Must Remember To Forget You

Chapter 1

Dear Izzy,

I feel out of place already. Here I am at an airport, writing a letter, while everyone around me seems to be absorbed in their phones. I suppose I could text you, but I rather like the idea of sending letters from a different country, it seems reminiscent of years long gone. I know we're all guilty of looking at the past with rose-tinted spectacles, but things really were better in the past. The divorce rate was lower, for instance, and people genuinely seemed to achieve the fairy-tale romance that little girls still dream about today. Relationships were steady and treasured and exciting. Looking even further back, think about the balls and parties that used to be thrown, where there was proper dancing and ball gowns and polite conversation. Now we go to parties with beer cans and vomit on the floor and guys constantly trying to put their hands up your skirt. I'd love to live in he past. It was all better then. Apart from women's rights. Those have only improved with time. Hopefully they'll continue to improve, but who can really say. The cynic in me (which is now quite a big part of me) thinks that society will end up as Margaret Atwood predicted in 'The Handmaid's Tale'. I love how, even with handfuls of visible warnings, the human race still succeeds in looking the other way until the last possible second. Then bang, ruin. And then we have to take emergency action, like I am doing now.

I've just been listening to two middle-aged women, both talking about their "other halves". I've never understood that expression. It's like indirectly saying that you aren't enough by yourself. You are only a half. You need someone else to complete you. Utter bollocks, in my opinion.

I mean, I like the Greek theory of soul mates as much as the next person, but people spend their whole lives trying to find 'the one' when really they should be making something of themselves, in the same way you cannot live in the past. You can remember it fondly or sadly, but you cannot go back, you have to keep going.

There's the tannoy: "flight 465 to Stuttgart now boarding". No going back now. Time to be whole.

All my love,

Sophia.

You have an IM from Mirjam:

Mirjam: Hello! We are approaching arrivals now.

Sophia: Okay! See you in a minute!

Dear Sophia,

How are you? How was the flight? Did everything go smoothly? I bet it did, you've always been organised. Look at me - I've mastered e-mails! The house has been very quiet since you left, all of twelve hours. I don't know what to do with myself now. People have been telling me to get a hobby but I can't think of one. I don't want to do any of the normal middle-aged woman boring stuff like knitting. Maybe I'll take up painting again, but then where would I get paints from in the first place? And where would I keep all of my paintings once they're finished? I'd hate to be one of those awful people who give homemade paintings to other people as presents and then people spend time wondering where to put it, knowing they can't throw it away or chuck it in the attic as it will offend me. And I don't have anything to paint in the first place.

What's the family like? What's your room like? You must send me pictures as soon as you're all settled in. In the meantime I think I'll just water the plants.

Lots and lots and lots of love,

Mum.

P.S. Please send the relatives postcards asap!

You have a new voicemail from Izzy:

"SOPH!! How is it? I know you landed like five minutes ago but I was too excited to wait. I hope you're doing well and the flight was okay. Fancy you flying all by yourself. Did you meet anyone nice on the plane? Don't rush to get back to me, you get sorted out with everything first. Love you, bye."

Dear Mum,

Very impressed by your emailing skills, knowing you you'll be emailing everyone and before you know it, it will have become your hobby. Speaking of hobbies I drew up a list on the plane for you:

Gardening

Painting - I have paints in the bottom right drawer next to my bed. Start with watercolours, as they're the easiest. Paint flowers, sea shells, scenes from old photographs.

Writing

Baking

You could keep chickens

Yoga/Pilates

Netball/some other sport thing, as long as it's not golf

You could always become a nanny. You'd be great at that

Swimming (not really a hobby but still good to do, just make sure you put lots of conditioner in your hair afterwards)

Reading. See how many books you can read while I'm away

This should help you get started. If you're not sure, then just try everything. Just don't go to any meetings or nonsense like that, you'll be very bored sitting still for such a long time.

The flight was fine, I sat next to the window and took lots of pictures which I'll send as soon as I have a German SIM card. Hopefully Mirjam will take me to do that tomorrow. I'm sure she will, she's absolutely lovely. She gave me a stamp so I could post my letter to Izzy. Leo is great too, and doesn't look the slightest bit awkward with a baby or a toddler. Friedrich and Nina are very sweet children and Friedrich simply adores his baby sister. Nina adores patting him on the head.

It's supper time now so I'll speak to you later.

Lots of love,

Sophia.