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.
‘I can’t believe it,’ she sighed and set the tea cup on the porch railing with a trembling hand. Suddenly she was back in that church, crying on her mother’s shoulders.
Her hands were still shaking as she tried to open the envelope. She took a big breath before she began to read Carl’s unmistakable handwriting.
‘Dear Jessica,
I don’t know if you’ll be happy to hear from me. But after all this, I want you to know that not a day goes by that I don’t think of you. Your father threatened me on our wedding day, and I was young and scared. I shouldn’t have listened, but I did and I ran away. I moved to California with nothing but the clothes on my back.’
Jessica had to stop reading for a few moments and wipe away her tears. She knew her father had something to do with this. She knew Carl loved her and wouldn’t have done anything differently. It didn’t change anything, but it soothed an old pain that never went away. Carl had been right to leave. Her father had never seriously threatened or taken no for an answer. She focused on the letter again and continued reading.
‘I never married or had children. You were the love of my life and I wanted nothing else. I hope this letter helps you find yourself. I’m leaving my phone number and address so you can write to me if you want to. I don’t know how to use Facebook and all the stuff that kids have these days. But I hope to hear from you.
Sincerely, Carl.’
After finishing the letter, Jessica had tears flowing for a few minutes, but then she laughed. She also didn’t know how to use all this technology available these days. So she got up and went into the house to find her stationery. It was time to write a reply.
For the next few months they wrote to each other often, reminiscing about even the most insignificant moments in each other’s lives. Until Carl finally called her and they talked on the phone for hours. A year later, he moved back to Detroit and they resumed their lost relationship.
They were of age and probably didn’t spend as much time together, but they were going to enjoy each other’s love for as long as they could.
What can we learn from this story?
It’s never too late to find love again. Jessica gave up on relationships for many years until she found the love of her life again at age 75.
Tell your partner the truth. If Carl had told Jessica about her father’s threats, they could have eloped together or resolved the issue in some form. But he’s gone, and they’ll never know what might have been.
Share this story with your friends. Perhaps it will brighten their day and inspire them.
