Louis was wheeling his bicycle out of the front gate as the postman arrived with Cat’s letter. He leaned his bicycle against the gatepost, took the letter from the postman and lit up a cigarette before tearing the envelope open. His hand trembled slightly as he held the paper and read Cat’s letter.
My Dearest Louis,
I am writing to say I have thought over what has happened and decided I was partly in the wrong - and I am sorry.
I won’t lead ye to believe I came to this decision alone, because that would be a deception, which was the basis of our problem in the first place.
I went to see Mary today, and she guessed that something was the matter between us. I have not told Mummy and Dada or anyone else we have quarreled, nobody knows - only Mary.
We had a chat and she made me realise that what ye did was not just a matter of deceiving me for the sake of it, but was a way of trying to earn money to feed us and keep the roof over our heads, while retaining your sense of pride.
I don’t know why I couldn’t see it that way at the time, but I do now, and I want ye to forgive my hastiness in running away like that. I did not give ye the opportunity to explain, and I know I would not listen to anything ye tried to say, but I hope ye can find it in your heart to forgive a foolish woman.
Louis, I hate us being apart. It was awful when ye were away during the war and I always expected that once it was over, we would never be apart again. This is not what I want, so won’t ye please come on over and join us?
Dada and Tom will be getting the harvest in soon, and could use another pair of helping hands as a lot of the local lads have either gone to England or America looking for work. I think we’ve enough in the tin to pay for a ticket, especially with the money ye made playing the violin - so please come.
If ye send a telegram to the Post Office here, I will collect it. Just say either, ye can come over or ye cannot. No more than that, otherwise old Niamh McNamara will spread gossip; she has a nose as long as an elephant’s trunk.
One thing I have come to realise is that good marriages are not achieved by chance; they have to be worked at. So, Louis, this leaves me wishing for the entire world I was there with ye and could let ye see that I am truly sorry.
Your loving wife
Cat xx
He folded the letter, put it in his jacket pocket, mounted his bicycle and rode off towards Woolwich.
Smiling to himself as he turned the corner of the road, he freewheeled down the hill, promising himself a lovely day busking in the market place.