Scarlet Rose

Chapter 64

"My dearest Mrs Pony,

I hope my letter finds you and Sister Maria being fine in health and spirits.

It's been a while since I wrote you a letter last, but I had been so busy the past few weeks, I had hardly any quiet time to sit down to write my news to you. I know it doesn't sound like a solid excuse but believe me when I say that the life in London during the summer months is as hectic as a hospital is during the winters in Chicago.

It must be the prolonged daylight, or the the generous sunshine, the splendid nature having bloomed and looking magnificent in the parks of London, but Londoners really are like different people during the summer. There is a lot of partying and a lot of drinking, there is even bathing at the sea at various resorts close by like Brighton.

All that sounds amazing and for an American country girl from Indiana...well I had my head spinning several times. I did have a good time my dearest Mrs Pony. Archie is here too, taking care of the Ardley business and I couldn't be happier to have him here too.

The painting expedition of my good friend Christian Blake, remember I had mentioned him before? It was so very successful!

Also, something I hadn't mentioned in my previous letters. I met with Terry...

As you can imagine my surprise was beyond enormous and so was his. He looks really great and in terms of his career, his reputation as a fine actor has taken off. In fact they came with the troupe here in London to play Hamlet and although he was the understudy of none other than the great thespian John Barrymore, there was one particular night that Terry played Hamlet and we were extremely lucky to watch him. Oh! I cannot begin to tell you what I felt that night and how very very proud I was for Terry having reached where he is now in terms of his dream.

The play comes to an end in a couple of weeks time so the troupe will return in New York. Christian's expedition also wrapped up and even we're in the middle of summer, for me it feels like autumn is around the corner.

I know I left to find myself and find that elusive happiness I've been searching for and though on the surface it looked like I succeeded to a significant degree, I'm missing you and Sister Maria, our home and the kids, all of you I'm missing terribly.

And tell me how can I miss your berry pies? Without them can autumn be the same? So I'm sending you this letter which don't contain many pages but it's heavy with my nostalgic heart.

Give to Maria and the kids warm hugs and plant their red cheeks with kisses enough to have a garden growing.

With all the love my heart can hold
Your daughter
Candy"

She stopped writing. Her eyes scanned the letter she had just written. Could bring in her mind both Mrs Pony and Sister Maria, the kids...the house, the fenced yard. Father tree up the hill.

It was only mid July but soon they'd be able to smell autumn in the air. The moist, fresh breeze, the smell of the ripe earth. Flowers having turned into fruits. And the leaves from the soft wrinkled first leaves of the spring having grown into resilient magnificent canopies full of life. Nests of singing birds, squirrels on the look out for nuts, butterflies having left their worm skins behind, the buzzing of the bees next to her ears while up on her favourite tree branch she would sit on to watch the sunset...

The sunset...

She shut her eyes hard, keeping the tears back. The pull from Pony's home was getting stronger by the day. Her sanctuary. The one place she could re-calibrate herself and her life.