Challenges

Part XIV

***

I do apologize for the incorrect Chapter being posted (if you already read the last one) THIS is the correct chapter.

Again, thanks for all the great comments and suggestions, and to the one that caught the error. That will teach me to send in a file at 1:00 AM.

Again, please consider sending a donation to this archive as it helps to keep writers like myself sane by getting our thoughts on paper. Well a word processor at least.

Comments can be sent to sockingsaw@hotmail.com

Matt

***Modern Day ***

Justin drove down the interstate heading towards Coronado Mall. He wanted to pick up snew clothes for his date. He had three hours before he was supposed to pick Jason up at the hotel. He didn't want to admit it, but he was nervous. More nervous than he ever had been before in his life.

He pulled into the parking lot across from the Barnes and Noble bookstore. He always made a stop to browse the books, even though he never bought any. It wasn't that he didn't like to read; just that he preferred them in digital form. That way he couldn't lose them. He turned the engine off, and rubbed his finger across his left eyebrow.

He enjoyed seeing Grayson, but the deep reminders of Cody was a bit much. He loved Cody like a brother, and his death deeply impacted his small group of friends. They all went their separate ways. Justin attempted to maintain contact with everyone, be the center, but he was only able to maintain close ties with Kimberly and the Senator.

Grayson was the first person he lost contact with. After Cody died Grayson spiraled into a deep depression, refusing to see anyone, and when Justin attempted to talk to him, and help, Grayson ended up punching him and they had not spoken since then.

***

After spending two hours in the mall, Justin finally decided he had wasted enough time and started to head towards the hotel he was to meet Jason at. He normally didn't buy high name clothing, but today he decided to splurge a bit. Plus they had a half off sale, and he couldn't miss that deal.

He turned onto I-40 and headed towards the interchange that would get him onto I-25. The drive in normal traffic would take a good 20 minutes to get to the hotel, and then he would have about 30 minutes until Jason got off the airplane. As he got closer to the hotel he started to get more nervous.

"What is wrong with you?" Justin asked his reflection in the mirror. "This is just like any other guy. I have been on dates before." But this was a bit different somehow. He could feel it deep.

He pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, and killed the engine. He looked at the clock: 4:30. He still had about 30 minutes before Jason would arrive. He thought about calling him in hopes that he was already there, but didn't want to seem desperate. He knew he sometimes got that way.

He decided to call Sharron and fill her in on what happened. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number. It rang, and went to voicemail.

"Hey hooker. Just giving you a call to see what you were doing, and to give you an update on this crazy world of mine. I am going on a date, so will call you in the morning!" He hung up. He knew the date part would make her freak and she might not want to wait till the morning to get the dish, but he always had an ignore button.

He pushed his head back into the headrest and sighed. He pulled up his phone and dialed his brother.

"Hey kid." His brother answered by picking up within the first two rings.

"Hey." He said back, swallowing hard. "Hey I am sorry what happened at the office today."

"What do you mean?" Matt chuckled. "Grayson came back and we talked again. He was glad you didn't have hard feelings towards him. He always regretted what he did."

"I am glad he is doing well. I wish you would have told me you had hired him."

"Thought I did." Matt said more passing than with intent. There were many things his brother hid from him, and he was learning that sometimes it was the more painful areas of his life.

"I am not sure when I am going to be done tonight." Justin ignored the lack of faith Matt showed. "I was wondering if I could crash at your house tonight?"

"Long night planned huh?" Matt laughed. "Are you sure you need a place to stay?"

"I am not the one to put out on the first date." Justin responded looking at his reflection in his re-view window. "I just don't know how late I will be out, and don't really feel like driving back to mom and dads."

"Sure." Matt paused as he said something to someone. "Hey, you have a key. Just let yourself in when you get ready. Bed will be ready for you. I am sure Chris will be bummed if he doesn't see you in the morning."

"Sounds good." Justin always liked seeing his nephew. He had school in the morning, but he would be able to take him. "Talk to you later."

"Be safe." Matt clicked the phone off.

Justin tossed the phone into the chair next to him, and closed his eyes. If there were enough time he would take a nap. Maybe that is what he should have done with his time instead of the mall. Go to Matt's and take a nap to make sure he wouldn't yawn in the middle of his date.

He felt himself drift to sleep, but the phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and it was Jason.

