Yours

January 25th

Dear Sophia,

I love you. It’s not fair to treat me like this. It just isn’t. You know it’s not. It’s irresponsible and reckless and I need you and it’s not how we should treat each other. If you’re going away you’re meant to tell me. If you’re ill then I could make you feel better. That’s no reason to stay away. I always want to see you even when I’m ill.

I keep thinking it’s not long since you were on holiday. I know you wouldn’t go away again so soon after that. You would’ve told me. It makes me think something might’ve happened when you were on holiday. It’s easy for me to say I can come in when I have a cold. It might not be the same for you though. You might have caught some tropical illness that means you can’t get out of bed. You might be all on your own really in pain. Things like that can happen without warning. I’ve read about it before.

I read about this man who had something called something like congo fever. Something really foreign sounding. Everyone who sat near him on the plane had to be isolated after they found out he had it. It doesn’t even have to have been you that caught it. If you were sat near someone stupid enough to catch something like that on the plane then that could be enough.

There must be millions of illnesses like that that you can just pick up without even realising. Then suddenly they get you. You might just have a headache and think nothing of it. You need to make sure you see a doctor when you feel ill Sophia because you don’t know what it might be. There’s no point putting a brave face on it. You can’t assume it’s nothing.

If something happened to you I don’t know what I’d do with myself. You’ve got to be especially careful when you’re abroad Sophia. I know they say you’re not likely to just breathe in some terrible illness but I don’t think they can know that for sure. I think they won’t admit it just so everyone doesn’t get scared.

Think how many people woke up this morning and wanted to go see someone and then ended up dropping dead. All because they didn’t take care of themselves. I know you’re careful and fit and healthy but that’s not always enough Sophia. You can’t be sure everyone around you is doing the same.

I hope you’re ok. I hope you’re safe. If you’re not feeling well this soon after a holiday you have to go to the doctors. We have to make sure you’re ok. I don’t mind you not managing to see me for a couple of days if you’re at the doctors. That’s more important.

Really you should tell me though. We should look after each other at times like this. I don’t mind catching something from you if it means I get to look after you.

I love you. I want to always be with you.

Yours,

Andrew