Coulson's Wife (The Coulson Series) (16 page)

He was born October 9.
I imagine she got pregnant shortly after our last letter. He has the most
beautiful blue eyes. I swear I can see you in them.

Sad to report Vera’s
mothering skills have not improved with the second child. She seems even less
interested in this baby than with Sonny. She’s been very sullen, moody, and
even snaps at poor Sonny for absolutely no reason at all. I suppose that is why
he is terribly jealous of the new baby, and they have to watch him like a hawk.
I keep thinking of the kittens.

Harrison continues to
improve. His eye is a hundred percent now, and while he no longer uses a cane,
he has a slight limp. The doctors tell him he needs to use the cane, as they
don’t want him putting all his weight on the bad leg, but he refuses. He is
stubborn.

Coulson-Hunter
Enterprises has been doing exceptionally well during this war. Randall tells me
it was the same way during the last one. After Garret’s birth Randall told me
he intends to change the name of Coulson-Hunter Enterprises to Coulson
Enterprises. I was quite shocked. I asked him why he would want to do such a
thing, and he said now he has a son and grandsons, he needs to think about
them. I am not sure what that has to do with anything. But then, I don’t always
understand why Randall does certain things.

I continue to miss you
every day.

  Forever yours,
Mary Ellen - January 1945

Dearest William,

The war is officially
over!! Sadly, President Roosevelt, who was in his fourth term, did not live
long enough to see it to its conclusion. He died in April. Harry Truman is now
president.

Business here continues
to prosper. Randall did what he said he would do—he changed the company name.
Harrison is working with Randall now. He didn’t finish college. When I tried to
talk him into going back he said “Mother, after what I’ve seen, I’ve all the
education I need.” He then kissed me on the cheek and dismissed me. In an eerie
way, he reminded me of Randall.

Garret is such a happy
little baby, and I see him frequently. I suspect Randall said something to Vera.
I believe he noticed how Vera preferred turning the care of the boys to a nanny
(now that they have one again) instead of letting them spend time with me. I
believe he intervened on my behalf.

Sonny is in school, so
I see him rarely. But I spend a great deal of time with Garret.

Now that this war is
over, and our son is doing better, I am much happier. I still miss you though,
every single day.

Forever yours,
Mary Ellen - January 1946

My dearest William,

Remember when Randall
told us of his dream, to build a city in the southwest? I think he was serious.
He’s taken several business trips this year, to California, Arizona and Nevada,
scouting for available land. He took Harrison along on the last trip.

Vera is horrified he
will actually do it, because that means leaving Chicago and her family and
friends. I know this, because she brought up the subject not long ago, trying
to find out how I feel about it. When I told her it sounded exciting, she broke
into tears. It was the wedding all over again.

The boys are doing
well, yet I continue to worry about Sonny. I think I am the only one who finds
his behavior disingenuous. He is exceedingly polite, and quite charms all the
adults he meets, yet I can practically hear the wheels turning in his
manipulating little brain.

Garrett is simply a
rough and tumble little boy who loves hugs and getting into mischief. Something
about him reminds me of you.

Forever yours, Mary Ellen - January
1947

Dearest William,

It looks like we’re
moving. Not immediately, maybe in a year or two. There are lots to do before we
can actually make the move.

He’s purchased a 26
square mile parcel of barren land. The closest town is a little mountain
community called Clement Falls. It is about thirty minutes away or so, at a
much higher elevation. There are a number of lakes in the area, and some great
fishing.

Randall tells me he is
going to name his new town “Coulson.” I think that’s why he wanted to change
the name of the company.

I’m actually looking
forward to it—I need a change of climate. I’ve been so tired lately, and have
been getting headaches. Perhaps I am just weary of the city and need some fresh
air and sunshine. From what I understand, the area receives a lot of sunshine
and no snow. Although, they do get snow up at Clement Falls.

The boys are doing
well. Sonny never gets in trouble at school, so perhaps I was over concerned
about the kitten incident and imagine character flaws that weren’t there. Vera
definitely favors Sonny over Garret. I don’t understand it. Garret is such a
loveable child.

Our son seems to be
happy, but he is always working and spends little time with his family.

I wish you were here
for us.

Forever yours, Mary Ellen - January
1948

Dearest William,

We are scheduled to
move to Coulson in June of this year. Yes, it is officially named Coulson. How strange
that sounds to me, a town that shares my name. Randall is happier than I’ve
ever seen him. He is also more determined.

A happy Randall is not
necessarily one who is easy to be around. I imagine you understand that better
than most.

He is building me the
house he promised. If the drawings are accurate, it will outshine the Coulson estate
in Philadelphia. A three-story structure, the architecture does not quite fit the
area I think. I gently pointed it out to Randall in the beginning, but he got
quite annoyed with me, so I quickly backed off. With Randall, some battles are
simply not worth fighting.

Plus, I haven’t the
energy to fight. I suspect the thought of such a great move is exhausting me
before I even start.

He is giving me my
library, so at last your books will come out of storage. I’m excited about
that. Randall has put me in charge of decorating the house, so I am keeping
busy these days working with a decorator and picking out furniture. I must
confess, I am enjoying it.

We are planning to sell
both townhouses, but not until the move is complete. Harrison and his family
will be living with us. There will be plenty of room—the house is enormous. I
am not sure how Vera feels about moving in with her in-laws. But knowing her
parents, I don’t believe staying in Chicago and living with them is an option.

The boys continue to
thrive. I think this move will be good for them.   

Forever yours,
Mary Ellen - January 1949

“H
appy Birthday
Mother,” Harrison greeted as Mary Ellen made her way down the staircase.

“Thank you, darling.
Where is everyone?” She stepped onto the landing and took Harrison’s arm as he
escorted her to the sunroom to enjoy her morning coffee. After the library it
was her favorite room in the new house.

