Breaking the Silence | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: Breaking the Silence | Previous Challenge Entry
By Jenna Fowls
09/18/14
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Amelia Donovan’s hand was trembling as she reached up to shut off the car engine. She glanced down at a crumpled piece of paper on her lap, and then up to the old wrought iron fence in front of her. There was no mistaking it-she had arrived at her destination.

Taking a deep breath she got out of the car and walked the few yards of gravely path to the entrance gate. She paused for a moment to read the sign-“Whispering Creek Cemetery”- then quickly undid the latch and walked through.

After surveying the little groups of plots before her, Amelia consulted the crumpled paper still clutched in her hand. “Three sections up, second row on the left,” it said. Saying a silent “thank you” to the woman who had taken the time to write out all the directions for her, Amelia stuffed the paper into her pocket and walked on.

Though she was actively looking for them, when the two stark-white headstones came into view, she felt slightly startled. Moving to stand before them, she fixed her eyes on the name on the left slab:

Nancy Amelia Grace-Beloved Wife and Mother

A silent, single tear streaked down Amelia’s face as she reached out to touch the words.

Mother. Her mother.

Not only did she bring Amelia into life, but also gave her a life. In spite of having Amelia at only 16 years of age, in spite of never hearing from the father again, in spite of living in a small, gossipy town where the kindest words said to your face easily transformed into the darkest speech said behind your back, Nancy had worked hard to ensure that all of the sour, rotten lemons that Amelia had been born into were transformed into the sweetest lemonade.

Amelia took a moment to recall the happy years of her childhood. She and her mother were quite the pair. They had shared everything together-tears, secrets, laughter, and even their names. Her mother had told her that when she had decided to name her Amelia Nancy, it was to speak of the closeness and connection that they would always share.

But that prophesy was dismally shattered one day…the day that 'he' came into their life.

Amelia now turned her attention to the second gravestone before her and read the inscription:

Lester Patrick Grace-Beloved Husband and Father.

“And father,” Amelia quietly repeated to herself, and a few more tears escaped down her cheek.

This is why she had come.

With her hands trembling again, Amelia reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a crisp, white envelope, and from it extracted a neatly folded letter.

Taking a few steadying breaths, Amelia opened the paper and began to read aloud:

Dear Lester,

Before Mom died, she sent me a letter. Part of it was meant to comfort me, part of it was meant to encourage me, but most of it was about you—how your love, devotion, and care changed her life, and how she felt that, after all her years of struggling, she could finally rest under the cover of your protection and provision.

“I wish you would have let his name cover you as well,” she had written in her parting words. “I wish you would have let it give you the comfort and security that it has given me.”

You know of course that, on the day you married my mother and your name became ours, I did everything I could to push you away—to take my mother back so that I alone would be the center of her heart and the love of her life.

For this reason I refused you as a father, and refused to take up your name as my own.

I know it’s too late now, but I’m Sorry.

I’m sorry that I did not accept you—that I did not let your love surround me, encourage me, strengthen me.

I can see now that the years I spent fighting to regain all my mother’s love should have been spent receiving love from you both.

You would have been the kind of father that every girl deserves to have if I had only given you the chance.

I’m sorry that it took me too long to realize that I do love you, I do need you, and I pray that you can forgive me for my foolishness.

If you’ll still have me, I would be honored to be your daughter and accept your name—
Love,
A.N.D.-Grace

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