Two years after the death of Kevin Clarke, the couples from his old neighborhood meet to remember the man known as the “letter writer.” They meet at Kevin’s home, which is now home to his daughter and her family. But as people arrive to pay their respects at the backyard waterfall and stream, revelations occur. One man admits to the others – and his wife – that he’s had an affair. Another tells of the anger he’s held for Kevin Clarke. But the statements made by Amy Stevens are by far the most scandalous.
As the small memorial ends, tempers flare and the members of the neighborhood, along with select guests, depart. Snow begins to fall. Within hours lives are changed. But the changes are minor compared to what Amy Stevens has brought from the past – she has letters from a dying man. Letters that refuse to hold back because, as Kevin writes, “Dying has its perks. I can say whatever I want.”
Letters To My Friends is an honest, forthright continuation of Terry Dean’s best selling book, Letters To My Wife. This new chapter brings a tender ending to the story. You won’t want to miss it.
Please enjoy an excerpt from Letters To My Friends:
Diogi was panting hard as he tried to make it to his loveseat. A full-grown Great Dane needs space. Blake and Cari Parker had provided the space for the large Harlequin to rest by placing a loveseat outside their bedroom door. However, now with cancer in his hip and leg, it was becoming more difficult for Diogi to get on the cushions. Climbing the steps to the second floor of the house was no longer an easy romp. It was a chore – a chore Diogi endured willingly. He liked to look out the large bay windows at the top of the stairs, to watch over the yard and to see if the man next door might have returned. The old man had been gone for such a long time, and yet, Diogi continued to look down into the man’s yard, hoping to see him. Maybe they could sit next to the pond where the old man would regale the dog with stories. Diogi missed the man’s voice and how he always let the large dog lean against him. It had been such a long time – it was as if the old man was never going to come back.
Many seasons had come and gone without the old man.
The only things that remained the same were his masters. Diogi liked his masters. He cared deeply for each of them. But, as much as he cared for the ones who fed him, he missed the old man more.
As he rested on the loveseat, waiting for the return of the old man, Diogi could hear the voices in the bedroom. Its door, now closed, was next to the old loveseat. He could hear Blake and Cari talking in hushed voices until one voice suddenly grew louder.
“I’m not going to do it!” Cari almost shouted. Her voice held a degree of fear and sadness. “I won’t do it!”
“I don’t want to do it, either,” Blake moaned. “But what’s the alternative? This sucks, Cari!”
“He can get by without a leg, can’t he? We haven’t even tried chemo.”
There was quick movement inside the bedroom. Diogi strained to move on the loveseat. It was more and more difficult to find a comfortable position. The blanket that was covering the light-colored fabric was beginning to ball up and fall between the back of the loveseat and the cushions. That meant the cushions would soon be pushed away from the back rest, and Diogi would again fall between the cushions and the backrest. When that happened, he was forced to wait for his masters’ help.
“Listen, Cari,” came Blake’s voice through the closed door. “I can’t let someone lop off his leg – not without him understanding what’s going on. And we certainly can’t subject the poor guy to chemo. That would be cruel.”
“Then you’re saying we-” Cari’s voice stopped abruptly. “No,” she cried. “NO! No, Blake! Please!”
Diogi stirred, sensing his mistress Cari was hurting. Suddenly, the bedroom door swung open and Cari looked down at the large dog. Cari’s cheeks were moist with tears. She bent and wrapped her arms around the dog’s thick neck.
“Oh, Diogi,” she cooed. “You’re such a good boy. Such a good friend. We love you, Doje. You know that, right?”
“He knows,” Blake whispered from behind her. “Hey, Cari? We’ll hold off deciding until after Christmas. Okay?”
Cari didn’t respond. She just buried her face into Diogi’s neck.
Diogi’s green and brown eyes looked up at Blake as if asking why Cari was squeezing him so tightly.