Christmas came and went, as did New Years. Hope had sent the letter and telegram as intended, and every day that the post office was open, she went and checked to see if she had anything back from Nita Howard only to return empty handed. Likewise, every evening, she'd wait by the front door for her daddy to return from work to see if he'd received a telegram, and each night she went to bed disappointed.
Hope had just about given up when January turned to February, and she still hadn't heard anything at all. Her grandparents recommended she send another letter; perhaps the first one had gotten lost in the post. While Hope considered it, she'd been sure to mention her letter in the telegram, which she was sure had gone through, and since she hadn't received an answer to that inquiry either, she thought it might seem a little desperate to write another correspondence.