Now the house was completely silent, except for the sound of the rain. For the first time, Cindy was alone.
It felt odd. She paced the empty rooms, seeing reminders of her life with Clint everywhere, and finally, she realized that she couldn’t go on like this. She had to do something, or else risk losing her mind.
It was a good time to start putting things in order, she thought. She put on jeans and an old tee shirt, and brought the boxes of gifts into the living room, piling them high . She made trip after trip, her arms full of packages, not realizing how many they’d received.
She got a pad and pencil to make a note of who to thank. It was strange to open the gifts alone, they were for a marriage that barely got started. A marriage that had lasted less than a week.
As she placed the boxes out on the living room floor, Cindy thought of the day they became engaged. It was only three months after they’d met. A regular weekday, they were going to meet after work at Central Park, go for a walk, and then grab a quick dinner. When Cindy saw Clint walking towards her, she knew something was different. He had a huge grin on his face. Clint wasn’t one to hide his emotions, ever.
“We’re going for a horse and buggy ride,” he told her and practically picked her up and put her into the buggy.”
Cindy had laughed. She loved his surprises. She loved everything about him.
So, when he’d asked her to marry him in the horse and buggy, it felt completely natural. She was ecstatic. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he was the one. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind either.
Cindy had looked at Clint and felt how grateful and fortunate she was. From almost the first moment she met him, she knew he was the man she wanted to live her life with. Tall, rugged, handsome and determined, he was the most honest and caring man she’d ever met. There were many new doors Clint had opened for her, and she’d walked through them gladly, always excited to find out about something new. He’d introduced her to new food, friends, ideas, activities and encouraged her in everything she did.
“You’re a brave woman, Cindy,” he once told her. “That’s what I love most about you. “
That shocked her. She’d never thought of herself as brave. She just loved discovering new things and Clint had been a wonderful guide .
Now she sat down on the floor and opened the box closest to her. Inside was a large, crystal punch bowl . The card read: “Love and congratulations. To years and years of happiness. The Jennisens.”
Cindy held the punch bowl in her arms. It was round and sparkling, full of happiness. There were so many wonderful occasions they could have used it for. She looked at it for another moment, then she put it back in the box, making a note who it was from. She would return it.
Next she opened a long, thin box. In it was a beautiful, ceramic vase. The card inside said, “May your new life be filled with beauty.” Cindy stroked its smooth surface and envisioned the fresh flowers from the garden she and Clint could have filled it with.
A long wide, heavy box contained silverware. “Congratulations to a beautiful couple,” signed from a friend of Cindy’s mother.
She wrote the name and address of each person who sent the gift, then re-wrapped it in its box, to return. With each gift she returned, she felt their marriage slip further away.
As she opened packages, Cindy heard the phone ring. She let it ring. She couldn’t stop every time someone called. And she didn’t really feel like talking to anyone anyway.
There were linens, glasses, wall hangings, picture frames….
She’d opened and closed about seven gifts before something odd caught her eye: an eight by ten envelope, stuck between two boxes.
Cindy picked up the envelope and looked at it. It was addressed to Clint, postmarked six weeks ago, with no return address. Someone had sent it before the wedding. She didn’t know how it landed here—probably misplaced in all the confusion.
What could it be?
She quickly opened it up and took out a piece of paper. A photo was inside of it. On the paper was scrawled - For You .
She held up the photo and saw a candid picture of a beautiful woman—tall, dark haired, walking down the street with a little child at her side.
Cindy held the photo closer, looked at it at different angles, turned it to the light. Her hands shook as she realized that the little boy looked startlingly like Clint.
She turned the photo over to see if there was a date. There wasn’t. Her heart started beating faster.
Who was this woman, and when was the picture taken?
Who sent it? Why? Did Clint know her? Was something going on between them?
Cindy stared at it, trying to make sense of everything.
Her heart started to break, but she stopped it. She refused to jump to the worst conclusions. She knew that Clint had had girlfriends in the past. He’d told her those relationships were all over, didn’t care about anyone but her anymore. No woman he knew was anything like her. She was the one he wanted .
She had to stay calm and keep a clear mind. She wasn’t going to let one photo destroy her memory of Clint, or let him be smeared in any way. But she did have to find out more about it. For sure, something strange was happening. And this photo confirmed it. Had they sent other envelopes like this? Had Clint been hiding them?
Cindy decided to go into Clint’s study to check it out further. She hadn’t been able to spend time in it before . It was his private space, full of his belongings and memories. She felt like an intruder even at the thought of going in. But this photo jarred her. Someone had wanted him to have it before the wedding. She needed to know more.
Cindy got up and went straight into the study where Clint’s computer, papers and files were stored. The room had a slanted, white wooden plank ceiling, smaller windows, and a knotty wooden floor, with a shaggy, navy throw rug. Clint had loved this room. The rug belonged to him since college. He’d taken it with him everywhere.
His files were stored in boxes along the back wall under the white wood bookshelves he had put up. There was a small desk in the corner, catty corner to the window with his computer, a little cactus plant, and all kinds of papers strewn on it. The window was open and you could smell the wisteria outside, wafting in. She could hear the light rain falling on the roof. It soothed Cindy.
This room was just for Clint. He loved having privacy and separate space, said it would keep the marriage strong. He always said that a good marriage always needed time together and time apart. Cindy had no problem with that. There was another small room, next to Clint’s, that was going to be Cindy’s study. She could sketch, make her collages, read, or do whatever she wanted in it. That room stood there empty, waiting to be filled . Cindy had no desire to go in it now. Clint’s study was the place she had to be now, near him in any way she could.
It felt good to go in, sit down on the shag rug and breathe the damp, spring air. Cindy felt Clint’s presence everywhere. She wanted to put the photo on Clint’s desk, but it was messy. First she stuffed some of his papers in drawers and pushed others to the side. Then she sat down at the desk, put the photo in front of her and opened the computer.
This photo was a find. Clint had to have known the woman in it. She might have been one of his old girlfriends. The family probably knew her, for sure. Did they send the photo to remind Clint of her? Cindy wouldn’t put it past them.
Cindy had to find out who the woman was. She didn’t know where it would lead, but she was grateful at last, to have something specific to focus on .
She scanned the photo onto the computer, then logged into Facebook and used the face recognition software. The woman’s name popped up - Heather Krane. Cindy went to her Facebook page to find out more.
The page was blocked. Private.
Distressed, Cindy thought a minute about what to do. She could Friend her, but she didn’t know the woman, and doubted that she would accept. And besides, there wasn’t enough time to wait and see. Cindy wanted to talk to her as soon as possible.