Letter 33

10^th April 2015

Dear Catherine,

Yes, I did see the photo you put on Facebook recently, you haven’t dated it, so I only know it must have appeared in the last few weeks.  It is nice to see you by yourself.  I like that you are looking directly at the camera, not in a cheeky or evasive way that one might imagine you saying “well, what do you want?”, but no, you are just wistfully gazing out, with no pretence, not inviting a response or rejecting it, not posing, you look absolutely natural.  But of course you are relating to the person who is operating the camera, so that is most relevant, yet you posted this photo here for anyone to look at, which invites me to do so.  And I can imagine you standing like that, in front of me, just waiting for a response; which is why I address you directly, rather than talk about you or tell you things I am doing.  What would I say?  First, that you look very attractive, quite self assured.  I like the way you are dressed, in a unique and individual way, creative, rather than fashionably, with a little green bow tie as an incidental adornment.  Your hands are relaxed, you do not have nail varnish and only a simple bracelet – nothing ostentatious to shout ‘hey look what I’ve got’ and there are holes in your denims maybe from wear rather from fashion, all saying you are comfortable in your own attire.  I can’t see your shoes, so I can’t say comfortable in your own shoes, and then there are the coloured stockings, nicely stated, maybe to compliment your bow tie.  So what am I entitled to think?  You may say ‘nothing as it is none of your business’, but I suspect not, you are not like that.  I have no input to your life at present as we are not in touch, and your persona is all your own, as I would expect it to be.  I would not want to change that in any way, even if you lived with me still.  You have to be your own person, and looking at you, I fully approve and would be very proud of you.  So I would say “Keep doing what you do and be happy with it, I am proud of you whatever.  I will always believe in you”. 

That’s enough for now!  I will write quite soon to let you know my news.

With all my love for now,           

dad  xxx                                                                           at work