by Clare Revell
For instance:
Pants are what we Brits call trousers. Suspenders keep your trousers/pants up. They call sweets, candy. Cookies are our biscuits. And they have this habit of eating biscuits and gravy which sounds horrid. Had it once the other night. It’s a kind of milky sausage concoction served on what we’d call scones. But scones without the sugar in them.
Speaking of English, I have to go finish this essay on divinity through the ages.
Love Oliver.
Southampton. 18th May 1975.
[Birth Announcement.]
Ezra and Connie Johnson announce the safe arrival
Of: Dorcas Elizabeth Johnson
On: 15th May 1975
At: 9.30pm
Weight: 5lb 2oz
[Handwritten note.]
Dear Oliver,
Never again. She was early and so tiny, but it hurt way more than they said it would.
Love Connie.
PS. Scully.
PPS. Normally I’d find the idea of keeping your pants up with suspenders hysterically funny, but not today. (Of course that’s pants meaning knickers, and suspenders being the ones I keep my stockings up with.)
Orlando. 29th May 1975.
Dear Connie,
Congrats! Was Ezra there or did he have to pace the corridors like on the television? I’m assuming she was born at home. Does she look like you?
I didn’t know what to get as a baby gift, so I hope the generic teddy bear is all right. A girl can never have too many, right?
Going back to New York for the summer.
Love Oliver.
PS. Not Scully.
Southampton. 15th July 1975.
[Birthday card.]
Dear Oliver,
Happy 20th birthday. Sorry it’s later getting into the post. Hoping it still arrives on time.
Love Connie.
PS. Shaw.
PPS. Yes, a home birth. We’re fortunate to still have midwives who’ll do that, rather than insisting on a hospital birth.
New York. 17th July 1975.
[Birthday card.]
Dear Connie,
Hoping you’re okay and just real busy with the wee one. Have a great birthday.
Love Oliver.
PS. Sorry it’s late. No excuses. Although I did post it before your birthday.
Orlando. 27th October 1975.
Dear Connie,
No, not Shaw. Are you okay? I haven’t heard from you in a while. I’m really hoping that you did write and the letter got lost in the post. I imagine a baby keeps you up all night and busy all day. Do you still work in the shop?
So many questions. But even a postcard will do, just to let me know you’re okay. Or I might have to attempt an international phone call and ring your parents. That’s if they are in contact with you or are things still bad?
Love Oliver.
Southampton. 4th December 1975.
[Christmas card.]
To Oliver. Happy Christmas. Love Connie, Ezra and Dorcas.
[Handwritten note.]
Sorry I haven’t written. I’m fine. Ezra’s fine. Dorcas is…hard work. She cried nonstop for the first I don’t know how many weeks. I got really stressed, fed up and sad and did something stupid and took a load of sleeping pills. I’m okay now. Kind of. Still. At least Mum and Dad are speaking to me now. Dad had two rooms put in the loft at their place and Ezra and I are living there for now. We use one room as a sitting room and one as a bedroom. It’s better than being cramped at Ezra’s parents place.
Love Connie.
PS. Shadrach.
Orlando. 5th December 1975.
[Christmas card.]
Dear Connie,
Have a great Christmas. Your first one as a mum.
Love Oliver.
Orlando. 17th December 1975.
Dear Connie,
I just got your card. Ours crossed in the post again. Wish you’d told me things were that bad. Hope you are doing better. I’m praying for you each night, more so now. And I know that sounds blaze and so on, but prayer really does move mountains.
Love Oliver.
Orlando. 29th February 1976.
[Postcard of the Everglades.]
Dear Connie,
Just a quick note as it’s a leap year. Kinda had to really. Are you keeping all these? I have yours in a box. Sometimes I wonder if things would have been different if we’d stayed in England. What I’d be doing now. If Mum would still be alive. If you’d still have met Ezra somehow. If you and I would even be talking to each other still. I’d like to think we would.
Love Oliver.
PS. Not Shadrach.
New York. 4th July 1976.
[Birthday card.]
Dear Connie,
Happy birthday. Back with Dad for the holidays. Big celebration this year as the US is two hundred years old today!
Love Oliver.
Southampton. 6TH July 1976.
[21st Birthday card.]
Dear Oliver,
21 today, 21 today. You’ve got the key of the door, never been 21 before.
Though I’ve had my own door key for a long time now and you probably have as well.
Have a great 21st birthday!
Love Connie.
PS. Here’s our new address! Yes, we have our own place now. It’s a three bedroom house on the same estate as we live on now. It’s nice being able to leave stuff out and not have to put it away.
Southampton. 15th July 1976.
Dear Oliver,
Hot. Hot. Hot. Too hot. We’re all melting. It hasn’t rained since early May. The grass is yellow and you can literally fry an egg on the ground. Some woman did it live on the telly for the news.
Dorcas took her first steps yesterday. She adores that teddy you sent her. His name is Bebop, but we have no idea why. Mum knitted him an outfit so he now has a blue and gold jumper with blue trousers. He goes everywhere Dorcas does and she can’t sleep without it. I can’t believe she’s 14 months old now.
