V-mail from Seaman Tobias Vincenzo to Gloria Whitehall
Dear Mrs. Whitehall,
Thank you for writing.
Your name was not new to me when I got your letter. My mother has been writing about you for a year now. The first time she did, she called you “Mrs. Gloria Whitehall of Rockport, Massachusetts.” I must admit I disliked you immediately because 1. You had obviously captured the attention of my ma, and 2. You had a definite place in the world. I do not. I am on a ship. I’m no longer Toby Vincenzo of Iowa City, Iowa. I’m not allowed to tell you where I am. I probably couldn’t do that anyway.
And now my father has no place on the map. The only one of us who does is my ma. I need her letters to remind me. I need her.
It’s my understanding that you helped keep her standing on solid ground when she found out about my dad. That you somehow held her in place.
I can’t thank you enough.
Sincerely,
Toby Vincenzo