by Anne Earney (bio at end of story)
We dipped the sheets of paper in coffee to turn them brown, for that 200-years-old look. Amy wanted the love letters to look as if George and Martha Washington had written them. Her assignment was to write imaginary correspondence between two historical figures that may have forever influenced the course of history.
“Dearest Martha, I understand your reluctance to leave our home in Mount Vernon, but I feel it is my duty to fulfill my role as the President, and I will be proud to have you as my wife, by my side. George.”
“Dear Love, I am packing the silver and am sorry to say that I cannot locate the small engraved dish you gave me on our first anniversary. I shall be very distraught if it does not turn up, but will continue bravely and surely to your side. I am sorry that I will have to miss the Inauguration. Martha.”
“Dearest Martha, Do not worry about the silver dish, for I have it with me as a reminder of your faithful love and devotion. I place my pocket watch in it every night, and think of you, and I think of you again as I pick it up in the morning. I am sorry I did not let you know that I had it, but I did not want you to think me a sentimental old fool. George.”
Amy wrote the words out carefully in cursive, recreating the pained, elaborate handwriting characteristic of those times. We lit a candle and carefully ran the edges of the stationary through the flame. If it weren’t for the smell of coffee lingering on the pages, I would have believed they were indeed two hundred years old.
Amy spent hours at the library researching Martha Washington and her life with our first president. George was Martha’s second husband. They married in 1759. George died in 1799, leaving Martha a widow. Before her own death in 1802, she burned almost all of the correspondence between her husband and herself in an effort to preserve the privacy of their marriage. Historians may question the love in their marriage, but my daughter has recreated what must have been a devoted partnership, able to support the weight of many responsibilities and challenges.
Had George survived Martha, he might not have burned the letters, and we would know exactly what passed between them. But I think I prefer the version my daughter has created, a love story that may have changed the course of history.
© Anne Earney. All Rights Reserved.
Finalist - An Authentic Love Story by Anne Earney
Anne Earney resides in St. Louis, Missouri with her boyfriend, Eric, and two cats, Bobo and Lulu. She pays her half of the bills by peddling booze at an Irish sports bar downtown. She writes short stories, but occasionally a poem slips out. In the little spare time left after writing, she likes to look at art, books and buildings. She also enjoys nature and the theatre. She comes from a long line of coffee drinkers.
Editor’s Note: “Authentic” was chosen for the first round for the following reasons: When we first read the opening, we thought this WAS an “authentic love story.” As we went on, we realized the clever plot. Excellent writing, correct punctuation, no spelling errors. What hooked us: The brevity for such depth of activity and emotion, the use of one love relationship to offset another, the obvious research involved, and the ending which showed incredible depth of admiration between the characters of mother and daughter in the last line. This is a very polished short story.
