Forget me never...

Letter 33

My dear Terry,

I am happy that all is going well for you in England. And I am glad that you are considering going to see Candy at least before thinking seriously about starting your life over. Meanwhile, I guess that you will also play at the theater in England, or maybe you will prefer to rest until your mourning time is over? About this, what does a mourning time mean exactly? Is it some sort of ritual? A rule? An obligation? Are you always dressed in black? Forgive the ignorant that I am, but I find it a bit strange to see you wearing black for a woman that you didn't love. Well, maybe only for the fact that she saved your life... After all, I find it honorable to see you married to her and I also find it honorable for you to respect the mourning period for her.

About what concerns my affairs, it is going really well and thank you for your faith in me. For my love life, I have talked to you about Captain Niven's daughter, all those years ago and their protégé Cookie. The Captain is now retired. I met Sandra his daughter who was part of my gang at that time. She has become a good girl. She teaches in a kindergarden school close to the port, most of her students are children of seamen gone to sea. I don't know if it's the time, but I started seeing her with other eyes. I remember at the time we were young, when I had looked at Candy, she had made me lose my head for a while. Now she has just confessed that it was because she was jealous of Candy and the attraction I had for her. I started to woo her. I am not a thug, I am an honest business man, so the Captain didn't see any inconvenience as to me being with his daughter now. Cookie has grown, he is acting like a protecting brother with Sandra and he threatened me. I have interest not to make his sister suffer! So here it is, I am marrying Sandra Niven, I hope that you will be back in time to be my best man at the wedding. Another reason for you to come back to America.

So you paid my bill at the Chicago Hospital? Thanks, old mate. Especially that I am embarrassed. Candy and I have left each other on a misunderstanding. The police came to get me and I thought that Candy had denounced me. But now I know that she would never have done something like that, it was surely that unbearable redhead. If I see Candy again someday, I will offer her my apologies... I am very happy not to be leading that sorry life anymore. It really was going nowhere.

So my dear, I hope to see you very soon. I don't know how long your mourning period will last, but I hope to see you here quite soon and that you won't have the bad idea of settling in England... And don't forget to come and see Candy first.

Your mate,

Charlie