A Gift for Philomena Read online

  “I will.” He nodded to the people boarding the plane. “You don’t want to miss your flight.”

  “Yes, goodbye.” She gave a quick wave.

  “Goodbye.”

  Philly returned to the line and turned to see him one last time, but he was gone.

  To her surprise and delight a letter arrived nearly two weeks later from both Wesley and his sister and they corresponded for the next three years with Philly reveling in her secret life separate from the Hawkes household. Then the letters stopped. Not returned, just stopped and bitterly Philly accepted that her new friends no longer wanted to know her. They’d grown tired of her boring life and wanted to expand to find new friends and adventures. Over the years Philly pictured Millicent getting her master’s degree in social work, a goal she’d been working towards, and being promoted in the company she worked for. She saw her later marrying and having three lovely children, who were as warm and generous as she was. She imagined Wesley’s business booming as her brother’s had, but she didn’t think of him marrying, although she knew he probably had. As the years passed she was certain they’d both forgotten about her.

  But now she had this package. Her heart raced, her fingers trembled and she felt like a young girl again. She carefully opened it and saw a note:

  I hope this package reaches you. It’s been a long time and you might have forgotten me but over twenty years ago we met on an airplane and spent three fabulous days together. I hope your family is well. I’m writing this note and sending this package on behalf of my brother, Wesley.

  I know you’ll have no use for a scarf in the middle of summer, but it was one of Wesley’s last wishes that I send it to you (he always wanted you to stay warm) and the note attached. Call my cell phone number at the bottom if you want to talk.

  Your friend,

  Millicent

  Last wish? Philly thought as she took the scarf from the tissue paper that cradled it. It was a silk and cashmere mix and when she wrapped it around her neck she felt rich then she took a deep breath and read the second note scrawled in a hand she remembered only too well.

  My dear Philomena,

  When I let you go all those years ago I never intended it to be forever. I loved you the first moment I saw you in the airport and even more as the days went by and I had every intention of asking you to marry me, to be my wife not my secretary, but I knew I wasn’t in the position to ask you yet. My father’s business was in a bad state and I had the obligations of my family. I couldn’t bring you into my life when I couldn’t provide for you. But I dreamed and planned for the day that I would be able to share not just my heart but my life with you. Fate had other plans, however. I will not bore you with the details and I am sure my silence was the best for you since you likely have a full life and family of your own. However, I hope you’ll grant me the selfish pleasure of being part of your life a little longer because you were always a part of mine. Any time I was down I thought of your belief in me and it helped me to carry on. Eventually the business turned around and made a profit as did the two others I started. You deserve to share in my success so I’ve decided to give you my house (I hope you’ll allow my sister to stay there as long as she wishes), all my investments, and I set up a trust for you so that you will be set for the rest of your life. You can retire from your job as a secretary and live life in comfort. At last I can provide for you the way I always wanted.

  There were days that I convinced myself that you felt even a fraction of what I did for you, but after awhile I let that dream fade. Now as my life comes to an end whatever you felt for me whether as a friend or a lover, I hope you’ll remember me with fondness and know that my heart was always and forever yours.

  Wesley

  Philly’s eyes filled with tears. He’d loved her all this time and never told her. What had happened? She took off the scarf and gently placed it back in the box and let herself weep for the man she’d loved and lost. Then she wiped her eyes determined to celebrate the gifts he’d given her. With the gift of his house and money she would be free.

  Free! She wouldn’t have to be stuck in a kitchen. She could get out and live. Really live. She could travel and the first place she would visit would be Hamsford to see Millicent again.

  ***

  “Travel?” Gladstone said astounded when Philly announced her plans the next day. “Where?”

  “To see an old friend,” Philly said.

  Helen sniffed. “But who would want to see you? You don’t have any friends.”

  Gladstone pointed at her. “And how can you afford it? Don’t expect a loan from us.”

  “I won’t need a loan,” Philly replied in her usual quiet voice. “I’ve come into some money so I won’t need your assistance any longer. I’ll return and stay a week until you can find someone else.”

  Gladstone’s face brightened. “Money? You have some money?” He clapped his hands together pleased. “That’s great news! That will definitely help us.”

  His wife nodded. “Oh, at last I can get that new carpeting I’ve wanted and drapes, oh and there was this dress in the shop—”

  Philly shook her head. “I have plans for the money. But we’ll discuss it when I return. I’ll be gone two weeks,” she said then left them standing in the middle of the room, dumbfounded.

