The Correspondent

by Virginia Evans

Felix Stone

Characters Felix brother also adopted Dana x husband Belgium Bruce. Son & DNA giver Marie. His wife Trudy Millie Fiona daughter, lives in Europe to be with her father Walt Fiona s husband Charles Fiona and Walt’s new baby Stewart Millie Sybil’s mother (Stone) died when Sybil was 18 James Harry’s father a judge wife is Marley and he has two girls: Lauren who has a boyfriend and harry. Young boy she communicates with Gilbert. Gil died 39 years ado at books beginning Dead son Rosalie best friend and sister of Dan has husband Dan and son Lars both compromised Dr. Jameson opthamologist Mick watts trying to date Sybil Alice friend and member of Garden Club Debbie Banks garden club annoyance Theodore Lubeck neighbor who brings her flowers Judge Guy D Donnelly just passed away judje she was a co person with for 30 years Sybil and Felix’s mothers sister was Heloise She lives outside Annapolis across a lake from

Bruce

Fiona

Walt

How is Stewart?

Just as a summer afternoon is gorgeous from inside air-conditioning, and you step into the day, hot, muggy, miserable, a postcard of France with all the lavender and sunflowers, I imagine, is far

more alluring than the place itself. It’s such a hassle to fly these days with the security and all the regulations about the size of bag and transferring the creams and contact lens solution into the small bottles. Honestly, it doesn’t appeal to me in the least, and

I hate to admit it…but I so feel the same, even though I force myself to override the emotion…..

the day they brought you home from the Sisters. Your little trousers and absolutely bald head.

Canton bridge,

Mother’s sister Heloise

from your loving sister, Sybil

Ann Patchett

How did you come to be so knowledgeable about these things—the details about the Amazon, all the science—? Did you travel there? I found myself wondering about the balance of fact and fiction with the matter of the tree bark.

And of course, the matter of Dr. Swenson, at her age (my age! Dr. Swenson is seventy-three, and so am I)

but it was wonderful to read such a complex woman of her vintage, bold with her intelligence and dignity as well as her errors, and the layers upon layers of her.

saw some reflection of myself in her.

couldn’t see! But how? That stretch of time, was it a moment or was it minutes? It was as if my life was a movie and

went black, wasn’t it, but I’m not certain, and that’s what’s troubling me.

have known conceptually I would go blind, but as an eventuality.

Why is going blind part of her thought process..it’s not mine

My ophthalmologist Dr. Jameson said that with my condition, once it gets going, it could be a year or it could be ten years until it’s complete, and as things progress it can sort of come in and out.

child Harry I’ve mentioned in the past, the child with whom I exchange monthly letters, son of my former colleague Judge James Landy.

haven’t told Bruce or Fiona.

Mom, I caught up with Bruce

Walt and I were thinking maybe you should get checked

Bruce and Marie and the kids

should be back in London

Dr. Laura made me feel less weird than I really am, but Dr. Oliver makes me feel more weird than I really am (I think).

Harry Landy

When I take time to think about it, you know it really is something, two orphans like us, ending up Stones, living in a house with maid service.

Real life rags to riches. You look wise for nine, but grave, as you always did.

Dear James,

How is Harry doing?

(Guy died over the weekend.) The

Bruce gave me a GPS system

Oh, my sons used

honestly most of his mind was already gone. It’s a hell of a thing,

to lose one’s mental faculties.

was really going for Liz. I haven’t spoken to her since,

Dear God, if I hope I don’t live to be ninety-three. A

to the children, Felix, etc.,

How’s Marly? How are the girls? Harry said you’ll

Sybil Van Antwerp was well known to have served as Judge Donnelly’s chief clerk for almost thirty years.

They retired

on the same day ...

Van Antwerp graduated from law school at the University of Virginia (UVA), top of her class,

in 1967,

case pertaining to asbestos

Sybil Van Antwerp, twenty years his junior, quickly became his collaborator.

Elizabeth Donnelly said. “She was his sounding board, his voice of reason. She