by Melody Landeros

Created on: August 27, 2011

Charlotte pulled open the dresser and pulled out an assortment of small boxes, letters and photos.  ‘A drawer full of memories,’ she mused as she sat to look through the collection.

She studied photos of Grandma and Grandpa from the 1940s and smiled at photos of Mom as a child.  Great-grandparents, youngish relatives stared back at her as she flipped through photographs.

Two hours later, she sorted through all memorabilia but a box tied with faded red ribbons.  Unable to untie the tangled ribbons, she cut them with scissors.  Pulling the top off, she spotted a pile of letters.  She studied at the address.  Beverly Harris, 1516 Main Street, Johnson, Iowa and a return name of Eddie Harris. 

'Who are Beverly and Eddie Harris?' she pondered. As she read the old letters, she discovered Grandma married Eddie long ago.  His letters were full of details about Navy life and their plans once his enlistment was up.  The letters were tender, full of love for Grandma as Eddie was a true romantic.  Shocked, she wondered how the family gossip never mentioned this marriage.

In the final three letters, a faded tattered telegram fell out addressed to Beverly Harris.  The telegram was smudged and odd marks covered the envelope.  She carefully opened it and read the one line.  “We regret to inform you that Seaman Edward Harris was Killed in Action.” 

‘My goodness,’ she gasped.  ‘What horrible news.  Poor Grandma!  How did she silently cope with such a heartbreaking loss?’  The final two letters were not from Eddie, but from Grandpa.  Grandpa?

Grandpa wrote Eddie was his best friend and could not stop speaking about his Angel, his wife Beverly.  His letter, full of sadness and pain brought tears to Charlotte’s eyes.  The final letter outlined a trip he would take to bring her Eddie’s belongings.   ‘Apparently Grandpa came and never left,’ she mused.

A small bulky cloth packet remained in the box.  She carefully opened the packet to find an old rusted wrist watch frozen in time, and a small note stating:  “The day the world lost a wonderful man, Eddie Harris, December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.”

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