VALENTINE'S DAY (A Little Late)

Since I posted my love of old newspapers on Valentine's Day, I will remedy the situation by posting a hint of romance from COMFORT which will be released next month.

“Someone’s sweet on – you, Ann Fay.”

Ed Frogge handed me an envelope with only my name on the outside. I didn’t recognize the handwriting. I looked at Ed. His bow tie was just a little bit crooked and his smile was kind of off balance too. There was mischief in his eyes.

“What is it?” I asked him.

“Go ahead. See for yourself.”

I looked in the envelope. There was another, fancier one inside. It had four stamps on it and each one had a drawing of Franklin Roosevelt with the Little White House in the background. And the envelope had his picture too.

I know my mouth fell open with the surprise of it. “Where did this come from?”

The mischief in Ed’s eyes was really acting up now. “State secret,” he said.

I looked all over the envelope, thinking I might find a name. But there wasn’t any. So now I had two envelopes and no letter. “What am I supposed to do with it?”

Ed laughed. “If I were you – I’d put it in a safety – deposit box. See that?” He pointed to some words stamped on the envelope:

FIRST DAY OF ISSUE
AUG 24

1945

“And notice the Warm Springs – postmark with the date. Roosevelt himself would – hang on to that. He was a stamp collector – you know.”

Really? Why hadn’t Sam the Encyclopedia Man told me that? Who was giving me the stamps? And why?

Ed could see I was confused. “I was told it was a – late valentine,” he explained.

“Valentine? From who?”

Ed grinned and straightened his bow tie. “As Mrs. Trotter - would say, ‘We shall see – what we shall see...’”