COMPLETED, josephine - josie - knew steve her entire life. they had been friends for years and when he was successfully enlisted, she was happy for him. terrified but happy and she sent him letters, hoping that they could lift up his spirits as he f...
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── ࣪˖ ࣪ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ──
❝ letter five ❞
25th February 1944
Dear Steve, I have finally settled into my Auntie's house and it is rather lovely around here. The people are sweet if not a little eccentric and they don't talk about the war as much as those in the city. Many of them are farmers and are struggling due to the war but they seem to be a rather resilient group. I have found myself very fond of this little community and I can understand why my Auntie is so fond of it.
Also, I received a letter from Connie only a few days ago all the way from Europe! I was so excited when I received the letter and she informed me that you are alive. I feel much lighter knowing that you seem to be happy but the details within her letter have me growing concerned.
I know you and James are always there to support each other but you seem to be so isolated from the rest of the army. I will not pretend to understand but I do hope you are being well-supported by those around you. You deserve all the love and support after all the victories that you have caused.
I'm glad Connie is there, to be by your side. It is rather lucky that she has been appointed as part of your battalion and I am constantly blown away by Connie's new talents. She finally told me that she has in fact been in army training for a few months to prepare her for this assignment and although she couldn't tell me much, she promised to tell me everything she could when the war was over and we had won.
She seemed very confident in her letter that we would win this war. I'm glad she has confidence and hopefully that will rub off on the rest of you who I'm sure are weary from this long long war.
Either way, I am glad to know that you are alive and well. Connie said you even seemed happy but I don't know whether that is because of the victories we are having in this war or because you saw another familiar face from home. But I hope you are well. Connie made no mention of you receiving my letters but she may have forgotten to ask. I do hope you are receiving them.
I know that you would try and write back if you were but I also recognise that you are incredibly busy. So, even if you cannot respond, I hope you are reading these and know how much I love you.
I miss you so dearly and hope to see you soon. I know that it will be at least another year before you return home and I can see you but I miss seeing your face. I can't picture it as well as I used to and your voice is something I cannot hear in my head anymore. That is the terrifying thing about being apart from someone. It feels much like I did when I lost my mother. But I hope I will not lose you in the way I lost her.
Because if that happens, there comes a point where all the memories of you will begin to fade away and I won't remember your face well at all. If I lose you, I won't remember your voice or how you sound when you laugh or the way that you smile when I make a joke that lands well. These things are already beginning to slip away.
That is the scary part about being so far away from you. I don't really remember any of that and it is terrifying. It is terrifying and so incredibly lonely.
I won't pretend I am not jealous of Connie. She is out with you changing the world while I am stuck upstate with nothing but painting and my aunt's eccentric stories to fill my days. I could write more letters but I feel like that would be a rather pointless exercise.
I just hope that you and Connie and James are enjoying your time together. This war is scary and friends are so important, especially now. I know so many people are lost and I could not bear to lose any of you.
You must all protect each other, especially now. You are together and I would love to hear from any of you. Although Connie made it seem like the missions and tasks you all perform are rather secretive and I'm not allowed to know or would never understand them.
So, maybe you are unable to write, either way I hope these letters bring you some semblance of comfort.
There is love and happiness waiting for you back in Brooklyn. If you just make it out of this war alive, I will be here, with open arms waiting for you.
I haven't spoken to my father about any of this business but my brother sent me a letter. They are all doing well and apparently he will be sent back off in a matter of weeks. It is all rather worrying but I know he will be just fine. He has always been the most resilient of us all.
But I will stop talking of the war now. It seems to be all I talk about lately and with constantly worrying about you, I find myself unable to stop thinking about it. However, I do have other news. I searched my Aunt's painting room and I found the painting of me and my mother from when I was a babe.
It is a rather beautiful portrait and I've brought it to my room. My aunt caught my mother's likeness so perfectly and it is comforting to see her face again. You know how my father hates talking about her so it is wonderful to be able to see her and discuss her life with my Aunt now. Her smile is as beautiful as I remember it to be.
My aunt has also been teaching me how to paint portraits and I think I am getting rather good at it. I used a picture of Connie and I've managed to capture her likeness quite well. Though I am sure that in a few months, when I am more skilled and have had more practice, I will want to redo the portrait completely. Maybe even when she has returned home, I will want to redo it with her actually in front of me.
I'm not sure yet but I know I want to do a portrait of you. Maybe I can do one of you in your uniform. I always thought you looked rather handsome. Maybe I could do a portrait of both you and James. I'm not sure yet. I would do whatever you two felt comfortable with. I'm sure after the war, the countryside may do you both wonders. It is quiet out here and so very calming.
There are also some wonderful stories of monsters and devils out here. Nothing harmful, just stories and I love when my aunt tells them. When we are sitting by the fireplace, she tells me another story and I am growing quite a collection. Whenever I have a child, I'm sure they will love to hear the stories that their mother knows.
That is getting rather ahead of myself, I know. I just think that planning out of the future will make dealing with the present and being so far away from you easier. I know it is presumptuous and something awful could happen but I want to have a family with you. I want to love you for the rest of my life like my mother and father promised each other they would.
I only hope that you would do me the honor of feeling the same.