"Jason!" Justin tried to sound calm and unexcited, but he failed. He blushed as he felt he sounded like a schoolgirl seeing some boy band.

"I know it is a bit early, but I am at the hotel room." Jason giggled a bit. "I also see some stalker type outside my window talking on his phone."

Justin blushed harder as he leaned forward and looked up at the windows above him. Sure enough Jason had the curtain pulled back waving.

"Oh good. It isn't a stalker but a cute airplane passenger I met a few days ago" Justin smiled. "I will be down in a moment."

Justin felt his face blush at embarrassment. Maybe he should have called. Now he just seemed like a stalker.

Jason walked out of the hotel and made his way to the car. He was dressed in a white shirt with a red button up shirt over that hung open. He also had a pair of semi-tight jeans that nicely showed off his ass. Justin cursed himself for not putting out on the first date. He had his hair spiked like before.

"So," Jason said, getting into the passenger seat. "Where are we going?"

"I know of a nice restaurant on the east side that overlooks the city." Justin grinned. The smell of Jason was intoxicating, and he again cursed himself. "I think it will be nice and quiet."

"You mean romantic?" Jason smiled showing his row of white teeth. "I like romance."

Justin blushed and put the car into gear.

They sat in silence for the first half of the ride. Justin not sure what to say that didn't sound stupid. He did have a ton of questions but he didn't know if they were too personal or too stupid.

"So where are you from?" Jason asked, finally breaking the ice.

"From here." Justin sighed heavily. He was glad he didn't have to ask the question. "Well actually from 70 miles south of here."

"Neat." Jason looked out the window as the city went by building by building. "I am from LA. I will tell you that no city is like that one, but I am glad to be out of there."

"I know what you mean. I love this place, but Seattle has more to offer for me."

"I remember you saying you lived there, and your family is here." Jason smiled softly. "What took you to Seattle anyway?"

"Work." Justin turned the car onto I-40 and headed towards the east side of Albuquerque. "My brother owns a company where I set up the computer system. Due to my work, I got the attention of one of the large computer companies in Seattle, and they hired me."

"Microsoft?" Jason asked. Everyone asked since it was Seattle.

"No." He chuckled. "It is not that big. It does security programming for the government. I get to go all over the United States, and sometimes to other countries. Went to France last year."

"Awesome!" Jason lit up. "I get to go places, but I tend to stay on the Seattle – Albuquerque flights."

"Why is that?"

"You would laugh at me." Jason frowned as he looked out the window.

"No." Justin said. "I would like to know why. I won't laugh."

***

They arrived at the restaurant in silence. Jason contemplated telling Justin why he tried to stay on the flights between Seattle and Albuquerque. The restaurant was a hole-in-the-wall type place that only the locals really knew about. There was a patio in the back that faced out over the city, where, as the sun went down, all the lights lit up showing the majesty of the valley.

The waitress sat them out on the patio, and took their drink orders.

"What's good here?" Jason asked, looking at the menu. "And don't say everything."

"Well," Justin said looking at the menu. "Everything."

"Ass." Jason said looking back at the menu. "How are the enchiladas?"

"Good." Justin said with a grin. "Depends on how you like hot things."

"Oh I like things hot." He winked as Jason. "Real hot."

Justin blushed again.

The waitress came back and took their order. Justin had the stuffed burrito with green chile sauce, and Jason took the green chile enchilada combo plate that came with a tamale and chile relleno (a green chile stuffed with cheese and typically deep fried).

As they waited for their food they talked about their interests. They both enjoyed some of the same things like many people share. They both loved to travel, and were glad their jobs allowed them.

After their food arrived they sat in silence enjoying each other's company, and the view as the city started to light up beneath them. Every now and then Justin caught himself taking long stares at Jason. He had the most deep blue eyes that one could get lost in. Jason caught him and would smile with a wink.

"I think that was the best Mexican meal I have ever had." Jason said, putting his napkin on the table and pushing his plate back a bit.

"Pretty awesome I know." Justin said, finishing up his plate as well. "I am stuffed."

"Desert?" The waitress came by.

"Oh no." Jason said, looking at Justin. "I am not sure I could handle it."

"Oh yes." Justin said with a wink. "I think we need to have the fried ice-cream."

The waitress laughed and walked away writing down the additional cost on her pad.