Things are a little better at home. Ezra and I don’t fight quite so much. He’s finished flying school and qualified as a pilot. He’s hoping to get a job with one of the airlines based here. You can see the runway from the attic windows.
Better go. Dorcas is awake and wants to get up.
Love Connie.
PS. Seymour.
New York. 11th December 1976.
[Christmas card.]
Happy Christmas
Love Oliver.
PS. Not Seymour.
PPS. More snow.
Southampton. 12th December 1976.
[Christmas card.]
Dear Oliver,
Happy Christmas.
Love Connie.
PS. Still no snow. Most disappointing.
Orlando. 1st July 1977.
[Birthday card.]
Dear Connie,
Sending it extra early this year. Dad has come up and we’re holidaying around Florida. Doing a road trip kind of thing. More like a staycation than vacation for me, but oh well.
Love Oliver.
Southampton. 7th July 1977.
[Birthday card.]
Dear Oliver,
Happy birthday.
Love Connie, who must be living in the past or is very, very tired as she keeps wanting to write the date as 17 something, not 19 something. And is also talking in the third person or something or other.
PS. Note the date. 7/7/77!!
PPS. We had a street party for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in June! It was great fun. We closed the road and had tables down the middle of it. One of the neighbours even painted a giant Union Flag on his garage door. Everyone came. I’ll send photos when we finally get them developed. Right now the film is still in the camera and only half used.
Orlando. 1st December 1977.
[Christmas card.]
Dear Connie,
The party sounds like it was a lot fun.
Happy Christmas.
Love Oliver.
S
outhampton. 13th December 1977.
[Christmas card.]
Dear Oliver,
Do you like this Christmas Card? I love the nativity scene, but don’t suppose they had snow on that first Christmas. I’m so sorry I’m such a horrid friend. That’s a year with no letter. Things have been really busy here. Ezra is flying a lot. He’s being doing trips to the Channel Islands and hopes to do longer ones at some point.
The enclosed photo is us at the Silver Jubilee street party in June.
Happy New Year too.
Love Connie, Ezra, Dorcas and Bump.
PS. Sedrick.
Orlando. 15th February 1978.
Dear Connie,
Doesn’t seem possible that this is my final year now. I’m still uncertain as to where the Lord wants me next. Neither church I’ve interviewed for offered me a job. I wanted to go back to New York, to be with Dad, but that didn’t pan out either.
You know what’s really weird. Although I refuse to spell anything the American way, I find myself starting to talk like them. I even have a slight accent if you can believe it. I guess it’s a natural progression, but still… Weird.
Oh. And Sedrick? Really? Now you’re just grasping at straws because it’s actually spelled Cedric with a C and no K.
But it’s not that either.
And you’re having another baby? What ever happened to never again? Ha ha.
Love Oliver.
New York. 3rd July 1978.
[Birthday card.]
Dear Connie,
Have a great birthday.
Love Oliver.
Southampton. 7th July 1978.
[Birthday card.]
Dear Oliver,
Happy birthday!
Love Connie.
PS. I look and feel like a beached whale. Dorcas is full of energy and all I want to do is nothing. Nothing with a capital N.
Southampton. 29th July 1978.
[Birth announcement.]
Ezra and Connie are pleased to announce the safe arrival of
Paul Josiah Johnson
On: 27th July 1978
At: 3.15am
Weight: 6lb 12oz
Also the safe arrival of
Titus Jacob Johnson
At: 3.30am
Weight: 5lb 2oz
Two brothers for Dorcas.
I don’t have time to write more than a few words as I’m a little busy. I can’t think why. The twins arrived in the local hospital after a mad dash by ambulance late at night. It was totally different from a home birth. Still hurt. Never again.
New York. 4th December 1978.
[Christmas card.]
Hey Connie,
’Tis that time of year again. Happy Christmas.
Love Oliver.
Southampton. 10th December 1978.
[Christmas card.]
Dear Oliver,
Hope your Christmas is a lot quieter than mine will be.
Love Connie.
PS. Thank you so much for the bears you sent the boys. Dorcas named them Fink and Fink Two.
Las Vegas. 26th March 1979.
[Postcard of the Strip.]
Dear Connie,
This is the address for me until December next year. I’m working in a church here in the suburbs. And I thought New York never slept! Not sure I’ll ever get used to the heat!
Love Oliver.
Southampton. 5th July 1979.
[Birthday card.]
Happy birthday Oliver!
We now have a female Prime Minister! Bit strange, but hey, why not!
Love Connie.
PS. Vegas is in the desert. Deserts are hot. It’s the law. Get used to it.
Las Vegas. 5th July 1979.
[Birthday card.]
Dear Connie,
Happy 21st Birthday!! Now you’re officially a grown up. Or adult. Or whatever. And can legally do everything you’ve been doing for years.
