Page 67 of A Winter Wish

Greetings from New York, little sis! I hope you’ve been studying hard for your exams and that now you’ve turned eighteen, Mum and Dad will have no objection to you coming over for a visit. I know you’ve never flown in an aeroplane before, but you’ll be fine and I’ll be there at the gate to meet you when you arrive in America!

I’m a fully qualified dance teacher now, and I’ve been saving for ages so I could send you the air fare. (Postal order enclosed.) You’ll have to go to a travel agent and book your flights, and then you can write to me and let me know when you’re arriving so I can be there to meet you.

We’re going to have so much fun, little sis! I can’t wait to see you.

With lots and lots of love,

Freda xxxxx

P.S. Hope you like the photograph of me and my friends, Emily and Nancy. We’re renting a house together, but there’s a spare room for you!!!

When I finish reading, I pick up the postal order in a daze and stare at it, a lump in my throat. The amount written there doesn’t seem much for a return flight to New York, but it would have been a lot in those days. Freda had saved for a long time to send Gran the money for the tickets.

I stare at Rory, tears pricking at my lids, handing him the letter.

‘Did your gran mention this letter when she told you about Freda?’ he asks me, when he’s finished reading it.

I shake my head. ‘No, she didn’t. And she would have, wouldn’t she? Because it would have been so important to her. Imagine if it’s been in this trunk all these years and she never knew about it.’

‘Maybe she got the letter with the postal order but her parents refused to allow her to go over there,’ says Rory.

I nod. ‘Or maybe her parents saw the letter had a New York postmark and opened it, and decided not to tell her about it.’

‘Could be.’

‘But that’s so sad, isn’t it?’ A tear slips down my cheek and I blink rapidly. ‘Freda would have waited in vain for a letter back from Gran. When she didn’t get a reply, she probably thought her little sister had forgotten her or no longer cared enough about her to want to make the trip.’

Rory nods. ‘Is there an address on the letter?’

‘There is. Do you think Freda might still be living there?’

He frowns. ‘Doubtful, if she was sharing the place with friends at the time of the letter. If she eventually married, she’d probably have moved out.’ He shrugs. ‘Who knows?’

‘What am I going to tell Gran? She’ll be gutted if I show her this letter and the postal order. I can’t do that to her– not just before her operation.’

He nods. ‘I think you’re right.’

‘Oh, but if only I could give Gran good news, Rory. