thought."

  "And you found it washed up on the beach? When you were running?"

  Theresa nodded.

  "I don't know how it could have washed up there. The bay is sheltered from the rest of the ocean, and I've never heard of Wrightsville Beach."

  "I don't know, either, but it looked like it had washed up last night. I almost walked by it at first before I noticed what it was."

  Deanna ran her finger over the writing and paused for a moment. "I wonder who they are. And why was it sealed in a bottle?"

  "I don't know."

  "Aren't you curious?"

  The fact was that Theresa was indeed curious. Immediately after reading it, she had read it again, then a third time. What would it be like, she mused, to have someone love her that way?

  "A little. But so what? There's no way we'll ever know."

  "What are you going to do with it?"

  "Keep it, I guess. I haven't really thought about it that much."

  "Hmmm," Deanna said with an indecipherable smile. Then, "How was your jog?"

  Theresa sipped a glass of juice she had poured. "It was good. The sun was really something when it came up. It looked like the world was glowing."

  "That's just because you were dizzy from lack of oxygen. Jogging does that to you."

  Theresa smiled, amused. "So, I take it you won't come with me this week."

  Deanna reached for her cup of coffee with a doubtful look on her face. "Not a chance. My exercise is limited to vacuuming the house every weekend. Can you picture me out there, huffing and puffing? I'd probably have a heart attack."

  "It's refreshing once you get used to it."

  "That may be true, but I'm not young and svelte like you are. The only time I can remember running at all was when I was a kid and the neighbor's dog got out of the yard. I was running so fast, I almost wet my pants."

  Theresa laughed out loud. "So, what's on the agenda today?"

  "I thought we'd do a little shopping and have lunch in town. Are you up for something like that?"

  "That's what I was hoping you'd say."

  The two women talked about the places they might go. Then Deanna got up and went inside for another cup of coffee and Theresa watched her as she left.

  Deanna was fifty-eight and round faced, with hair that was slowly turning to gray. She kept it cut short, dressed without an excess of vanity, and was, Theresa decided, easily the best person she knew. She was knowledgeable about music and art, and at work, the recordings of Mozart or Beethoven were always flooding out of her office into the chaos of the newsroom. She lived in a world of optimism and humor, and everyone who knew her adored her.

  When Deanna came back to the table, she sat down and looked out across the bay. "Isn't this the most beautiful place you've ever seen?"

  "Yes, it is. I'm glad you invited me."

  "You needed it. You would have been absolutely alone in that apartment of yours."

  "You sound like my mother."

  "I'll take that as a compliment."

  Deanna reached across the table and picked up the letter again. As she perused it her eyebrows raised, but she said nothing. To Theresa, it looked as though the letter had triggered something in her memory.

  "What is it?"

  "I just wonder...," she said quietly.

  "Wonder what?"

  "Well, when I was inside, I got to thinking about this letter. I'm wondering if we should run this in your column this week."

  "What are you talking about?"

  Deanna leaned across the table. "Just what I said--I think we should run this letter in your column this week. I'm sure other people would love to read it. It really is unusual. People need to read something like this every once in a while. And this is so touching. I can picture a hundred women cutting it out and taping it to their refrigerators so their husbands can see it when they get home from work."

  "We don't even know who they are. Don't you think we should get their permission first?"

  "That's just the point. We can't. I can talk to the attorney at the paper, but I'm sure it's legal. We won't use their real names, and as long as we don't take credit for writing it or divulge where it might be from, I'm sure there wouldn't be a problem."

  "I know it's probably legal, but I'm not sure if it's right. I mean, this is a very personal letter. I'm not sure it should be spread around so that everyone can read it."

  "It's a human interest story, Theresa. People love those sorts of things. Besides, there's nothing in there that might be embarrassing to someone. This is a beautiful letter. And remember, this Garrett person sent it in a bottle in the ocean. He had to know it would wash up somewhere."

  Theresa shook her head. "I don't know, Deanna..."

  "Well, think about it. Sleep on it if you have to. I think it's a great idea."

  Theresa did think about the letter as she undressed and got in the shower. She found herself wondering about the man who wrote it--Garrett, if that was his real name. And who, if anyone, was Catherine? His lover or his wife, obviously, but she wasn't around anymore. Was she dead, she wondered, or did something else happen that forced them apart? And why was it sealed in a bottle and set adrift? The whole thing was strange. Her reporter's instincts took over then, and she suddenly thought that the message might not mean anything. It could be someone who wanted to write a love letter but didn't have anyone to send it to. It could even have been sent by someone who got some sort of vicarious thrill by making lonely women cry on distant beaches. But as the words rolled through her head again, she realized that those possibilities were unlikely. The letter obviously came from the heart. And to think that a man wrote it! In all her years, she had never received a letter even close to that. Touching sentiments sent her way had always been emblazoned with Hallmark greeting card logos. David had never been much of a writer, nor had anyone else she had dated. What would such a man be like? she wondered. Would he be as caring in person as the letter seemed to imply?