  And they were even more stunned four days later when Philly emerged from her attic bedroom wearing a stylish summer dress and high heels. The Hawkes family no longer saw a dull, quiet middle-aged woman, but a beauty with smooth nutmeg skin, shining dark hair and bright brown eyes. None of them had ever noticed how attractive Philly was before. She bid them farewell then set off on her journey and as her brother watched her go, he felt as though a brightness had left their house forever. A warmth he’d taken for granted that would never be replaced.

  ***

  It was just as she’d remembered, Philly thought as she stared at the old southern home. It was a little worn but fixable. She would strip the sides, replace some of the windows and add more flowers to the landscape. She walked up the driveway, stopped at the front door and took a deep, steadying breath before she knocked. Moments later a woman answered. A woman with light streaks of gray in her light brown hair and a round figure and a smile that melted away years.

  “I’m so glad you’re here!” Millicent said enveloping Philly in a fierce hug. When she drew back there were tears in her eyes. “Even after you called my cell phone I wasn’t sure it was real. I wasn’t certain you’d come and when you said in four days I couldn’t believe it. Now I do.”

  “There are things I had to ask you in person not over the phone. The moment I got the package I had to see you again,” Philly said.

  Millicient’s gaze fell. “Yes, the package.”

  Philly’s joy dimmed a bit remembering the loss the package represented. “How did he die?”

  Millicent turned to the door. “Come inside. It’s not something to discuss on the patio and there’s so much I want to tell you.”

  She led Philly into the family room where not much had changed. But what took Philly back was the smell of cinnamon and ginger that seemed to float from the kitchen.

  “Something smells delicious. Do you need help?”

  “Oh no, it’s fine,” Millicent said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

  Philly sat, figuring that her friend probably had a cook to take care of her meals now. She crossed her legs and rested her handbag on her lap ready to get some answers. “I want you to tell me everything. What happened? Why did you stop writing?”

  Millicent took a seat opposite her friend. “Our great aunt’s health deteriorated to where we couldn’t afford to care for her at home and had to put her into a nursing home. Soon after, she peacefully passed away, but the medical bills remained. Wesley’s business continued to struggle and was close to bankruptcy. I entered a marriage I shouldn’t have and soon divorced and Wesley helped with all the costs. Although he avoided bankruptcy, he didn’t want to burden you with o
ur troubles. I wanted to write you, but Wesley didn’t want me to share anything with you and I didn’t want to lie, so I just stopped.”

  “But I was your friend. I cared.”

  “My brother can be stubborn and proud. When the business finally turned around I drafted a letter to you eager to connect again, but then Wesley had his accident.”

  “Accident?”

  Millicent released a heavy sigh. “Yes. He loved to go boating to relax, but a speeding boat with a group of drunken teenagers crashed into his. He was thrown overboard and his legs got caught in the propellers and were mangled up pretty bad. The surgeons were able to save his legs, but he could never use them again and he was left in a wheelchair. After the boating accident he was never the same. He became more focused on work and providing for my mother and myself, as if making up for his handicap. Mother passed away eight years ago, but he was still driven to work hard. He made a lot of money and made our lives comfortable, but he never laughed again.”

  Millicent hesitated. “Wesley wanted me to mail that package to you only after he’d gone. Three weeks ago he was taken to the hospital for severe pneumonia. No one thought he would recover and the doctor’s weren’t optimistic, so I mailed it to you.” She bit her lip. “And then to everyone’s amazement he got better.”

  Philly leaned forward. “You mean he’s not dead?’

  Millicent shook her head. “And I didn’t tell him I mailed the package. Maybe a part of me hoped for this moment. That you’d come and give us a second chance.”

  Philly jumped to her feet, recognizing the creator of those sumptuous smells. “Is he in the kitchen?”

  “Yes. It’s his favorite place. The only place he’s most like the man he used to be. We had everything designed so that he can reach things. That was the one luxury he allowed himself. He says it helps him relax. Sometimes he cooks so much we donate the extra to the local shelter and he gives lessons to single mothers and fathers who are getting back on their feet and want to know quick, cheap meals to prepare for their families. He loves it. He says it makes him feel useful.”

  “But I don’t understand. If he’s doing so well, why couldn’t he have told me? He’s a successful businessman, a teacher, a vibrant member of the community. I could have helped.”

  “He doesn’t want help. And he doesn’t want you to see him as he is. I think he’s a wonderful viable man, but he only sees his wheelchair. The latest illness has caused some weight loss. He doesn’t want you to see him as an invalid, but as the young man he was.”

  Philly set her handbag down. “That’s too bad.”

