A Letter to Adela

 It was an ordinary school day, and the short drive home was uneventful for Henry. As soon as he got home, the lanky, blond 16 year old let out his beloved Jack Russell terrier, Revel, and she walked with him to the mailbox to see what was inside. Most likely bills and other correspondence for his parents, Henry figured as he and Revel walked down the driveway. Instead, all he found in the box was a rather crumpled ivory envelope marked “return to sender”.

Henry reached down to pat Revel’s head as he took the envelope all the way out of the box and examined it. He wondered why it was in their box, as there was no return address, and in fact the only thing written on the outside of the dirty envelope was a woman’s first name: Adela. Obviously a mistake that it had been returned to them. Why, it didn’t even have a stamp on the envelope…..
Henry himself didn’t know anyone named Adela, and he began to mentally go through his parents’ friends and acquaintances as well, trying to think if any of them was named Adela, and he drew a blank.
Henry smiled. He considered himself an amateur detective, and this was sure looking like a mystery to him. He turned the envelope over in his hands, wondering if he should open it. After all, he reasoned, it wasn’t an invasion of privacy. It HAD been returned to them.
He studied the outside of the envelope once more. All that was written on it was “Adela” in broad black letters, and of course the “Return to Sender” stamp, supposedly from the post office.
Henry made his decision, and slowly slipped a finger under the sealed flap of the envelope, opening it. There was no turning back now. He drew back the flap, and inside the envelope he found a folded paper with writing on it. Even unfolded, he recognized the handwriting: it was his own mother’s! It stunned him, and he felt a moment’s guilt for having opened the envelope in the first place. But he felt a burning curiosity about just who Adela was, and why his mother had never mentioned her. Did his Dad know about Adela too? His hands were trembling as he slowly unfolded the paper. Revel whined softly at his feet.
“Dearest Adela”, it began, “I am overjoyed to hear that you are at last well and ready to be released from Brenhaven.” Henry read the words and could not believe his eyes. He knew that Brenhaven was an asylum for the mentally ill patients. AND not just ANY mentally ill patients, but criminally insane ones! Henry couldn’t believe that his mother knew, let alone called dearest, anyone like THAT.
Henry’s eyes went wider as he read the letter, for his mother went on to suggest that she could make arrangements for Adela to live here, with her, her husband and her son. His shock was palpable; his mother had NEVER mentioned anything of the kind! Just who was this Adela, anyway??!
Henry was so intent on reading the contents of the crumpled letter that he didn’t notice Revel’s growling, nor the presence of a slim, dark-haired young woman. She stood before him calmly, clearing her voice to get his attention. She was dressed neatly in a black skirt and white blouse, a red scarf tied in a knot around her neck.
“You must be Henry.”, she said, before he had a chance to say anything to her. “You look like Christina.”
Henry looked at her blankly, but he did process the fact that the Christina she was referring to was his own mother. He managed a vague smile, and asked her directly, “Who are you?”
The young woman laughed lightly, and smiled, putting down the suitcase that she was carrying. “I’m Adela, Christina’s sister. Didn’t she tell you that I was coming?”
“N-no, she didn’t.”, Henry stuttered. He studied her carefully, wondering what he should do now. Should he invite her inside? She didn’t look criminally insane to him. “Let me text my mom that you’re here.”, he said hastily, pulling his phone out of his pocket, his fingers moving hastily across the keys. His message? “Adela’s here.”
Revel growled again, and Henry petted the small dog’s head to calm her. He smiled again at Adela, and said, “Would you like to come inside with me? My mom gets home at 4.” Thankfully it was nearly that now, for which Henry was very grateful. And after all, from what was in the letter, his mom was planning on her living here, so she had to come in eventually, didn’t she?
“Alright.”, Adela said. She looked at Revel and smiled. “May I pet your dog?”, she asked.
