Letter 28

11^th November 2014

Dear Catherine,

We are moving office yet again this week.  Where we are now has been a temporary stop for a few months while we found a new permanent office.  It is going to be such a relief to be able to settle down as this is the fourth move in 20 months.  It has only one advantage I can think of, in that each move I get rid of some more of my belongings and files, so for this move I will only fill half a crate, whereas for the first move it was two crates.  It was like moving out of 35 Northwick Avenue, I left some things behind on the day I moved anyway and actually made a few trips to the Council rubbish yard as well before moving my belongings into storage, as there was no room in my shared house!  Before I left that day, for the last time, I had a look around the house with some nostalgia where I had lived for 30 years.  I had re-decorated each room many times.  Your room was empty, but you must remember helping me completely re-do it not long before our separation; and we built a study desk for you with a cupboard above.  Maybe you still have that desk; if you do I hope it will generate some nicer memories.  Your life has moved on so many stages since then, from a trusting young girl to an attractive young woman.  You look content with your life in photographs with several of your friends I can see on Facebook.  Recently I have been recognising the friends in your photos from previously, meaning you must be re-integrating with friends from that period in your life.  Before about six months ago it was always with girls and boys I did not have any clue who they were.  Of course I pray from the bottom of my heart that you will remember me; but that your memory will be of the time we were together as it actually happened; the things we did together, trips to the Royal Albert Hall,  Beauty and the Beast, stories at bedtime and all the other natural things that we did together as a normal loving father and daughter.  I too have moved on a lot since those days; I would like to tell you about it, but that is for another time. But now it is more important that you are content with your life and confident about your future.  I would dearly love to help you in every whatever way, if it works out like that.  There doesn’t seem much reason why it shouldn’t, but I have no control over whether it happens; I do pray it will though, and soon.  It does seem boring that I should spend so much space talking like this about reconciliation, but it occupies a lot of my thoughts, recently increasing so, with so many small things reminding me of you.  Like it was my father’s anniversary on Sunday, the grandfather you never met as he died before you were born.  I know he would have loved you.  It is strange how life works out, where fate takes us.  My dad died many years ago and he still crosses my mind with fond memories.  I would like you to have the same memories of me when the time comes. Once again I have run out of time and have to get back to work!

With all my love for now,

         dad  xxx                                                                           at work