  “Just be warned,” Millicent called after her as Philly marched into the kitchen. “He may not be happy to see you. He’s not the man you remember.”

  ***

  Philly walked through the kitchen door and the scents of ginger and cinnamon mingled heavily in the air along with coconut milk and fresh bread. She noticed that the kitchen was large and professional with enough ventilation to keep the room from being stifling hot. Then she saw him. His head was bent over a sauce pan. She watched him quickly stir then replace the lid before wheeling himself over to the counter and she caught a glimpse of his profile. No, he wasn’t the vibrant young man he’d once been. His hair was now mostly gray, there were faint lines near his eyes, and his weight lost had aged him, but the T-shirt he wore clung to a muscled chest and arms. His back remained straight and he looked as if he’d fight any disease that tried to take him.

  Philly gently knocked on the door, not wanting to startle him.

  “Dinner will be ready in a minute,” he said without lifting his head.

  “I’m here to apply for the secretarial position. I type very fast and I’m very detailed.”

  Wesley spun around and stared at her.

  She walked towards him. “Do you think you can use me?”

  “What are you doing here?” he said in a hoarse whisper.

  “Millicent sent me a package.”

  He ran a hand over his face and shook his head. “She wasn’t supposed to send that until after--”

  “You died?” Philly finished. “She told me. I’m glad she didn’t wait until then.”

  Wesley’s eyes darkened and his tone grew hard. “I don’t need you to pity me.”

  “I don’t,” Philly said her tone equally hard. “I envy you.”

  He blinked then narrowed his eyes. “What?”

  “You were successful at everything you tried. I knew you would be. Unfortunately, I wasn’t. I failed. I never did train to be a secretary. I never owned a new dress or a car. No one has ever called me Ms. Hawkes with an air of respect. No, for the past twenty-five years I’ve looked after my brother’s family burying all hopes that I’d ever have a life of my own.” She folded her arms and leaned against the kitchen island. “Let me tell you what my life has been.” And she did, telling him of her life of drudgery taking care of her brother’s family, and the endless days and nights of labor. The hand me down clothes, the condescending looks and dark moments of lost hope. She knelt in front of him and looked up into his eyes. “Now do you see why I envy you?”

  Wesley gazed down into her lovely uplifted face, humbled and ashamed that his pride and vanity had kept him away from her for so many years. He’d allowed his bitterness and selfishness to blind him from what he’d accomplished and all that he had to give. “Philomena, I’m sorry. I was a foolish man, but I wanted so much for you.”

  “All I’ve ever wanted is a home of my own where I wouldn’t be berated or judged, a place where I could relax and be myself. Have I found that place?”

  Wesley answered her with a kiss. Not the light kiss of youth, but the deep kiss of maturity. “You don’t have to marry me to get the money,” he said, taking her hand in his. “Everything is all arranged and --”

  Philly shook her head. “You still don’t understand. I don’t want to marry you for the money. I want to marry you because you’re the only man I’ve ever loved. That day in the airport if you’d asked me I’d have said yes.”

  “Even though I had nothing to offer?”

  “All my life I’ve spent my days cooking and caring for others and just once I wanted to find someone willing to cook and care for me. That day, many years ago, I found that person in you. If you’d called, I would have come.”

  Wesley gathered Philly in his arms and kissed her once again, his lips reminding her of cinnamon butter melting on toast and much more. When he finally released her all bitterness, regret, and anger had left his face and only love shone through. For a moment Philly saw the young man he’d been, but quickly realized she loved the older man he’d become.

  “My darling Philomena. I’ll never let you go again.”

  Philly wiggled off his lap feeling giddy and alive. She wanted to dance and sing and laugh. But instead she walked to the pantry and grabbed an apron. “Let me help you finish dinner.”

  Wesley shook his head. “No. Go and tell Millicent that dinner’s ready.”

  Philly happily replaced the apron on the hook then pushed through the kitchen doors feeling as though she could fly. She was released from the bondage of servitude. She’d never have to cook or serve again. She had a new life and a deep love. Her American dream had finally come true.

  The End

  If you enjoyed this short story by National Bestselling Author Dara Girard you might enjoy her novels:

  The Sapphire Pendant where a woman retrieves a priceless heirloom and discovers a family secret and precious love.

  Table for Two where a woman who’s given up on love meets a man who is hard to resist.

  Gaining Interest where a savvy woman with a weakness for bad boys meets a man who definitely isn’t one. Or is he?

  Find out about these books and many more on her website at http://www.daragirard.com and you can visit her on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/DaraGirard

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