Dad came here for the holiday this year. Was fun. Took him around all the casinos. Each one is themed differently. No, we didn’t gamble.
Love Oliver.
Southampton. 9th December 1979.
[Christmas card.]
Dear Oliver,
Happy Christmas.
Yeah, being a grown up now is strange. Since when I got married I couldn’t actually drink at my own reception or drive! But there you go. Not that I do. Drink or drive. Or together because that’s still illegal. Okay, stopping now before I get myself in more trouble.
Love Connie.
Las Vegas. 10th December 1979.
[Christmas card.]
Dear Connie,
Happy Christmas.
First year in Vegas done. One more to go.
Love Oliver.
Las Vegas. 3rd July 1980.
[Birthday card.]
Dear Connie,
Happy Birthday. Are you okay? You’ve been really quiet.
Love Oliver.
Southampton. 18th July 1980.
[Birthday card.]
Dear Oliver,
Happy Birthday!
I’m okay. Been pretty sick with morning sickness again. Worse than before. Just hope it’s not twins again. I also got the measles somehow in early April. No idea where from but that didn’t help.
Love Connie.
Southampton. 7th October 1980.
[Birth announcement.]
Ezra and Connie are pleased to announce the safe arrival of
Zipporah Constance Johnson
On: 3rd October 1980
At: 9.36am
Weight: 6lb 3oz
A sister for Dorcas, Paul, and Titus.
PS. Where to after Vegas?
PPS. Who invented this stupid rule about putting a comma before the word and? And is a joining word between two sentences or the last word in a list. Least it was when I was at school.
Las Vegas. 6th December 1980.
[Christmas card.]
Dear Connie,
Happy Christmas. Busy packing up here now for the move all the way to Virginia in the New Year. Dad’s coming to help.
Love Oliver.
Southampton. 9th December 1980.
[Christmas card.]
Dear Oliver,
Hope you have a much quieter Christmas than we’ll have. Dorcas, Paul, and Titus are all ridiculously excited. We’re taking them to see Father Christmas in his grotto at the weekend. I think it’s too early. Ezra disagrees. We don’t see eye to eye much at times but there you are.
Love Connie.
Charlottesville. 10th January 1981.
Dear Connie,
Not sure how long I’ll be here, but here’s the new address.
Love Oliver.
Southampton. 5th July 1981.
[Birthday card.]
Happy Birthday Oliver!
The countdown to the Royal Wedding is on. We’ll be watching it on the TV here, and then having a huge street party afterwards. Both sets of parents are coming here for the wedding as we have a colour TV and they only have black and white.
Love Connie.
Charlottesville. 8th July 1981.
[Birthday card.]
Happy Birthday Connie. Thinking and praying for you often.
Love Oliver.
PS. Moving to Langley sometime in October. Will send the address when I have it.
Langley. 5th December 1981.
[Christmas card.]
Dear Connie
Happy Christmas.
Love Oliver.
PS. New address. Didn’t move until last week. Sorry.
Southampton. 21st December 1981.
[Christmas card.]
Dear Oliver,
Have a great Christmas. Yes, I made all my own cards this year. With the children’s help of course. Gives them something to do on a rainy afternoon.
Love Connie.
PS. Waited until I had your card so I knew where to send this one.
Southampton. 22nd June 1982.
Dear Oliver,
Just in case you haven’t heard by now, but I’m sure you have, it’s a boy for Prince Charles and Princess Diana. A new baby prince! Everyone is so excited, just as they were for the Royal Wedding last year. Though now Dorcas wants a new baby prince brother as her brothers are horrible.
And coming just after the ceasefire too. Just the boost the country needs after such a horrid conflict. We watched the ships sail from the kitchen window—you can see the docks as we’re on such a high hill. So sad to think of all the lives lost and the ships that won’t be returning now. When it began in April, the news called it the Falklands Crisis. In May it became a conflict. Only now it’s over are they calling it what we all knew it was. A war.
One of the mums at school (I still can’t believe Dorcas is seven and at school) is going back to work. Of course, her youngest is in Dorcas’s class, so it’s slightly different to having three at home still. The twins start next year! And Zipporah the year after that. I made peppermint creams for the school fayre and everyone loved them.
Ezra’s flying is going well. He flies international now for a major airline. It does mean he’s away for several days at a time, but we’re in a routine now.
Sandy is married now and living in Scotland. We’re all going up there for Christmas this year. Ezra can get us discounted tickets so we’ll be flying. I’ve never flown anywhere before. He won’t fly when we go away as he says it’s a busman’s holiday!
Ezra also says I should learn to drive. But I’m fine with walking and the kids love the bus so I won’t be taking driving lessons any time soon.
Love Connie.
PS. Shem.
Langley. 1st July 1982.
[Birthday card.]
Dear Connie,
Being super organised for a change!
Happy birthday.
Love Oliver.
Southampton. 7th July 1982.
[Birthday card.]
Dear Oliver,
Happy Birthday.
Love Connie.
Dallas. 15th August 1982.