She looked emboldened and happy, and began
charging the rest of the way up the stairs with no hint
of fear or trepidation in her stride.
"Well, if Geraldine's ghost is in this house, we'll
throw her out," she vowed, and continued up to my
room.
I watched her climb the stairs and realized that
this was the first time ever I had
had a friend sleep
over. Geraldine never approved of the idea, nor did
she approve of my sleeping over at someone else's
house. She might certainly wake up from the dead to
haunt us tonight. But let her, let her come. We're
ready for her, I thought.
I hoped.
After we hung the curtains and changed the
bedding and we were both snugly under my blanket, I
reached for the pile of letters and pulled out the next
one. Carefully, I unfolded it. The paper was so fragile
and crisp from age that I had to be gentle. It would
take only the smallest amount of pressure for it to tear. "Dear Cathy," I read aloud.
"I assume by now you have read my first letter I
do hope you will have read all of them before we get a
chance to talk privately. Of course, I will want to
answer all your questions. I know you will have many.
I would if I were you.
"I imagine the first question that comes to mind
is why I went ahead with the birth. The moment I set
eyes on you, of course, I was happy I had. I can't
imagine a world without you in it now"