The entire way to work, I couldn’t stop smiling.
Mike Murphy had stolen my heart.
Sydney
After my last appointment of the afternoon, I updated the patient charts and put the files away. I’d heard from the families of the pets that had been diagnosed with terminal conditions the day before. Both families had decided to not euthanize their beloved pet until their quality of life deteriorated. I felt a sense of temporary relief; I hated this part of the job. But it came with the territory. And things would be busier next week as I increased my hours.
Whiz.
Grr.
Glrp.
What in the hell? My eyes grew wide at what sounded like a dinosaur coming to life. I spun around in my chair and moved toward the sound. Behind a box, there was a fax machine. How long has that been here? I thought Grandpa had gotten rid of that thing forever ago. Who still faxed?
As I watched with growing fascination, one sheet of paper, and then another, and then another slid into the receiving tray. I picked up the cover sheet.
To: Mike Murphy c/o Sydney Burch
From: Dex Murphy
Re: Correspondence on upcoming trip
Pages: 4 (including cover)
Is this from Mike’s dad? How did he get my fax number? I picked up the next sheet to read the handwritten note. Each letter was precise and neat. Impressive.
Dear Sydney Burch,
I hope this letter finds you well. My name is Dex Murphy. I am Michael Murphy’s father. Paula mentioned that Mike had become friends with a vet named Sydney. After some research on the internet with my son Darrin, he happened upon your site, and lo and behold, I noticed you had a fax number.
You, sir, most likely agree with me about all this new technology stuff coming our way. Sometimes I think going back to the telegraph and steam engine would be best, but I find I’m in the minority. Even though most people my age are more technically inclined, I never jumped on that bandwagon.
Have you tried this texting letter program? It’s quite cumbersome.
My children bought me one of those newfangled phones with the tiny keyboard to send what they call a text on, but the tiny keys are quite frustrating at times when I hit the letter F instead of the G or the L instead of the K. I guess my fingers are too fat for texting.
Anyway, I hope you don’t mind me intruding by faxing my son. We’re coming to visit soon, and I thought I would send some of the highlights of Salem I would like to see. Mike’s mother has convinced me that we need to visit our son together and make sure he’s settling down. We divorced many years ago, but remain the best of friends.
I’m glad he’s found a mentor who he can look up to. These young folks can be quite impressionable as I’m sure you know.
Thank you kindly for passing along to Mike.
Best regards,
Dex Murphy
I giggled at the most adorable letter from Mike’s dad. Then realization hit. He must have thought I was my grandpa. That brought on another round of giggles. We still hadn’t updated the website since Grandpa had died, and it had his photo and full name: Sydney Virgil Burch. I had been named after him, which always made me feel special.