Letter 29

Dear Josephine,

Have you missed me? I have no decent excuse for my absence - in honesty I rarely thought of you. Is it easier to unveil these truths through the medium of letters? Then I don't have to shift my reactions to face your mecurial moods (denying is unbecoming, you've said).

Still, in these months of suspension I'm sure, you too, have forgotten my voice, how I compile letters to make words. In the face of tragedy we learn to keep breathing, in the face of absence we learn to re-write.

To update you on my life would be a crime, too much has unfolded in this time lapse, let's make another go, forget those months, say I went on a drinking binge and have just emerged.

Instead looking ahead I can tell you I've made solid plans for my future that involve London and academia. But this plan is a year away, and doesn't need to be extrapolated for conversation. Now, I plan to enjoy the humidity that has descended upon d.c., to enjoy this summertime, to enjoy this 24th year.

And to you, I promise only disjointed phrases and truths. As much as I am capable.

always,

l.c.