"Justin I couldn't have any more." Jason started to protest.

"Oh this is worth it." Justin said with a smile. "So can I ask why you like to be on those flights?"

Jason frowned and looked out over the city. "Please don't laugh at me."

"I promise." Justin frowned and arched his eyebrows. He was concerned that maybe he had hit a soft spot. "If you don't want to tell me, don't."

"I was raised Mormon." Jason started.

"Me two!" Justin interjected.

"Oh so you understand that story at least." Jason grinned. "My mother was single, my father had died when he got caught in the crossfires of a gang gun fight. She tried her best to take care of me. She worked two jobs, and insisted that I complete high school. Do something with myself.

When I was in high school I knew I had this attraction to other guys. Of course the Church teaches against such things, so I had to fight it. I got depressed, needless to say, grades started to slip, and my mom was having a fit trying to figure out what to do."

"Sounds familiar." Justin picked at the tablecloth.

"I was on the verge of suicide." Justin instinctively reached out and grabbed Jason's hand. As his hand made contact he felt a familiar electrical jolt run through his body. He quickly pulled back.

"Sorry." Justin said blushing and looking down as his hand in his lap.

"It's fine." Jason grinned. "Your hand is soft and felt familiar to me."

Justin reached out and placed his hand on Jason's, again feeling the familiar electrical feeling flow through his body. He did a sharp intake of air that Jason didn't seem to notice.

Jason continued with his story. "I was at a loss. I thought the only way to get out of this was to kill myself. I had it planned all out. When I was going to do it, how I was going to do it, and how to make sure my mom wouldn't have a huge mess to clean up." Jason's eyes glazed over as if he were remembering the scenario he had planned years ago.

"But things happen." Jason chuckled a bit. "We got a new missionary into our ward. He was incredibly good looking and never seemed to see the bad in anything. He came into our house, and after looking at me once seemed to know everything about me. He asked my mom if he could talk to me outside alone for a moment, which she did.

"We went outside and the first thing he told me was that he knew the pain I was in. He knew that there were more questions than answers, and that the world seemed so dark there was no end. He wanted to know how far I had planned, and if there was any way he could talk me out of waiting just a little longer. Said he knew someone back home who he wanted to get into contact with." Tears started to roll down Jason's face. "I told him I would make no promises, but I would wait for a while longer. He just smiled at me and told me to wait. He came back every week to check on me, and even made sure that he sat with me and my mom at church. Making sure I kept my promise."

Justin could feel his lungs getting crushed under a weight that seemed to get heavier as Jason continued his story.

"When was this missionary in LA?" Jason asked, already knowing the answer.

"I would say about 12 years ago? Maybe 13." Jason said. "Are you okay?"

"Yea I am just getting really hot." He pulled his hand away from Jason to wipe his forehead and the sweat that had appeared. "I am sorry. Keep going."

"Anyway, several days later, he hands me a letter and tells me to read it." Jason reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "I keep it with me wherever I go. It is like a security blanket that when I am having a hard time I read." He pulled a folded paper out of the wallet. It was worn as it had been opened and closed hundreds of times. "This letter, it saved my life. The person who wrote it saved my life, and they didn't even know it."

Justin started to breathe harder as he saw the letter. His hand shook in his lap.

"I never got the person's name who wrote it, and I was so into my own world I forgot the missionaries name. We moved a few weeks later, and I never had a chance to say anything. I only knew he was from New Mexico." Jason laughed. "So I fly between Seattle and New Mexico thinking maybe one day I will run into the man and thank him. Stupid I know."

Justin grabbed his drink and took a deep swallow. "Um," his voice shook. "Can I see that letter?"

Jason looked at the folded letter and then Justin. "I suppose." He carefully unfolded it and handed it to Justin. "I must really like you as I never told anyone this, nor have I shown this letter to anyone else."

Justin reached out a shaking hand and took the letter gently from Jason. He kept eye contact with Jason for fear of what he knew already.

"My god you are shaking." Jason said looking at Justin's hand. "Are you okay?"

Justin didn't say a word but slowly looked down at the paper with its tattered edges and holes where the pages had been folded to many times. There on the paper the first line, in familiar handwriting, written so many years ago were the words `I love you.'

"My God." Justin said, his eyes getting blurry.

