taiwan electric co.
baguio
may 18, 1944


my dear fely,

after all these years, do you mind if i pop out and say hello? the fact is that i would have written you sooner had i known where to send my letter, but it is only now that my efforts in searching have been rewarded. i wanted very very much to greet you on your birthday but i didn't know your address then. anyway, they say that it's som much better for one to be late in doing something than never at all, so now i'm saying many happy returns. hope you'll live to be a hundred.

well, fely, how has live been treating you? fine, i hope. and how are you enjoying the war? fine, too, i hope. to me, the war has brought a big change - for the better. it has made me realize what a great mistake i've made (you know what it is) and i'm now in the process of correcting it. i only hope that things won't bog down so i'll be able to gain my complete freedom - legally speaking. i mean, because there's no one who has more freedom of action as i'm having right now.

you know, fely, i spent a lot of time trying to locate you. i used to spend about three weeks of each month in manila before i finally had to take a job ( i got broke, you know) and i kept hoping and expecting to meet you sometime, but i simply didn't have any luck. i asked everyone we knew where i could find you, but they weren't able to help me. perhaps it was because i didn't have the right and was no longer worthy to be a bother to you- that's why providence refused to grant my wish. but i kept on trying and finally it was miss pugal who informed me of your address.

i hesitate to write you this note because i'm not quite sure that you'll welcome anything coming from me, but my desisre to let you know that i'm still your friend is so great that i'll risk the chance. you can be sure that i'll be praying for your success and happines always, and if this letter will only serve to convey this idea to you, then i wouldn't mind if you tore it in contempt and cursed the sender. i'm sure that i deserve it for being a cad. it happened long ago, but i can't seem to forget it and i want to tell you that i'm terribly sorry. i guess there's not much i can do but say i'm sorry. but i'm willing to charge all the misfortunes that i have and ever will suffer to paying for the great wrong that i have done. i can't even ask for your forgiveness - it is only for you to give or to deny.

but i'm reminding you of the impleasant past which i'm pretty sure you've quite forgotten and for this i'm begging your pardon. all i intended to say in the beginning was to wish you the best of luck on the occasion of your birthday, but as i kept on writing, i couldn't help but write the way i did.

i shouldn't be taking more of your time and so i'm writing finis to this letter. i hope you don't mind my saying that i feel a lot better now that i've told you something that i've been wanting to tell you for years. here's hoping i haven't bothered you. i'm closing with my very best wishes for you and your parents. may life be kind to you always.


yours,
ely