Autumn Colors
by
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Chapter One October 2005
A real letter. When was the last time she’d received one? It was probably silly, but a thrill ran through her. The plain envelope was addressed to Mrs. Charles Waite at their old White River Junction address and stamped for forwarding. It bore no return address, but the postmark said “OK.” She knew only one person in Oklahoma, and that woman had stopped communicating a decade or so ago.
She took the letter over to the chair in front of the window, slitting open the envelope as she walked. Inside was a single sheet of lined paper obviously torn from a spiral notebook, about two thirds of the page filled with Emma’s once-familiar script.
Dear Kerry,
I’ve been so bad about Christmas cards, and you just keep sending them.
Anyway, this isn’t about Christmas. It’s about Mom. She died a few weeks ago. We had her living with us for the past couple of years. She was old and tired and lonely, especially since Dad died. Anyway, I started going through some of her stuff, and found a number of things that reminded me of you. She kept clippings about you and Tom and notes you two had exchanged. She even had your high school graduation picture! We arranged for a memorial service back home so her friends who are still around can say their goodbyes. It’s next Sunday. It occurred to me that you might want to know. I hope you get this. I don’t know if you’re even at the same address.
I hope you and Charles are well. Greg is fine, looking forward to retirement, like that’s going to happen before I can retire, too. Both our kids are out of school and in jobs. Hard to believe. In spite of my guilt and best intentions, you probably won’t get a Christmas card from me this year either, so Merry Christmas.
Fondly, Emma
Kerry leaned back in the chair, trying to absorb the note, chuckling at Emma’s endearing quirkiness. As for her news, she wasn’t sure what she felt. It wasn’t that Mrs. Crandall’s passing was an immediate loss. She hadn’t seen or spoken to the woman in years. Rather, it was all of what she associated with someone who was once so special to her. It was Emma’s remark about the newspaper clippings. The reminders of that old relationship.
And it was the time of the year that made Kerry more vulnerable than usual, unleashing so many feelings. The weight of regrets. The torrent of memories.
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About the Book
An elderly woman’s memorial service triggers an avalanche of memories for Kerry Waite. Her tragic history with her first love, Tom, haunts her days and keeps her husband, Charles, at arm’s length.
As the memories carry her on a journey back to Tom, she’s forced to confront how her mistakes and obsession with the past are eroding her marriage and life in the present. Can Kerry finally let go of her past and love the man who’s been standing beside her the whole time?
About the Author
Dawn A. Lajeunesse is a Troy, NY native, and a registered nurse with a Masters degree in Health Administration. She has spent her career in various positions in health related settings, most recently with the NYS Department of Health’s AIDS Institute. She’s been writing for over twenty years. Autumn Colors is her first full-length novel.
Ms. Lajeunesse is a runner and enjoys active outdoor activities like hiking, canoeing and cross country skiing. She lives in a log home in the Adirondacks in upstate New York with her husband, Dennis and Border Terrier, Nala.