*** 13 years ago: October***

Justin woke up with his alarm. It was a Saturday, but he had plenty of work to get completed. Even though the days were getting cooler, and the skies getting darker earlier every day, there was still farm work to get done. He crawled out of bed and made his way to the shower.

As he let the water run over him he heard the phone ring. It was early for phone calls, but not unheard of. He ignored it and let his parents answer it and continued to shower.

He was jolted out of thought at the sound of a knock on the door.

"Justin?" His mom was at the door. "You need to come to the phone quickly. Matt wants to talk to you."

Justin didn't waste time. He knew that Matt could only call for emergencies due to his being on a Mission. He turned the water off, shook off as much water as he could, and wrapped himself in a towel. He ran across the hall to his room and picked up the phone.

"Matt?" Justin asked, worried that something terrible was going on.

"Hey kid." Matt said with a laugh. "Sorry to catch you in the middle of a shower, but I knew if I didn't call early you would be out and I wouldn't have a chance to call later."

"Everything okay?" Justin asked, still worried.

"Yes." Matt again laughed. "I am breaking every rule I can think of, but I didn't have time to do this the `proper way'. I am just glad my companion isn't all into the rules as much as some are. He is letting me use a pay phone."

"Oh." Justin started to calm down. "So what do you need that is an emergency?"

"I need a letter." Matt said, more as a whisper than anything.

"A letter?" Justin asked with confusion. He sent Matt letters all the time.

"Not for me." Matt again whispered the request. "There is a teenager here, about your age. He is going through the same thing you went through, and he is needing some encouragement."

"Why from me?" Justin asked more confused now then when he picked up the phone. "What can I do?"

"I don't know." Matt said honestly and with a matter-of-fact tone. "I just know that if anyone can save him, you can. Please just write a letter. You will know what to write when you get to it. Send it overnight please. It is important."

"But I don't know him. I don't know what to say." Justin started to protest.

"You will do fine kid." Matt said now rushed. "I gotta go. I will write more when I get the chance!" The phone clicked and Matt was off the line.

Justin laid the phone down and sat on the bed for a bit before getting up to finish his shower.

***

All day all Justin could think about was that phone call he got from Matt. His dad had asked what the phone call had been about, and he just told him Matt wanted a special letter.

"I suggest you get to work on that then." His dad said after thinking it over. "If he said it was important, then it has to be important."

Justin finished helping his dad and got back to the house just as the sun was setting. He was starving but he made his way up to his room and sat down at his desk. He pulled a piece of notebook paper out and looked at it. Nothing was coming to him. He sat for thirty minutes looking at the paper until his mother called him down for dinner.

***

His mother just like his father asked what Matt wanted so urgently. Again, Justin just said he wanted a special letter, and had not told him what exactly.

"If Matt felt you could help," his mother said, "Then you can help. You just have to get yourself in the right spirit, and get it done." She sneered. "Of course I am sure if you stop hanging out with Nate and get a girlfriend you would have a much better spirit around you."

Justin ignored the comment and thought about what he should write. He rolled his food around his plate, taking bites only here and there. Why did Matt have to be so vague?

***

The next morning Justin was helping Nate get sacrament ready. He was not fully concentrating on his work and Nate could tell.

"What wrong?" Nate said, sitting down next to Justin. "You have been working on those water cups for the past 10 minutes."

"Oh, nothing really. Matt just asked me to write this letter to this teenager who is going through a rough spot, and he thinks I can help."

"What type of rough spot?"

"He wouldn't say. Just that I would know what to say. I don't." Justin sighed and gave up on the water cups and gave them to Nate who just laughed and went off to get them filled.

***

After the sacrament was served Justin decided to sit with his parents instead of at the back like he usually did with Nate. His mind was still on the letter. He absently listened to the 2nd Counselor, John More, list some of the ward business, and announce who was going to be giving the mornings talks. As usual it would be one of the teenagers in the ward, followed by a husband-wife who would talk on the same topic, but from two different points of view. He always thought it was just a way to reinforce the concept of husband and wife and how the two were supposed to complement each other, while at the same time, have two different purposes to live.

