On December 3, Unfiction member bebravenow received an envelope containing a Nutcracker Christmas ornament and a note from Dr. Corenthal dated December 26, 1976.
The letter came in a small manilla envelope, which used purple duct tape to seal it. On the envelope was written: "can youx" written over multiple times.
On the bottom of the envelope was written, "ion.(line pointing left)AND RUN.(line pointing right)not from ti"
And on the inside flap was written, "I'M NOT ONE TO SLASH"
Bebravenow posted a transcript of the note at 8:31 pm EST.
Transcript[]
12.26.1976
God bless my dear Maryann. Our families always had a good laugh about it—a doctor and an oil-mogul's daughter getting married—about how well-off we would be on my salary alone. Ha! it was not easy, not easy at all. Thank goodness for my beloved, for if I had gone through this adoption process alone...they would have committed me and condemned me for such a "frivolous" expenditure of one's money. Again, ha!
Obviously, the money means nothing to me. Maryann and I, we were… we were devastated when we learned that we could not healthily conceive. Devastated. But we found our love in these children, these "rejects" as the home referred to them.
They have not had an outburst or any signs of ailment since we've left. Life is comfortable. I will return to the practice as soon as possible, depending on how long our savings last us.
It was a beautiful Christmas this year. Our family feels whole. A father cannot feel more content than to watch his children laugh comfortably in front of a fireplace on Christmas morning. Watching Evan and [redacted] jokingly shove each other and prod Vinnie and Jeffrey into practical jokes and obvious conversational traps—this is the way things should be. Happy. Full of laughter. These children are my life—and I will stand in the way of anything that threatens them and my dear Maryann.
- Corenthal, 9. [handwritten 11? Just a mistake?] 6pm
Notes[]
- The toy soldier received with this letter fits the description of the toy soldier that Fairmount Jeff made with his father, as described in the Corenthal Report dated 12-14-1971