The following “letter” is part of the continuing series from the unpublished novel by James Garrett, “Benicia Letters Once More”. He does not plan to publish the book but instead is choosing to share the letters with the readers of the Benicia Herald. The letters continue the storyline of Garrett’s first novel “Benicia and Letters of Love”. Each “letter” tells of love in one of its many forms from a separate point of view. Benicia is represented prominently in the letters because of Garrett’s deep fondness for the city of Benicia. He hopes readers see themselves or others they know in the letters because the concept of “Love” is universal.

Mr. Garrett,
I tried to stop the argument, but it didn’t help. Then one man said to the other, “She never said no.” The husband literally went limp while still standing in front of the other man. His shoulders sagged and his head dropped. For a moment I thought he might drop to his knees.
I won’t tell you their names, but I will call them John, Joe, and Jen so I can tell the story.
John, the man who had spoken that “She never said no” then said he hadn’t wanted to tell Joe what he had said, but Joe kept pushing so he did. John said, though he knew he had been wrong to be with Jen, who he knew was married, she had been totally agreeable and had invited him to spend the afternoon with her.
While sitting watching the water and drinking wine with the man who accepted Jen’s invitation, he brought up the subject of his meeting with her. I had no idea it happened. I think John needed to talk with someone and chose me. John said he had always loved the Jen, but felt she loved Joe starting in high school and she eventually married him.
A chance meeting at a store, a telephone call, and things turned out as they did that afternoon. John said it never happened again, and it wouldn’t happen again as long as Jen was married. Jen still is married to Joe, the one with whom she shared so much time socially in high school. John, the one she invited that afternoon was married but is now divorced.
I managed to get all of us together at a social event. It needed to be done, and I had the chance to do it. There were enough people there that there were no long, quiet, or awkward moments which I could observe. The four of us talked for a few minutes in the small talk way people share and spent the remainder of the evening talking with others.
Both those men and the woman were my friends since we met at Mills Elementary School, and I hope they always will be. I don’t know if the two men and the woman will ever be friends with each other again.
I also don’t know what went on between each of them in the years past Benicia High school. All of us were social with each other up through and past our years in high school. I do know that during at least their senior year Jen and John, the man who accepted her invitation, were also quietly very close friends. The signs couldn’t be missed.
I don’t believe it was totally passion between John and Jen in him accepting her invitation. I think there was much repressed love for years between John and Jen. The feelings they obviously shared for each other couldn’t have only been passion and have lasted that long.
I think there is caring and love between John and Joe and Jen as there is for me towards each of them. I hope their caring and love for each other finds forgiveness and acceptance.
Benicia is a small town, though the population is about 30,000. The four of us continue to run into each other. Some of those are specific times such as funerals. Other times are random. Everyone is polite, but the closeness we all once shared is gone.
Dave

James Garrett is a lifelong resident of Benicia and a former teacher at Benicia High School. He is the author of the following novels: “Benicia and Letters of Love”, “The Mansion Stories”, “Chief Salt”, and “One Great Season, 9-0!” He also compiled a three-volume work entitled “The Golden Era: Benicia High School Football, The 1948 through 1960 Seasons, “A” History with Comments.” He can be contacted at jgstoriesnpoetry@aol.com.

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