He ignored the first speaker, Tommy Wrench, who was a new kid whose parents were attending Tech. He didn't care to much for him as he seemed to be stuck up and couldn't get over the fact that there were three gay kids in the ward and the Bishop didn't seem to interested in getting rid of. The topic today was apparently love and compassion, which Tommy had no clue about. His biggest moment was looking directly at Justin and stating that to know true love and compassion was to find someone that could fulfill the Word of God, and the true mission that we were sent her to do: have children. If he weren't in church, Justin thought giving him the finger would have been the appropriate thing to do. Cody would have clobbered him if he weren't home sick from his cancer treatments.

Next up was Sister Hannity who also talked about the joys of love in marriage. She of course harped about the joys of motherhood, and being a wife, and how those blessings were abundant in her life. She went on about her husband, and how he was good to her by loving her enough to make sure she stayed at home. Sure Justin's mom stayed at home, but technically so did his dad. He never understood why, even in modern society that was considered to be the `best' situation. Justin leaned his head back and sighed, as he knew there were some families in the Ward where that was not possible, and probably made them feel really uncomfortable. As if they weren't in as much love as Sister Hannity.

Last up was Brother Hannity. He was a quiet man, but always gave some of the best talks. He seemed to know what to say, how to say it, and make sure everyone got something out of it. How he could have married someone like Sister Hannity was beyond Justin. But then again, he assumed many people looked at him and wondered why he wanted to be with Nate.

"Brother's and sister's," Brother Hannity started with a smile. Justin decided he wasn't bad looking for someone in his or her late 40s. He was about 5'9'' and slender. He had a full head of black hair, and his face was highly defined. Justin hoped he looked that good at that age. "I want to talk about unconditional love. We seem to be on the verge of losing our ability to love people unconditionally. We look at them, and we see them for their faults. We see them for their inconsistencies. We look at them, and then decide to judge them because they do not fit into our nice little preconceived boxes.

"What people don't do is love. They don't take the time and think about the person as a person. They don't want to think of them as a person, because then they would be required to feel some kind of emotional connection to them. During the slave era, it was much easier to see a black person as less than human, therefore making sure that they could be kept as a slave.

"Some of you here look at other members of the Church and think of them as less than human. Maybe due to their life situations, their personality doesn't mesh with yours, or you just see them as ‘sinners’." He looked square at Tommy when he said that. Justin grinned at the implications, but from what he could see Tommy wasn't getting the message. "Love is required of all of you for your fellow man. Even if you don't know the person, love is required." He continued on with his talk, and provided examples from Church leaders and scripture that backed up his thinking.

Justin toned out the rest, even though he knew it would be beneficial. He kept going over what he had said. `Even if you don't know the person, love is required'. Justin grinned as he started to think about that in relation to the letter Matt had asked him to write. He started to think in his head how he would word it, but he knew how to write the letter.

***

After saying bye to Nate, Justin followed his parent's home where they had lunch. He knew he was taking a risk asking, but he wanted to know.

"Mom, do you think you could get a job if you got too bored here?" Justin knew his mother had worked prior to owning the farm.

"Of course." His mother smiled. "I don't need a job, but if I wanted one I am sure I could find one. Why do you ask?"

"Sister Hannity." Jason scowled as he thought of her. "I am sorry, but she is rude and crude. Some of the members have to work, and she made it sound like it was some big morale debacle."

"I guess from her point of view that is the purpose of being a wife." She shrugged and looked at his dad. "I know we have talked about it, and I am busy as it is here. After all it takes a ton of money to run this place, and your dad never was too good with math." She laughed. His dad just shrugged and continued eating.

His mom surprised him sometimes. At times she could be so tyrannical when it came to religious issues, but at others she was very open minded, and willing to joke around. He shrugged and went back to eating his lunch. His mom and dad started making small talk.

"Did you figure out what you're going to write to Matt?" his dad asked as they were cleaning up the table.

"I think so." Justin put the last dishes in the dishwasher and started it. "Brother Hannity helped a bunch."

"Good." His father smiled and patted him on the back. "I am glad it was beneficial to you."

Justin went upstairs to his bedroom and pulled out the paper he was looking at the night before. He knew what he was going to write.

The first part of the letter was a brief summary of how he came to terms with his sexuality, and the depression tha set in as he came to the realization that if he wanted to stay in the church he would be alone. He then talked about how he had met his boyfriend, and that they had found a balance that allowed them to be together while still keeping within the commandments.

But the last part was about how he loved this person. He didn’t know him, but he loved him, and he loved him unconditionally. That he would hug him if he could, and tell him that to his face.