  She lathered and rinsed her hair, the questions slipping from her mind as the cool water rolled down her body. She washed the rest of her body with a washcloth and moisturizing soap, spent longer in the shower than she had to, and finally stepped out of the stall.

  She looked at herself in the mirror as she toweled off. Not too bad for a thirty-six-year-old with an adolescent son, she thought to herself. Her breasts had always been smallish, and though it had bothered her when she was younger, she was glad now because they hadn't started to sag or droop like those of other women her age. Her stomach was flat, and her legs were long and lean from all the exercise over the years. Nor did the crow's-feet around the corners of her eyes seem to show as much, though that didn't make any sense. All in all, she was pleased with how she looked this morning, and she attributed her unusually easy acceptance of herself to being on vacation.

  After putting on a little makeup, she dressed in beige shorts, a sleeveless white blouse, and brown sandals. It would be hot and humid in another hour, and she wanted to be comfortable as she walked around Provincetown. She looked out the bathroom window, saw that the sun had risen even higher, and made a note to pick up some sunscreen. Her skin would burn if she didn't, and she'd learned from experience that a sunburn was one of the quickest ways to ruin a beach trip.

  Outside on the deck, Deanna had set breakfast on the table. The
re was cantaloupe and grapefruit, along with toasted bagels. After taking her seat, she spread some low-fat cream cheese on them--Deanna was on one of her endless diets again--and the two of them talked for a long while. Brian was out golfing, as he would be every day this week, and he had to go in the early morning because he was on some sort of medication that Deanna said "does awful things to his skin if he spends too much time in the sun."

  Brian and Deanna had been together thirty-six years. College sweethearts, they'd married the summer after graduation, right after Brian accepted a job with an accounting firm in downtown Boston. Eight years later Brian became a partner and they bought a spacious house in Brookline, where they had lived alone for the past twenty-eight years.

  They had always wanted children, but after six years of marriage Deanna had yet to become pregnant. They went to see a gynecologist and discovered that Deanna's fallopian tubes had been scarred and that having a child was impossible. They tried to adopt for several years, but the list seemed never-ending, and they eventually gave up hope. Then came the dark years, she once confided to Theresa, a time when the marriage almost failed. But their commitment, though shaken, remained solid, and Deanna turned to work to fill the void in her life. She started at the Boston Times when women were rare and gradually worked her way up the corporate ladder. When she became managing editor ten years ago, she began to take women reporters under her wing. Theresa had been her first student.

  After Deanna had gone upstairs to shower, Theresa looked through the paper briefly, then checked her watch. She rose from her seat and went to the phone to dial David's number. It was still early there, only seven o'clock, but she knew the whole family would be awake by now. Kevin always rose at the crack of dawn, and for once she was thankful that someone else had to share in that wonderful experience. She paced back and forth as the phone rang a few times before Annette picked up. Theresa could hear the TV in the background and the sound of a crying baby.

  "Hi. It's Theresa. Is Kevin around?"

  "Oh, hi. Of course he's here. Hold on for just a second."

  The phone clunked down on the counter and Theresa listened as Annette called for him: "Kevin, it's for you. Theresa's on the phone."

  The fact that she wasn't referred to as Kevin's mom hurt more than she expected, but she didn't have time to dwell on it.

  Kevin was out of breath when he reached the phone.

  "Hey, Mom. How're you doing? How's your vacation?"

  She felt a pang of loneliness at the sound of his voice. It was still high, childlike, but she knew it was only a matter of time before it changed.

  "It's beautiful, but I only got here yesterday night. I haven't done much except for jogging this morning."

  "Were there a lot of people on the beach?"

  "No, but I saw a few people heading out as I finished. Hey, when do you take off with your dad?"

  "In a couple days. His vacation doesn't start until Monday, so that's when we leave. Right now he's getting ready to go into the office to do some work so that he'll be free and clear by the time we go. Do you want to talk to him?"

  "No, I don't have to. I was just calling to tell you that I hope you'll have a good time."

  "It's going to be a blast. I saw a brochure on the river trip. Some of the rapids look pretty cool."

  "Well, you be careful."

  "Mom, I'm not a kid anymore."

  "I know. Just reassure your old-fashioned mother."

  "Okay, I promise. I'll wear my life jacket the whole time." He paused for a moment. "You know, we're not going to have a phone, though, so we won't be able to talk until I get back."

  "I figured as much. It should be a lot of fun, though."

  "It'll be awesome. I wish that you could come with us. We'd have a great time."

  She closed her eyes for a moment before responding, a trick her therapist had taught her. Whenever Kevin said something about the three of them being together again, she always tried to make sure she said nothing that she'd later regret. Her voice sounded as optimistic as she could make it.

  "You and your dad need some time alone. I know he's missed you a lot. You've got some catching up to do, and he's been looking forward to this trip as long as you have." There, that wasn't so hard.

  "Did he tell you that?"

  "Yes. A few times."

  Kevin was quiet.

  "I'll miss you, Mom. Can I call you as soon as I get back to tell you about the trip?"

