Bye till Tuesday

For me, the most enjoyable part of archival work is the processing of private acquisitions. Such as in life, some projects are more interesting than others, but the great thing is that there are generally always a few things in every collection that prove interesting. Every now and again, I get to process a fonds that completely intrigues me. This year, I came across such a gem. The physical extent wasn’t that large and only consisted of a couple of boxes of textual records. But the content was addicting and it completely engulfed me.

This fonds consisted of records created and accumulated by a woman I will refer to as “B.” The majority of the records consisted of her diaries and correspondence written by and to her. Prior to beginning the processing, I knew that the monetary value of the records largely lay in early pen-pal correspondence between her and noted Canadian author Louis Dudek. These letters were interesting and will no doubt prove to be of be great research value for academics and students in the future. What surprised me and touched me, however, was the correspondence between “B” and her husband “M.”

Her husband had a job that required him to spend a lot of time away from home, which resulted in a lot of correspondence between the young couple. There were three times as many letters from “M” to “B.” This doesn’t mean that he wrote to her more often than she wrote to him. I believe that in typical female fashion (of which I am too often guilty of as well) she merely saved all his letters. The correspondence document their courtship and first decade of marriage. His letters were written neatly and were easy to read, which is surprising for a man.

The difference in tone and content between the two sets of correspondence was amusing. In general, he was not nearly as romantic, evidenced in one letter when he asked her if she had gained weight over the holidays. I was, however, impressed with the sentiment that he was able to muster at times. On July 23rd, 1943 he wrote “Remember that I am waiting to hug you and kiss you, and miss you terribly also.” Only five days later he was still love struck when he wrote on July 28th “Well dear, this is just a note to tell you how much I miss you and love you. Need I tell you that?”

There were only eleven letters in total from “B” to “M” and what a treasure they are. I read all eleven letters several times. There letters were written between 1943 and 1948 – almost seventy years ago. The paper was rigid. Forcing them open unveiled commentary from a young recently married woman who was full of hope, romance and optimism for her future. The letters were incredibly touching in her honestly and openness. In these eleven letters, I felt her love. I can only imagine how they touched her young husband, how many times he unfolded them to read them again, and how he much have treasured them.

“However, as to us, my darling, what it makes it possible for me to flirt with you at this time – to play lightly around our love with words, is the fact that at the depth there is no need for it. We are fundamentally serious and can therefore afford to be gay with each other.” (March 6th, 1945)

“Oh my dearest, how every much we have to look forward to in the future with such a present to build on.” (March 6th, 1945)

“Golly, I love you darling and I’m so looking forward to the day when we settle down and become ordinary folk. More than anything, I want to see you in a job you love – working for yourself preferably. And for myself, to live a clean and honest life with you and ours.” (January 19, 1947)

“I am sitting here tonight dreaming such dreams for us. All the good things of life can be ours – love, laughter, satisfaction in a job well done. These are the things that bring contentment and relaxation.” (Saturday night, undated, ca. 1948).

“B” ended this letter by saying to “M” “Bye till Tuesday, and hurry, hurry, Tuesday.” Her pink kiss, now sixty three years old, sealed the letter and has stood the test of time. As the majority of the correspondence ends by the 1950s, I was left feeling like I had finished watching a movie. How did the subsequent chapters of their lives play out? Did they remain in love? I hope they did. I am grateful for that quick glimpse I was allowed into their lives.