Dead Letter

Dear Dad,
Another year has passed. It’s been five years now that you’ve been gone. Where are you? I keep your plot happy, but I know you’re far away. You’re somewhere up in space. Today that thought came to me as I was watching my baby Francis play with his friends in the backyard. (I know he is almost eight now, but he will always be my baby!) I thought of you floating around in space, like by Jupiter, or Pluto, and fly-fishing for will-of-the-wisps. You’d be proud of Casey. Your son got a job articling with a good criminal lawyer in Winnipeg. Finally after a tough year. He moved there six months ago. He misses Edmonton, but he’s going to start making good money. I’m still here, of course. And James still works at Ford. Canada never saw much of that financial crisis. There weren’t even any layoffs. I guess you don’t know what I’m talking about. You missed that too. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I’m just happy being a mom. I’ve also joined a choir. Oh, I hate these letters, but they make me feel closer to you. And I suppose if I am worried about one thing it’s Casey. He'll always be my baby brother. He broke up with his girlfriend. And he drinks still. He doesn’t think anyone notices but I can hear it in his voice over the phone. He acts so kind, so rational, he even says he misses me and Edmonton and our monthly excursions for cool second-hand clothes. But he’s an expert at hiding it. He knows that you used to get mean and it was written all over your face. And so I think that he tells himself as long as he can be nice and everything you’re not he can drink as much as he wants. Well. I don’t mean to offend you. I just don't know what to say to him. If I tell him ... you know. Please send him your prayers, dad. You learned what alcohol did to you and spend the last fifteen years of your life really happy and helping all those people. But James is really clever and young. He writes poetry. He knows how to outsmart and outtalk anyone, you remember. I see you casting your line out by the stars. Send him a prayer. I love you dad.
Your daughter
Sherry