Letter to Peter Parker

It started with a simple Honey-Do. Faustus and his oldest son were playing basketball in the driveway to the car-port. Ginny walked out on the front porch and happily took in for a moment the scene of the two of them then called out to the Captain.

"Honey, this was the day you promised to take the Christmas Decorations down."

Faustus stopped and put the ball under his left arm. It was, after all, March.

"Yeah, I did, Ginny." he said to her, and then looked at his son. "Lets get started, Sean."

The boy looked at his father with disappointment, mostly at being drafted into this, but said "Okay, Dad."

About an hour later the boxes of outside decorations were being migrated to the attic. Faustus was stacking the boxes in the already crowded attic when he knocked over an old dust covered box. Several letters and some pictures spilled out. He bent down to pick them up and froze for an instant.

All of the letters were addressed to a Gwen Stacy.  

"Something wrong, Dad?"

"Uh, no. I gotta re-arrange this stuff so we can find it next December. You go on, I'll take care of it."

The boy happily went down the attic ladder and Faustus moved some stuff around and picked up all the letters. He returned them to the box and was about to put them back in the stack when he stopped again.

His mind worked for a while, then he decided to take the box with him. Ginny hadn't been in the box for a long time, as belied the level of dust on it. She wouldn't know what he was about to do.

Faustus took the box to his office workshop. There he would be undisturbed, for that was his solitary refuge and sanctuary. Ginny had her refuge too when she wanted to be alone, but that was in the house. This was all his.

He opened the box again and examined its contents. The letters were dated some 30 years ago, long before they even knew of each other. Much to his surprise there was a diary in the bottom of the box, covered by the letters and assortment of photographs.  

Bit by bit, he started to read. He knew the story, Ginny had told it to him many times when she was in pain and needed to vent it out. But now, he was putting faces to the names. Harry. Pete. Flash. M.J. Aunt May. Norman. George Stacy, her father.

But mostly Pete.

The story came into sharper focus. Over a period of days he read the letters, the diary, and looked at the pictures. He understood something he only had a vague idea of earlier. There were many pictures of her and Peter together, taken by friends, and one or two professional pics. Sometimes the love he read about was so great that her loss of it hit him deeply inside. Other times the hell she was going through cut him as well. Life had not been good to this Gwen Stacy, not as good as it should have.

Finally he finished the lot, and sat there for a bit thinking. The letters abruptly stopped at the time when she was kidnapped, as did the diary entries He made no decision what to do except to return the box to the attic. That this Peter Parker loved her very very much was an obvious fact.

Days went by, Faustus went about his usual duties, and his family life. Late one night he woke up. Ginny was sleeping peacefully by his side. He looked at her and wondered for the millionth time how he had been so fortunate. Then he slid out of bed and got dressed quietly. He went to his workshop and turned on his computer.

He sat for a moment looking at the blank word processor, then in a flood began to type. The words came on and on, as his fingers flew over the keyboard.

Dear Mr. Parker

You don't know me, but I know of you. Quite a bit, in fact, and in some cases, maybe more than I should.  

I write you this letter because it will probably put your mind at rest. Maybe. You see, I was up in the attic of my house and discovered my wife's old letters that you wrote to her when she was single and living in New York. She kept quite a remarkable lot of them.

Maybe I shouldn't have read them, and the diary that was in there, and if she found out she would probably be angry with me. But we both know she can quickly regain control of her temper once she gets it out. Anyway, I did read them.  

She's told me about her past life, and all of her friends, and why she left, so this was no secret between us. But what the letters and diary did was bring it home to me just what she DID leave behind. And for all that, I think, Mr. Parker, Peter if I may, you have a right to know.

You have a right to know how she is now, how she is doing, and what she's been up to.

First off, she is okay. She's happy. She and I were married some 20 years ago, and we have five children; Sean-George, Gabrielle, (and you'll recognize these names) Gwendy, Petey, and Jessica Mary-Jane. We have a nice house. She keeps it so very tidy. We live and work at a home for girls here near Pace, New Mexico. Things are quiet and peaceful for the most part, and we enjoy our life together. She's never forgot you folks; Harry, Flash, M.J., and especially you Peter.

I know she bid you goodbye when she walked away that day and told you not to look back. But Pete, you have this right to know that she is okay, and happy, and doing well. I have been blessed by being her husband and father of our children and we love each other very much.

I don't know what you are doing now, she said you were a photographer for some newspaper up there, but you were going to college and more than likely have had your degree for a long time. I hope you are married, and happy, and flourishing. You deserve no less. Ginny, or Guinifer as she goes by now, has always wished the best for you. Its part of her wonderful quality that you and I both have seen in this remarkable woman.

So be at peace. The girl you used to call Gwen is, and you should be also. I wish for you the best.

Kapitaen Faustus Mitternacht

Grand Master

Knights of the Hospital and Temple

He paused at the end. Faustus thought for a moment. His mind battled within itself.

"No, I can't."

Then he highlighted the text and put his finger over the delete button.

"Don't do that." a familiar voice softly said behind him.

He almost jumped out his chair. Ginny stood there in her housecoat and slippers not a foot behind his chair.

"Ginny! I..."

She smiled at him, the way she always did.

"Shhh! I woke up and wondered where you were, honey. I saw the light in here and came over. I saw what you were typing. I know you've been reading my letters and things, and I figured it wouldn't do any harm. You should keep your window shades closed when sneaking around."

Faustus hung his head. What could he say? She could read him like a book.

She put her right arm lovingly around him and looked at the computer screen. She reached over and un-highlighted the text.

"Dear, you are right," she said, "He has a right to know. I've been wanting to tell him since we got married, but I wasn't sure you'd want me to. This makes it all right. Thank you darling."

She reached around and typed below the sign off

P.S.

Like my husband said, Peter, be at peace and be happy, for I am. In memory of what we had.

Ginny (Gwen)

She stood up straight, a resolved look on her face.

"Mail it, please, Faustus."

"Do you think he'll come here?"

"If Peter does, its okay. I'm your wife. This is my home and this is my family. It won't change anything."

She kissed him and left. Faustus printed it, and put it in the mailbox as he returned to the house. He looked at the mailbox with its red metal flag upright. Then he looked heaven-ward and for the umpteenth time thanked God for his blessings.

Then he went inside and back to Ginny, the woman he loved and who loved him.