Forget me never...

Letter 38

Dear Mister Grandchester,

I am a little boy and my name is Anthony-William Ardley. I am 9 and a half years old, almost 10. My mother offered me a diary when she noticed that I liked to write a lot. I would like to do theatre work like you one day and write my own plays... At school, I had an idea for a play and the teacher told me that I was very talented. You too have a lot of talent, I am your biggest fan... I like you a lot and my friend Alistair brings me newspaper clippings that talks about you.

I live with my mom at the Pony orphanage. I don't have a dad. My mom told me that another woman needed him, that is why he is not here with us. I know that happens sometimes. There are children at the orphanage that stay with us, then their dad or their mom come to get them. Sometimes it is only the mom who comes back, sometimes it is only the dad. So when my mom told me that my dad wasn't with us because he had to take care of someone else, I thought that he must be someone very generous to put someone else before his own family. It's at this point that my mom told me that he didn't know about me, and I understood that if he had known of my existence, he would have come to live with us. I saw that mom became sad whenever I asked all these questions so I stopped. I started asking Uncle Archie, my friend Alistair's dad and he told me the same thing. He even said that he used to fight for fun with my dad. I really liked hearing his stories that gave me the wish to see him. But I kept it all for me, I wrote everything in my diary.

But I am writing this letter because I overheard a conversation between Aunt Annie and Uncle Archie... They were talking and saying that you were my DAD! I was flabbergasted! I was so upset that I started to cry. I went to hide in the house up the tree in the backyard of the manor, to cry. My mom had never said your name... and as she was always sad, I didn't want to talk about you with her... You are my favorite actor and now I learn that you are also my father! It's wondrous! I know that you're not aware of this, and that it must also come as a shock to you.

I don't know your address, so I am sending the letter to the Stratford Company in Broadway, as it's where you work. Mom doesn't know that I have written you a letter. I hope that she won't be too mad at me, to have kept it hidden from her. But she is always so sad when she talks about you. I didn't want to hurt her, that's all.

I can't wait to receive your answer. And I am eager to see you... Daddy.

Your unknown son,

Anthony-William Ardley