介绍:
本尼和louise Brealey（神夏茉莉妹子）合作朗读Chris Baker和Bessie Moore之间的书信。
Chris被俘获救后准备归家时写给Bessie的信。
29th of January，1945
My dearest one,
I’ve just heard the news that all the Army men who are held POW are to return to their homes. Because of the shipping situation we may not commence to go before the end of February, but could probably count on being in England sometime in March. It may be sooner. It has made me very warm inside. It is terrific, wonderful, shattering.
I don’t know what to say. And I cannot think. The delay is nothing, the decision is everything. I am confirming in my head the little decisions I have made when contemplating just the possibility. I must spend the first days at home. I must consider getting a party somewhere. Above all I must be with you. I must warm you, surround you, love you, and be kind to you.
Tell me anything that is in your mind. Write tons and tons and tons and plan our time. I would prefer not to get married, but want you to agree on the point. In the battle I was afraid - for you, for my mother, for myself. Wait we must, my lover, my darling. Let us meet, let us be, let us know. But do not let us now make any mistakes.
How good for us to see each other before I am completely bald. I have some fine little wisps of hair on the top of my head.
It’s not much good me trying to write about recent experiences, now that I know that I shall be able to tell you everything myself within such a short time. What I have on my eye now is the first letter from you saying that you know I am all right and the next saying you know I am coming to you. I must try to keep out of hospital with some of these post-POW complaints. Plan a week somewhere, not Boscombe or Bournemouth. And think of being together, the glory of you.
We were free of duties and yesterday I went to our friends in Athens, taking some of your coffee and cocoa, which they were very pleased to have. Thank you for sending it. We were embraced very excitedly, kissing and so on, continental fashion. I hope that you will not start buying any clothes if you have any coupons left because you think you must look nice for me. I should be sorry if you do. Just carry on as near as possible to normal. My return at the present time allows us to make public our mutual attachment. I shall tell my family I hope to spend a week away with you somewhere during my leave. My counsel to you is to tell as few people as possible. To someone like Miss Ferguson, you could politely reply to her observations that you thought it was your business rather than hers. Try to avoid preening yourself and saying much. This is my advice, not anything but that. I hope you understand. I do not ever want it to be anything but our affair. Do not permit intrusion. I do not know how long a leave I shall get. I could get as little as 14 days, I may get as much as a month. I’m wondering how I shall tell you I am in England. Probably still quicker to send a telegram than a letter. I hope to send you one announcing that I am on the same island. I would send another one I am actually soon to get on the London bound train and you can ring Lee Green 0509 when you think I have arrived there. Tell me how I get towards Woolcombe Road（英国Portland地区街道）. The number would be sufficient. I shall remember where it is, and I will meet you there, or some other place you may say as soon as I can. I hope that everything will work itself out without any unhappiness to anyone. I should be in great demand from two or three points and it will be difficult to manage without offence. It’s a strange thing but I can’t seem to get going and write very freely. All I’m thinking about is I’m going home, I am going to see her. It is a fact, a real thing, an impending event like Shrove Tuesday（忏悔星期二）, X’mas Day, or the Lord Mayor’s Banquet.
You have to be abroad, you have to be hermetically sealed off from your intimates from your home to realize what a gift this going-home is. The few letters of yours that I had on me I burnt the previous day to our surrender so no one but myself has read your words. In the first 10 days of our captivity I did not think any soft thoughts about you - all I did was concentrate on trying to tell you I was all right. But when we had a few supplies dropped by aircraft at great risk to themselves in the misty snow bound Greek mountain villages and we started hoping we might get sent home upon our release. I was always wondering about you, about us. It’s a pity that the winter weather will not be kind to us out of doors. It would be nice sitting next to you at the pictures no matter what may be on the screen. It would be grand to know that we have each other’s support and sympathy. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be together - really together in the flesh, not just to know that a letter is all we can send.
I Love you.
Chris
接下来，是Bessie写给Chris的回信。
6th of February, 1945
Darling, darling, darling, This is what I&`&ve been waiting for. Your freedom left me dumb and choked up. But now, oh now I feel released. Oh, Christopher, my dear, dear man. It is so so wonderful. You are coming home. Golly, I shall have to be careful. All this excitement is almost too much for my body. You must be careful too, darling. All this on top of what you&`&ve been through, it&`&s difficult to keep it down, but you can&`&t help the excited twinges in your midriff, can you? Do keep well, angel. I shall have to say that to myself as well.
Marriage, my sweet, yes, I agree. What you wish, I wish. I want you to be happy in this. Darling, I make a plea to whatever gods there’ll be, to make me greater than myself, so I can make you as happy as humanly possible; to help you over the bad days, and swing along with you at the good days. Whilst you&`&re afraid, you will not be happy. We must get rid of these fears between us. Also confidentially, I too am a little scared. Everything in letters appears larger than life size, like my photograph. It didn&`&t show the white hairs beneath the black, the decaying teeth, the darkening skin. I, I think of my nasty characteristics, my ordinariness. Yes, I too feel a little afraid. So, I can&`&t be bothered with that now, for we are going to meet. Does anything else matter, Chris?
About what happens on arrival, of course, you’ll have to spend the first party at home. I suspect I can get my leave when needed. We only have to sign for the actual summer period, otherwise they are very accommodating. Oh, dear, dear me, plan a week somewhere. Oh! Up comes my heart. A week somewhere, by the sea, with you. Where shall we go? Of course, I&`&d choose North Devon, sea, country and air. But March raises the question of weather. Might we go to a largish town? I prefer villages normally. But with you, I guess I&`&ll do what you want. Also I feel that you&`&ll need looking after. I don&`&t think you should walk around in the rain, not for a while anyway. Guess I don&`&t care where, as long as it’s the sea, and you, you, you. Inward clangings and bouncings, and I wonder how soon. Glad you managed to give them coffee and cocoa, our Greek friends I mean, to show them that we wish them well, and hope very strongly that they would get the government they want. Perhaps they live too close to poverty to think of government. Now, I say to myself, "Bessie, my girl, you&`&re not so hot." But I think you may have the similar feeling. I say, how is your digestion? Mine’s awful. I should be reduced to taking Rennies or something, a wind remover. My tea is, at this moment, stuck somewhere in the middle of my chest. So you don’t want to get married. That’s a douche of cold water. Still I seem should have water out of my eyes. It seems a bit unimportant, with you home-coming in front of me. I guess most impractical, poor lad，you hardly know me, “Do not let us make any mistakes.” Now, underlined, you dear old silly, do you really think you can guard against that, or ensure the future?
I can&`&t help wishing that you won&`&t get these letters, that you&`&ll be on your way, that the time to wait is that short. Because my impatience is getting pretty bad. Being able to write like we have has been a wonderful thing. But it has always remained only the beginning of contact for our future. And the beginning must change to something else. And now it is changing. What do you think of the war news? I don&`&t like getting too optimistic. But wouldn&`&t it be wonderful to come home to stay?
I love you .
Bessie
