That evening, Imogen wrote a strongly worded letter to Manny about her father and his friend. She was appalled by it and didn’t want to ever speak to her father again. He had no love for her. Why should she risk herself trying to appease him? It felt like she wasn’t caring about herself at all.
She went through the next three days still fuming, refusing to go anywhere near her house. When she saw her father in the street, she turned and walked in the opposite direction. If he came in a shop behind her, she would leave through the back. She was making her point quite clear and could tell it was aggravating him.
When Josie handed her a letter from Manny in the early afternoon, she took it with fervor. She’d been waiting to hear back from him. Three days was normal. She was just glad it hadn’t taken longer.
She sat on the porch steps and tore the envelope open.
As Imogen read through the letter, she felt a sense of calm cover her. He was so encouraging. He gave her sympathy for her struggle but reminded her that her father was in a lot of pain, and that was probably why he behaved the way he did. The alcohol was a problem for him, something he couldn’t let go of. Daniel was there to constantly push him further and further toward self-destruction.
Go back and try once more, mi amor, he wrote. It is important to hold on to family as long as you can. And when it has gone too far, you will know, and you will put an end to it. But know this, my love, when I feel the time is right, I am coming for you. I will not hesitate a moment. I love you. I will see you soon. It might even be a surprise. I will risk it all to be with you. I will not let you down.
Her heart raced at the thought that he might just show up one day. Would he go to Josie’s? Or her father’s? Should she really give him one more chance? She didn’t really want to. She wanted to find Manny and stay with him for the rest of her life.
Someday, Imogen thought, folding the letter gently and sliding it back into the envelope.
“Good news?” Josie asked, sitting down next to her, handing her a cup of cold lemonade from the icebox.
Imogen gave her a grateful smile, taking the cup and drinking several swallows.
“I guess you could say it’s good news,” she replied. “Manny says he is going to come and save me from all this.”
Josie grinned. “When is he going to do that?”
Imogen shrugged, tilting her head to the side briefly. “I don’t know. Soon, I hope. He …” She hesitated, the idea of returning to her father’s again making her feel anxious. “He wants me to give Pa another chance. One more chance, he says. But I don’t know if I can do that. He’s been so terrible to me lately. And do you know he’s still bugging me to marry Daniel?”
Josie’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “What? He has to know you aren’t going to marry that man.”
Imogen shook her head. “He actually brought up that Daniel is the mayor’s brother. Like that makes any difference whatsoever. I don’t even know if James has anything to do with Daniel.”
Josie also shook her head. “No, I don’t think they talk to each other. Not for any other reason than family business. Andy talks to James a lot, and I don’t think he ever mentions his brother in a good way if you understand me.”
“I suppose I could give Papa one more chance.” She pursed her lips. “For Manny. Because he wants me to. But I swore the last time I left I would never go back, and I really don’t want to.” She smiled at Josie. “I’ll do this, but I won’t like it.”
They both laughed softly. Imogen stared down the street toward her house. It was tall, so she could see the roof and the top of the house where the attic was but no more than that. Again, she noticed the quiet of the town, how different it was from just a few weeks ago.
When the mine dried up, it was like the energy was sucked from the town. The main shops hadn’t shut down. There were a few men outside their establishments, one woman sweeping her porch and a young couple hanging a banner for the upcoming summer festival.
But there had been a lot more action before the shutdown. Now there weren’t even children running up and down the street, chasing hoops or balls. There were no women walking down the street, meeting each other, their children running off to play together.
Plenty of families still lived in Bryantsville. They were just staying away from the main part of town. There had been a lot of violence for so long they didn’t dare leave their homes. Eventually, they would realize the war had ended, and people were leaving the town one by one.
“It’s so quiet now,” Josie said, putting voice to Imogen’s thoughts.
Imogen nodded. “I was thinking the same thing.” She didn’t turn her head to Josie, continuing looking down the street, taking in the peaceful appearance, knowing there was much tension behind that veil.
“Do you think it will ever be like it used to be again?” Josie sounded melancholy.
Imogen glanced at her friend. “Do you want it to be? Things change, and I really believe they change for the better if you make them that way. It doesn’t have to be a bad thing. I’m upset because the Chins have left and taken Sein Lu with them. I haven’t seen Tito in weeks, and I’m still waiting to be at Manny’s side. But I have to accept those things, don’t I? Because I know they will change again. We must be patient. When Bryantsville grows into a thriving town again, I hope there will be no segregation and fights. Not those kinds of fights anyway. There will always be drunken men fighting each other for some reason or another.”
Josie grunted. “You’re right. That’s not something that’s likely to change.”
“I wish I didn’t feel like my father was one of those men. That won’t change. I wish he would.”
“I don’t really think people change all that much anyway. They are formed to be who they are by adulthood, and by that time, they have a personality.”
“I don’t know.” Imogen thought about it for a moment. Her father had changed. Before her mother's death, he’d been a typical husband and father, loving, generous, and kind. After he lost his wife, it seemed the goodness in him disappeared, and he could only survive at the bottom of a bottle.
Imogen had watched him make an effort to stop drinking so heavily. She knew he didn’t want to be that way, not deep down inside. But was he already too far into his drunkenness to stop? His attempts in the last few months had been unsuccessful. Now he was indulging as much as he wanted, his self-pity overwhelming him.
“Papa changed after Mama died,” Imogen said quietly. “I know he wishes he didn’t, but he really did.”
Josie didn’t reply. When Imogen glanced at her, she noticed the sad look on her friend’s face. Josie put one arm around Imogen’s shoulders while she took a sip of her lemonade. They tilted their heads toward each other, and Imogen closed her eyes, grateful for a friend like Josie.
“So you’re going back? Are you going tonight?”
Imogen pulled in a slow deep breath, not sitting up straight. She stared at the ground in front of her, the glass of lemonade cupped between her hands. “I guess I will. But I’m only doing it for Manny’s sake. Because he asked me to. I don’t expect anything from him.”
Josie looked confused. “From Manny?”
Imogen blinked and then shook her head. “No, from Papa, of course.”
Josie nodded. “Oh, yes, of course.”
The girls fell quiet as they sat, drinking their lemonade, and thinking. Imogen was grateful she had such a good friend to be by her during her trouble. She couldn’t imagine being alone while she waited for Manny to come and rescue her.
Thinking about his lighthearted tone from his letters made Imogen’s heart pitter-patter. She felt bubbly in her stomach and couldn’t help wishing he would cut the time short and just come for her.
“I guess I’ll go back tonight,” she finally said, almost too low for Josie to hear. “But if you’ll wait up a bit for me, that would be so nice.”
Josie nodded. “I’ll do that. Of course.”