Carl was forced to flee his wedding, but Jessica never understood why he left her at the altar. Years later, she received a note in the mail with his name on it. No matter how much time passed, Jessica never forgot him, and what he wrote stunned her.
‘You will leave this church immediately and never come back. Do you understand me, boy?’ Hubert Pennigton, Jessica’s father, threatened Carl with a stern look. They were standing in the men’s changing room behind the church, and Jessica was getting ready in another room across the hall.
‘I’m not a boy, sir. I’m a man, and I love your daughter. I will not leave her. This is our wedding day,’ Carl insisted, begging his future father-in-law to understand him.
‘I have never liked you two dating and I will not allow it to continue. My daughter will not marry a loser who works from paycheck to paycheck,’ the older man grinned. ‘Do you hear me? I have friends in high places and connections in several others. I can turn your life into a nightmare. If you don’t disappear voluntarily, I will make you leave by any means necessary.’
‘Is that a threat?’ asked Carl, pulling himself closer to Hubert, trying not to show how scared he was. He knew that Jessica’s family was connected to some important and dangerous people, so Carl realised that the older man’s words were not in vain.
‘I’m not threatening, boy, I’m promising. Now, you’re going to leave this place right now without anyone noticing anything, and you’re going to leave the ghostly Jessica forever, OR ELSE!’ finished Hubert, raising his voice to get his point across. He poked Carl’s chest painfully with his index finger, threw him a scornful look, and walked out.
Carl didn’t know what to do. He genuinely loved Jessica, but her father was willing to hurt them both just to get his way. He wandered around the room for a few more minutes and then decided to leave before the groomsmen came looking for him. He quickly walked out the back door of the Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan and caught a taxi right on the spot.
‘Where to, sir?’ – The cabbie asked.
‘DTW, please,’ Carl replied. He was on his way to the airport and flying across the country to get away from these people. I hope Jessica can forgive me, Carl thought, leaning his elbow on the windowsill and looking outside.
Fifty years later…
In her 75s, Jessica loved to sit on her porch and watch the kids run around the historic Rosedale Park neighbourhood, one of Detroit’s best neighbourhoods. She always took a cup of tea and a book to read. It was a quiet time, but Jessica inevitably reflected on her life during those times. Today was just such a day.
She remembered her first wedding well, for it had been the only time she had ever been happy about it. Carl was the love of her life, so she thought. But when she reached the end of the aisle, under her father’s arm, she saw the concerned faces of everyone present. Carl had disappeared, and no one knew why. They had been waiting for hours for his return.
His groomsmen had gone to his house, and everything was safe and sound. But Carl never returned, and Jessica cried for hours more on the steps of the Masonic Temple. It was one of the best wedding venues in town, and she had always dreamed of getting married there. However, it was not destined to happen. Her mother consoled her as best she could, but her father was actually happy.
Five years later, her father introduced her to Michael Keller, the son of a family friend. He was rich and had connections, so her father insisted until she accepted his proposal. They married and almost immediately had a daughter, Cynthia. However, Jessica filed for divorce immediately after her father’s death.
Her husband had cheated on her throughout their relationship and was happy to break up with her, so it was a win-win situation for everyone involved. She took six-year-old Cynthia, moved into her home in the Rosedale Park neighbourhood and forgot about her failed love life.
As the years passed, Cynthia grew up and became an amazing career woman. She married right in the Masonic Temple and gave Jessica three gorgeous grandchildren, whom she visited often.
I’ve had a wonderful life, Jessica thought as she sipped her tea. It was true, though she never tried dating again. But every now and then she thought of Carl and still wondered why he had disappeared.
Suddenly the postman brought her out of her musings with a bright smile and a loud, ‘Hello, Mrs Pennington!’
‘Oh, dear. You startled me,’ Jessica replied, nearly dropping her tea.
The postman laughed and jokingly apologised. ‘I’m sorry, ma’am. But I have a letter for you. I think someone even handwrote it. How posh! They don’t do that anymore,’ the postman said as he handed Jessica the letter. She thanked him with a smile and he left, waving goodbye.
The last thing Jessica expected to see on the envelope was the name ‘Carl Pittman,’ but it was there, along with her name and address.