“Vera is still upstairs
asleep. I don’t expect her down for another hour or so. The boys are with the
nanny having breakfast in the kitchen. Dad is downtown, meeting with several of
the shop owners.”

“I still can’t believe
he’s already filled the entire strip mall. It actually looks like a real little
town.”

“Not according to Vera.”
Harrison chuckled. “She’s quite horrified we only have one grocery store.”

“I didn’t know Vera
went to the grocery store.” Mary Ellen smiled, feeling only a twinge of guilt
for her catty remark.

“Oh, mother.” Harrison
chuckled again. He then got serious and said, “This has been difficult for her.
She’s never pretended to be a country girl. It’s foreign territory for her.”

“I know dear. I do
understand, honestly.” Mary Ellen thought back to when she had been dragged
from the country to the city, forced to marry and bed a man she barely knew.
At
least Vera chose the man she wanted
, she thought.

“And you Harrison, how
do you feel about your father insisting you come with us?”

 “I confess, I would
have preferred to stay in Chicago. But I’m getting used to it. I tell myself I
need to look at it like an adventure.” They’d reached the morning room and each
took a seat at the small table where a pitcher of hot coffee waited. Harrison
poured them each a cup.

“I’m glad you feel that
way. Seeing this as an adventure, I mean.” She took a sip of her coffee.

“You did a beautiful
job with this house, Mother, yet I’m not sure what father intends to do with
the third floor and all those rooms.”

“Turn it into a hotel
perhaps?” she asked with a smile.

“When the plans were
being drawn, and I saw what he intended, I asked him why he didn’t do something
smaller. Something like the townhouses.”

“What did he say?”

“He said it would show
the world he was serious about the project. As it turned out it is the one
thing Vera likes about the move.”

“So she doesn’t mind
living under the same roof as her in-laws?”

“Between you and me, I
think it makes her feel – well, like a princess. She lives up in the royal
castle and can look down on her subjects.”

“Not a very flattering
description of your wife, dear.”

“Well, I did say it was
just between you and me.” Harrison winked at his mother.

“Last night your father
said ten of the building sites in this area have already sold. They were priced
very high. I imagine that was also a factor.”

“True. I never thought
he would get the price he was asking. It’s my understanding they’ll all be
vacation homes,” Harrison told her.

“Well, looks like your
father is actually going to make this thing work.”

“The plant should be
operational within a month, and that will increase the full time population.”

Yes but not the type of
people your wife wants to associate with
, Mary Ellen thought to
herself.

“Mother, are you
feeling okay? You look a little tired. Didn’t you sleep well last night?”

“Remember dear, I am
forty-nine today.” She chuckled.

“You are still
beautiful Mother, and no one would ever guess your age.”

She reached over and
patted her son’s hand. “You are sweet, dear.”

“Grandma!” Garret
charged into the room, running straight for Mary Ellen. She barely had time to
set her coffee cup on the table before he reached her. Leaping onto her lap he
gave her a welcoming hug. Mary Ellen snuggled the small boy
while
peppering him with kisses. He quickly settled on her lap.

“Where is your
brother?” Harrison asked.

“Dunno.” Garret
shrugged. Mary Ellen hugged her youngest grandson and kissed him again. One of
the household staff entered the room carrying a tray of breakfast for Harrison
and Mary Ellen.

“Your grandmother’s
breakfast is here. Get down, and let her eat,” Harrison told his son. Garret
gave a little pouting frown but climbed down. Mary Ellen ruffled his hair as he
scampered off.

“So what are your plans
for the morning, Mother?”

“Nothing too exciting,
maybe finish my book.”

“Well rest up, we’ve an
exciting evening planned for your birthday. I know the boys are looking forward
to the fireworks.”

“I must be special.
They always have fireworks on my birthday.”

Harrison reached across
the table and patted her hand. “You are Mother, you are.”

• • • •

After breakfast, Mary
Ellen went to the library alone. Instead of reading, as she told Harrison she
intended to do, she sat on the small upholstered sofa, massaging her temples. She
had another headache; there would be no reading this morning.

Leaning back on the
sofa, her gaze wandered along the book lined walls. It was an impressive room,
even nicer than William’s private library in Philadelphia.

“You would love this, William,”
she said aloud to the empty room. She glanced up into a shelf in the far corner
and smiled. Tucked behind several Greek classics was a hidden compartment where
she stored the diary Randall had given her, along with some of William’s family
photographs.
I’ll have lots to write come New Year
, she thought.

A stabbing pain in her
right temple made her wince. Feeling a bit nauseous, she kicked off her shoes
and curled up onto the sofa in a fetal position while hugging a throw pillow.
She closed her eyes.

“Mary Ellen—it’s time
to go now.”

She didn’t open her
eyes immediately.
The headache is gone
, she thought.
I must have
slept a while, I haven’t felt this rested in months.

“Mary Ellen, come love.
Time to go.”

She looked up toward
the sound of the voice.

“William?” she
whispered. William stood before Mary Ellen, looking down at her with a
supremely peaceful expression on his face. For some reason she wasn’t surprised
to see him. He extended his right hand toward her and she took it and stood up.

“Is it our time now?”
she asked. A warm blanket of love engulfed her.

“Yes, love. They are
all waiting to see you.”

“Mama, Ed, Papa?”

“Yes Mary Ellen, let’s
go now.” In the distance, a golden light beckoned her. With William at her side,
she started toward it, then she paused and looked back a moment.

“What about them?”

“They aren’t ready yet
Mary Ellen. Their story has yet to be told.”

She smiled, gave William
a little nod and looked back toward the light. Together Mary Ellen and William
continued on their journey.