I thank the delivery boy, tipping him before I lock myself back in my apartment. I inhale two slices right away, grabbing a third and another glass of water before I head back to the couch.
It’s time.
I’m usually not one to put things off. I’m a rip-the-band-aid-off-fast type of girl, so I knew that I wasn’t going to last long.
I wipe my hands off and take a deep breath as I reach for the envelope with my name on it. The other one, Stan’s, remains a mystery, but I’m hoping that she’ll give me some insight in my own letter.
My hand shakes slightly as I slip my finger inside the envelope flap, ripping it open. Inside, there are two sheets of paper. It’s her stationery, the one that I got her for Christmas last year.
The memory of me teasing her when she opened it slams into me and I smile. She’s the only person I know who still uses stationery and I had joked that I had to look all over Los Angeles to find it for her.
Her flowy cursive handwriting greets me and I take another deep breath as I start to read.
My Dear Sutton,
I’m so sorry that I didn’t tell you earlier that I was sick, sweetie. I know that you will be upset about that, and the fact that I kept it from you, but there was nothing that you could do for me. By the time we caught it, there was nothing that anyone could do to stop it.
I want you to know that I’m so very proud of the woman that you have become. You’re so strong, Sutton. So strong and beautiful. I couldn’t have asked for a better daughter. You’re going to do great things. I just know it.
I know that you think that you’re alone, but there is something that I need to tell you.
You have one family member left. A great-uncle named Stan.
He’s Grandpa Lorne’s brother. They had a falling out when they were younger and he was cut off from the family but I found him a few months ago and reconnected with him. I told him all about you and he’s looking forward to meeting you. I’ll let him tell you his own story. I left his letter with the lawyer. I’d like you to give it to him.
He’s lonely, I’m sure like you are right now. I’d like you to get to know him before you go on to Boston to start your new life.
He lives and works in Destiny Falls, Michigan. He has some tourist stop there. A place called the Mystery Cabin. It’s cute. I visited it and him a few months ago and I think that you would like it there.
I know that right now, you don’t want to go. I know you, Sutton. You’ve been focused on this plan of yours for so long and when you get your mind made up, it’s almost impossible to change it. But I want you to do something for me. Or I guess, two things.
The first is to let the past go. I know that you’ve been let down. By your dad, by your prom date, by other kids in school, but you need to find a way to forgive them or to at least move past it. Not every man is evil. Not every man will let you down. Don’t close yourself off before you have a chance to find him.
The second thing is a list. I think they call it a bucket list.
It’s not long, but I’ve been thinking a lot about life lately. There are things that I regret not doing and I don’t want you to feel the same. So do the things that I never did. Add to the list. Chase your dreams, Sutton.
Please don’t be sad, sweetie. I know me saying that isn’t going to change anything, especially not right now. I just wanted to remind you.
You were meant for great things. I’m sorry that I won’t be there to see you get married and start a family, but I promise that I’ll be watching from wherever I am.
I love you, Sutton. More than anything.
Mom
I set the first paper aside, my mind racing with questions, but I want to finish reading before I let those thoughts take over.
I flip to the bucket list and scan the items.
Bucket list
Spend the summer at the Mystery Cabin getting to know your great-uncle before you head to the big city. You can even help out at the gift shop!
Do crazy things. Go skydiving, zip-lining, swim with sharks.
Dye your hair. Not black or something. Go bold. Blue or pink.
Go skinny dipping
Adopt a pet (even if it’s just a fish, although I always imagined you getting a dog)
Go out on dates
Fall in love
The list isn’t very long but it does mess with my plans. Spend the summer in Destiny Falls, Michigan?
I don’t want to. I don’t want to go meet some family member that I’ve never even heard of before. I don’t want to waste three months of my life in some small town, working at some tourist trap.
But I also don’t want to let my mom down. She would do anything for me. Can I really not do the last things that she’s asked of me?
It’s not like I’ve found a job yet in Boston or an apartment. I was supposed to interview at the same financial company that I did my last internship at, but I can put it off, I guess. At least for a few months.
I lean back against the couch cushions, staring up at the ceiling as I try to debate what to do.
Where do I go from here? Do I follow my plan, or spend three months fulfilling my mother’s dying wish?
Well, when I put it like that…
Looks like I’m going to Destiny Falls.
3
Four days in the car have left me feeling antsy. It took me two weeks to pack up our apartment and sell off whatever I didn’t want to take with me.
I ended up selling my car and keeping my mom’s vintage Volkswagen Beetle. It’s entirely impractical, especially for winters in Boston, but I couldn’t let it go. I guess I’m too sentimental. Maybe this could even count as my something crazy on the bucket list, although I don’t think that it was what my mom had in mind.
I just drove over the Mackinac Bridge and my phone GPS says that I’m close. Destiny Falls is a tiny town just over the bridge and along Lake Michigan. I looked it up before I emailed my uncle and told him that I was coming. He had responded by saying okay.
That was it.
Just one word to hearing from a long-lost great-niece out of the blue.
His response was lackluster and made me think that he didn’t really even want me to come out to see him. I should have expected it.
An image of my dad with a similar response to my arrival hits me and I’m just reminded that people will only let you down. Any hopes that I had from him being different from all the other men in my life, for getting along with him, had died after that but at least the town looks nice.
It’s right along the water with a charming lighthouse and a hidden waterfall somehow farther inland which is how the town got its name. I drive down Main Street, admiring all of the quaint little shops that line the street.
The Mystery Cabin is a few miles away from the center of town, nestled in the woods. I turn into the driveway, easing my way over the gravel and a few small potholes and pulling up out front next to an older black truck.
My bug is packed full but I leave all of my luggage in the car as I climb out and stretch. My whole body is tense, sick of being cramped up in the car for the last four days. I look around, taking in the Mystery Cabin, my new temporary home, for the first time.
It’s an older looking A-frame house. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a house like this and while it looks like it might need a new roof soon, there is something also kind of enchanting about it.