  "Of course. You can call me anytime. I'd love to hear all about it." Then, "I love you, Kevin."

  "I love you too, Mom."

  She hung up the phone, feeling both happy and sad, which was how she usually felt whenever they talked on the phone when he was with his father.

  "Who was that?" Deanna said from behind her. She had come down the stairs wearing a yellow tiger-striped blouse, red shorts, white socks, and a pair of Reeboks. Her outfit screamed "I'm a tourist!" and Theresa did her best to keep a straight face.

  "It was Kevin. I gave him a call."

  "Is he doing okay?" She opened the closet and grabbed a camera to complete the ensemble.

  "He's fine. He leaves in a couple of days."

  "Good, that's good." She draped the camera around her neck. "And now that that's taken care of, we have some shopping to do. We've got to get you looking like a new woman."

  Shopping with Deanna was an experience.

  Once they got to Provincetown, they spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon in a variety of shops. Theresa bought three new outfits and a new swimsuit before Deanna dragged her into a place called Nightingales, a lingerie shop.

  Deanna went absolutely wild in there. Not for herself, of course, but for Theresa. She would pick up lacy, see-through underwear and matching bras off the racks and hold them up for Theresa to evaluate. "This looks pretty steamy," she'd say, or, "You don't have any this color, do you?" Naturally there would be others around as she blurted these things out, and Theresa couldn't help but laugh whenever she did it. Deanna's lack of inhibition was one of the things that Theresa loved most about her. She really didn't care what other people thought, and Theresa often wished she could be more like her.

  After taking two of Deanna's suggestions--she was on vacation, after all--the two spent a couple of minutes in the record store. Deanna wanted the latest CD from Harry Connick Jr.--"He's cute," she said in explanation--and Theresa bought a jazz CD of one of John Coltrane's earlier recordings. When they returned to the house, Brian was reading the paper in the living room.

  "Hey there. I was beginning to get worried about you two. How was your day?"

  "It was good," Deanna answered. "We had lunch in Provincetown, then did a little shopping. How did your game go today?"

  "Pretty well. If I hadn't bogeyed the last two holes, I would have shot an eighty."

  "Well, you're just going to have to play a little more until you get it right."

  Brian laughed. "You won't mind?"

  "Of course not."

  Brian smiled as he rustled the paper, content with the fact that he could spend a lot of time on the course this week. Recognizing his signal that he wanted to get back to reading, Deanna whispered in Theresa's ear, "Take it from me. Let a man play golf and he'll never raise a fuss about anything."

  Theresa left the two of them alone for the rest of the afternoon. Since the day was still warm, she changed into the new suit she had bought, grabbed a towel and small fold-up chair and People magazine, then went to the beach.

  She thumbed idly through People, reading a few articles here and there, not really interested in what was happening to the rich and famous. All around her she could hear the laughter of children as they splashed in the water and filled their pails with sand. Off to one side of her were two young boys and a man, presumably their father, building a castle near the water's edge. The sound of the lapping waves was soothing. She put down the magazine and closed her eyes, angling her face toward the sun.

  She wanted a little col
or by the time she got back to work, if for no other reason than to look as though she had taken some time to do absolutely nothing. Even at work she was regarded as the type who was always on the go. If she wasn't writing her weekly column, she was working on the column for the Sunday editions, or researching on the Internet, or poring over child development journals. She had subscriptions at work to every major parenting magazine and every childhood magazine, as well as others devoted to working women. She also subscribed to medical journals, scanning them regularly for topics that might be suitable.

  The column itself was never predictable--perhaps that was one of the reasons it was so successful. Sometimes she responded to questions, other times she reported on the latest child development data and what it meant. A lot of columns were about the joys that came with raising children, while others described the pitfalls. She wrote of the struggles of single motherhood, a subject that seemed to touch a nerve in the lives of Boston women. Unexpectedly, her column had turned her into a local celebrity of sorts. But even though it was fun in the beginning to see her picture above her column, or to receive invitations to private parties, she always had so much going on, she didn't seem to have time to enjoy it. Now she regarded it as just another feature of the job--one that was nice but didn't really mean much to her.

  After an hour in the sun, Theresa realized she was hot and walked to the water. She waded in to her hips, then went under as a small wave approached. The cool water made her gasp when her head came up, and a man standing next to her chuckled.

  "Refreshing, isn't it?" he said, and she agreed with a nod as she crossed her arms.

  He was tall with dark hair the same color as hers, and for a second she wondered if he was flirting with her. But the children nearby quickly ended that illusion with shouts of "Dad!" and after a few more minutes in the water, she got out and walked back to her chair. The beach was clearing out. She packed up her things as well and started back.

  At the house, Brian was watching golf on television and Deanna was reading a novel with a picture of a young, handsome lawyer on the cover. Deanna looked up from her book.

  "How was the beach?"

  "It was great. The sun felt wonderful, but the water kind of shocks you when you go under."

  "It always does. I don't see how people can stand to be in it for more than a few minutes."