“Sure, I guess so.”, Henry told her, a little uncertainly. Revel was generally good with strangers, but this whole thing was making him nervous. He watched as Adela let Revel smell her hand, then began to rub her head gently. Revel wagged her tail in a vote of approval, so Adela couldn’t be all bad, he decided. Revel was a great judge of character.
Henry gestured toward Adela’s suitcase. “Would you like me to carry that for you?”, he asked.
“No thanks, I’ve got it.”, Adela assured him, picking it up and following him and Revel to the door of the house.
Once inside, Henry ushered Adela into the living room, a comfortable room with leather overstuffed furniture and a widescreen television. “Sit down, and make yourself at home.”, he told her. “I’ll get you something to drink. Is tea ok?”
“Fine.”, Adela assured him, sitting down on the sofa. Revel hopped up beside her, laying a head in her lap.
Just then the doorbell rang. Revel growled. When Henry went to answer the door, he noticed that both Adela and Revel were behind him. Outside the door was a dark, intimidating man, a scowl on his face.
“Don’t answer it, PLEASE!”, Adela begged Henry, when she saw the man outside the door. “He’s always following me! He’s never stopped! He’s the one who should have been in Brenhaven, not me! He’ll never let me go! He’ll kill me first! You have to hide me from him!”
The man was now insistently rapping on the door and Revel was barking, and before Henry could decide what to do, Adela ran to the bathroom with her suitcase, and slammed the door shut, locking it.
Henry finally opened the door cautiously. “Um…..hello? Can I help you?”, he said to the man, a dark forboding figure if ever there was one.
“I need to see Adela. Where is she?”, he said. No sooner than he had said the words, Adela came out of the bathroom. Henry did a double take! She didn’t look anything like the slender, dark-haired woman he’d invited in. She looked….like his mom!
She wore a blonde wig, and was now dressed in a draping pale lilac dress that could easily have come out of his mom’s closet. “Adela’s still in Brenhaven. I am her older sister, Christina.”, she said calmly. “What business do you have with her? Perhaps I could help you?”
The man looked angry, and flustered. All poor Henry could do was hope his mom didn’t come home right now.
“My mistake. Sorry I bothered you.”, the mystery man said, leaving abruptly. As soon as he was gone, Adela collapsed in relief, the blonde wig sliding part of the way off, revealing her dark hair.
Out of nowhere, the real Christina, Henry’s mom, came in the house, and Henry breathed an audible sigh of relief. She hugged first Henry then Adela, tears in her eyes.
“My dears”, she said softly.
After a few minutes, Adela said quietly and calmly, “But I can’t stay here, Christina. It’s like I told you….it isn’t safe, for me or for your family.”
Christina nodded. “I can see that now. But I will find you a place to stay, little sister. One where you will be safe and not have to live in fear.”, she promised. She looked at Henry.
“I know you must have a lot of questions about what just happened, Henry. Adela and I will explain everything.”, she promised him, kissing his forehead.
“As you now know, Adela is my younger sister. She has been in Brenhaven for the last 15 years, but it was for her own protection. She saw an organized crime murder, and the man who came to our door just now was the killer. Seeing the murder severely traumatized her, and she needed psychiatric help. Keeping her at Brenhaven was the only way to keep her safe. Do you see that? The only problem is, the psychiatrist attending Adela was convinced that she was well enough to live on her own, and insisted on releasing her. But she is still in danger, and we must find a safe place for her to live.”, Henry’s mother told him.
“The reason I never told you about her before is that….well….I wasn’t sure that she’d ever be well again.”, Christina admitted. She took one of Adela’s hands in hers and squeezed it. “But here she is, at long last.”
Christina turned to Henry. “Can you forgive me for keeping this secret from you?”
“Yes, Mom.”, Henry told her. “I understand why you did what you did, and I want to help you find Aunt Adela a new home. Oh, and here’s the letter you sent her. Somehow it was in the mailbox today.”
“HE put it there.”, Adela whispered. “I never got the letter. Can I see it?”, she asked. “I want to see what you said to me.”, she told Christina.
Henry handed Adela the letter, thinking that this was no ordinary day after all.