He signed it JL.

*** Modern Day ***

"What?" Jason said as Justin just opened his mouth, but nothing came out. "Justin?"

"Um..." Justin was in shock at what he was reading. 13 years ago he wrote this letter, not knowing whom it was for, and now he was sitting across the table from him. "I... know... the missionary." He said the words slowly as he rubbed the edge of the paper. He cursed himself for not saying he wrote it, but he was in shock.

"You do?" Jason got more excited.

"He told me the story." Justin lied. He should come clean. "He lives here in Albuquerque and I know where." He handed the letter back to Jason, still shaking.

"I would like to thank him." Jason folded the letter carefully and put it back into his wallet. "I would like for him to tell whoever it was that wrote this, it saved my life. He saved my life, and I want to repay him for it."

Justin's eyes grew wider. The electrical impulses when he touched Jason, and the fact that he seemed to know Jason all became clear.

The man sitting in front of him was the man from his dreams.  

***

Justin pulled himself together enough to drive to Matt's house. It was on the Northeast side, and they drove in silence. It would take a good twenty minutes to get there, which was driven in silence. Justin didn't want to think too much as he was already getting more nervous. Jason was all smiles as he was about to meet the missionary that saved him.

Justin pulled into the driveway and turned off the car.

"Before we go in, can I ask a really personal question?" Justin asked, looking down at his lap. He didn't want to sound stupid, but he had to know.

"Sure." Jason responded, reaching over and grabbing Justin's hand. Again the sparks of electricity bounced through his body.

"Did you ever dream about the person who sent you the letter?"

"Constantly." Jason chuckled a bit. "It started about a year after I got the letter, and my life got back on track. I told my mom I was gay, who understood and accepted. Told me that she was not going to lie. She was disappointed since that meant no grandchildren, but she wanted me to be happy. I started to have dreams of me thanking the person who sent the letter. Why?"

Justin wanted to cry, but he inhaled deeply. "Curiosity." He opened his door and got out before he would lose it. He walked to the front door jiggling his keys, but decided to knock.

Jason was bouncing a bit as the door opened and Matt stood in the doorway.

"Justin!" Matt said with a smile. "Why didn't you use..." he cut short when the figure next to Justin jumped and gave him a big hug. Matt made a grunting noise as he stabilized himself from falling over.

"Thank you." Jason whispered in Matt's ear.

"Your...welcome?." Matt said with a shocked look on his face. Here was a strange man hugging him and saying thank you. "I am not sure why?"

Jason's face went red as he realized what he had done. He pulled himself away and stood back. "I am sorry."

"Matt," Justin interjected. "This is Jason. He has been looking for you for a long time."

"Your date?" Matt looked at Jason. "Why have you been looking for me?"

"Can we go inside?" Justin asked.

"Sure!" Matt said, waving them both inside. Inside was a modest home. The entrance hallway they walked into was well lit, with a long couch to sit on. As they walked into the living area there were four leather sofas arranged in a square, with a large flat screen TV on the wall farthest from them. Directly next to them was a dining room area, with a large table that was used for holiday meals. Lori was sitting on one of the couches reading a book. Chris was on another playing his GameBoy. "Lori, Justin is here with his date."

Lori looked up and smiled. "Hi."

"This is my wife Lori." Matt said pointing to his wife. "And that is our son Chris."

"Nice to meet both of you." Jason blushed again. He was embarrassed by his display, and was now embarrassed that he had interrupted this family's night. "I am sorry for intruding."

"No intrusion." Lori said, laying the book down. "Have a seat."

Justin and Jason took the couch opposite of Lori, who was joined by Matt.

"So tell me what is it that I am to be thanked for?" Matt said, putting his arm around Lori.

Jason went into his story that he had told Justin, but only got to the point about meeting a new missionary.

"You're that Jason?" Justin said with a large grin on his face. "I never would have dreamed that I would ever see you again, or that you were Justin's date. This is amazing."

Jason blushed again. "I know this may seem weird, but do you still stay in contact with the guy that wrote that letter? I wanted to thank him."

"You mean Justin didn't tell you?" Matt looked at Justin who was having tears run down his face.

Jason looked at Justin, who immediately went to wipe the tears from his face.

"He wrote the letter."

***