May 1970
My Dear Marj,
I’m sorry this letter has been so long in coming. I know that I should write more often, but I usually find it hard to think of things to say, other than that I love you. Well, this time its a little different. I have some big news for you. For some reason, I kind of got hooked into playing poker. I know that you don’t like me to gamble, but this was spur of the moment, and it worked out! Some of the senior officers, some majors and colonels, were playing one night and I was invited to play. I thought I would lose a couple bucks and get out of it. But I started to win, and win a lot. I left that night up a couple thousand bucks! Of course I had to come back a few nights later to let them win their money back. That did not happen. My luck just get better. After a couple weeks, I was up over ten thousand dollars! One of the generals decided to end the game because the stakes were getting too high. So, here I was with this bundle of cash.
You remember Frankie Clinton? I mentioned him a couple times. We have become sort of friends the last couple months. Well, he is getting out of here before me. When he gets out, he plans to meet up with some of his big shot friends in Chicago and then go down to the Kentucky Derby. That got me to thinking a little. I know what you are thinking, old Nolan is getting a little crazy with all that money. Well, hear me out. So I got ahold of the Stars and Stripes newspaper and started studying the horses running in the Derby. Anyway, there was this horse that caught my eye. Some of the guys had started calling me the king of dirty landings, as I sometimes skid a little off the runway and kicking up a lot of dust. Then I saw this horse’s name — Dust Commander —that horse was calling me. My luck has been running and they say when you are lucky, keep going. So I asked Frankie to put the bundle of money on that horse to win the Derby. He thought I was crazy too, but he agreed to do it for me. He was going to bet on it too. So I doubt that you even followed what happened at the Kentucky Derby, but I got a telegram from Frankie. He made the bet on Dust Commander which had 15-1 odds to win. Marj, we are now rich people. Frankie says we collected over $150,000.00 on that bet! I told him that I wouldn’t tell you till I got home, but I was just too excited not to share this with you. So, when I get out of here, I will meet up with Frankie and collect the money before I come home…..
Marjorie stopped reading the letter. Her mind was racing, it didn’t make any sense. Nolan was telling her that he somehow had managed to win all this money from cards then from bets on a horse race? She didn’t know anything about that. Where was all this money? It was almost too much to for her to comprehend. When the word came that Nolan had been killed in action, she had received a telephone call one day from Frankie. He called to extend his condolences and asked her if there was anything he could do. She remembered now that he had asked her a couple times if she had ever heard anything from Nolan before he died. She had told him that she had nothing from him for more than a month before he died. He had called her again after the funeral to see how she was doing, and then nothing after that.
She started reading Nolan’s letter again.
….When I do get home, after a little celebration, I have some big plans. I don’t know if you remember that piece of land that is a couple miles out of town, the old Stoddart place, I think its over 30 acres and Connoly Creek runs right down the middle of it. I plan on buying that land and building a house out there. We can sell our place in town. I have a line on a job flying for a freight company. I figure I can fly for a couple years until Joe and Trudy get old enough to start helping out with the farming. Then I will quit flying and start farming the land. Who knows? We might have a couple more little farmers by then. You know its been my dream and this money will get us there. My luck has been running pretty good these days, but no more gambling for me. Just get through the next few weeks and get home and start planning our future. I can’t wait. I have to get going now, time to turn in. It’s been pretty busy around here, but I will be home soon. Keep this all under your old hat till then
All my love, Nolan
She was stunned with all this. Tears began to well out of her eyes and her body began to shudder. Crying uncontrollably, she fell back onto her bed. Why, why did she have to get this letter? It would have been better if it would have never been found or given to her. All these plans and dreams of Nolan ended in a burning crash thousands of miles from home. And what about that money? Frankie Clinton had never shared this information or the money over all these years. He had used that money to start a business and had become very wealthy. She was left a widow, having to work at the bank and sometimes on the weekend at the IGA to keep a roof over her head and take care of the kids. Then it hit her, and she sat up in the bed. The kids. Trudy was going to marry the son of Frankie Clinton. What would she think about this? Her future father-in-law had taken her father’s money. How could she ever look him in the eye? Would she even marry Dan now?
Then she remembered something Trudy had told her last night. In all the commotion, it had just went into one ear and out the other. It was just something about her plans after she was married. Trudy said that Dan was planning on making an offer on an old farm outside town. She didn’t remember things exactly, but she said there was creek running through it. They were going to fix up the house and start farming the place. Just a little bit at first. She even said that if Marjorie wanted, she could sell her house and they would build a little cottage for her to live close to them. Then when the kids came, she would be there. The kids would have grandma there to help raise them. She hadn’t thought much about it at the time. It was just something down the road. She had put it out of her mind. Now that was one more thing to consider.
Anger had began to build in her. All these years, Frankie Clinton had been living a happy life with few cares in the world. He had profited off the death of his friend. No one in the world knew about it, except for him. But now, she knew too. It was too much to keep to herself. She had to tell someone. She needed some closure on this and maybe some revenge after all these years. It was not fair or right. She could just picture the look on his face when she read the letter to him. What could he say? Oh, this was crazy even to think about confronting him. What would it do to Trudy? But someone should know the truth. Maybe she could tell Joe, and get him to promise never to tell Trudy. Just something to keep between them, his father’s last request. Keep the secret in his memory. But what about Trudy? Maybe she deserved to know as well. Dan didn’t seem anything like his father, but maybe he too should know the truth about HIS father.
How much time had passed since she came up the steps? It seemed like hours now. She had to decide what to do, before someone came up here looking for her.
to be continued —
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