Washed Away

With a sinking heart he turned on his old computer. He turned on the radio and set it to the classical station and that calmed him a little. And he was most relieved when he saw that he had no waiting correspondence; computers and their virtual spawn left him feeling anxious.

He shut off his computer, picked up his good pen and sat down in front of a small pile of stationery.

Dear Christine, he began. He paused there, and then thoughtfully added est to the end of "Dear". Yes, Dearest Christine, he thought to himself. He looked down at his page and admitted that the two words were cramped too close together now that he had made a correction to his salutation. He picked up the page and dropped it in the bin beside him without crumpling it. he no longer crumpled his failed drafts, and hadn't for a long time.

His letter was most efficiently written, taking up the entire surface, front and back, of two sheets. And it did not sound rushed or forced at the end to finish so efficiently either. He almost signed off "With Warmth," but thought better of it and wrote "Affectionately," instead (he would have had to restart otherwise).

He could wait to deposit the letter, as the mail was not picked up until the following morning. But he needed a stamp, which was an excuse to leave the house, so he made a short list of other things to do and prepared to go out.

The phone rang just as he was about t close the door behind him and he went back to answer it. Now that he had made a list of errands he kindly declined to participate in a telephone survey. He did consent that the young woman could call him back at a more convenient time which happened to be later this evening, after his dinner and Jeopardy, around 7.35pm.

Halfway to the post office it began to raid - gently for a short moment and then in great earnest. He decided to turn back. He would turn back and tomorrow he would ask the postman if he would accept the letter along with the exact money for postage: just like the used to do in the older days.

His short list, which fell from his pocket in his rush to escape the rain, lay against a storm drain: held in place against the grating by the force of the running water. The ink had completely faded from the sheet within moments of being dropped and soon the paper will be completely dissolved.