Illicit affairs | William Afton

Chapter One: Preface

December 20th, 1966

  Dear Miriam,

  It's a winters day, cold and dreary as most days seem to be in London. The air feels smoggy, I may have developed a cough because of it. Rain here feels heavier than back home, it doesn't bring the promise of fresh air, instead all rain seems to do in the city is bring mold. It's incredibly lonely here. It feels as if everyone around me is expecting success and excitement, while I sit around wasting away, occupying myself with nothing.

  They say University is the place to try new things and experiment, but it seems all I'm able to do is go from my tiny flat to class, from class to work, from work back to my cheap flat. I feel as if I am but a body needlessly moving from point A to point B. Turns out moving to a completely different city where everyone drives like they're manic and you don't know a single soul isn't so wonderful.

  London does have its perks though, everything here is basically in walking distance, so I like to go on long walks and look at strangers as they pass by on the old, cracked sidewalk. I like to imagine what they're thinking about, where are they going? Why? Are they meeting someone? Who? It's a fun little game. You should try it in that nice little neighborhood of yours. I'll try to set time aside to write as often as my schedule may possibly allow.

  I miss you, hope you're doing very well for yourself. I hope to hear from you in February. Turning nineteen is an interesting feeling and I'd bet it would feel a little less scary if I got a call or a letter from my dear sister. Tell me all about America, what's it like? How have you and William settled since you moved? I know America is different from Kettering. It's hard to imagine either of us ever leaving our small city isn't it? Sending love from London,

  -Esther

  Esther set her pen down on the hard wood desk; a shabby article of furniture she got only so her dim apartment would look more lived in. Some days when she stepped into it, she'd forgotten she even lived in the sad little room across from the general store; the general store she worked at. it was empty as a blank canvas, but Esther was too poor to buy anything to fill it. Being a cashier does not pay well, and with the expense of moving to London plus the potential decades of student debt looming over the horizon, Esther would be lucky if she was flat broke.

  The pen was a gift from her sister, Miriam. She's nine years Esthers senior, but the pair have remained relatively close over the years. Sometimes, Esther wished she could ask her for help, help being money, but she can't bring herself to do it. Perhaps Esther's hesitation to ask sprouts more from a selfish sense of pride and egotism than a desire not to bother her sister. She'd hoped that when she took the scholarship to the university, she could get a reasonable job in London and take care of herself without anyone's charity. Turns out she was pretty pathetic when it came to providing.

  Of course, Miriam will never have this problem, she got married as soon as she could, to a man Esther had only met once. If Esther remembers the story, Miriam was working in a local coffee shop in the small town of Kettering when one of her coworkers invited her to join them for a day in the nearby city of Northampton. William grew up there and was visiting family when they met and hit it off. Miriam seemed rather fond of him, at least when they first were married. He was boring, but tolerable. Esther had once asked Miriam why she had married him, she remembered it was the night before she set off on her grand trip to London, Miriam had said to her...

"I can't stand the idea of being a spinster for the rest of my life. He's the logical solution, he's fine looking, responsible, and has a good job lined up in the states. I'm happy. We're happy. You can't blame me Esther, I won't let you."

  Sometimes, Esther secretly wished she could do what Miriam did, settle down with an average man in an average home in some sleepy suburb of midwestern America. In a way Esther admired her older sister for it; being so brave. However Esther's love life has been nothing to gawk at. Eighteen years old and she'd never been on any dates. Most of the men she'd met in University were rather dull, nice, friendly, and relatively ok looking. But they never caught her full attention, and she felt bad for not giving these men more of a chance, but she supposed finding 'the one' wasn't her priority at the moment anyways. Esther did get lonely at times though. But between classes and work she was kept rather busy, that was a good thing she supposed.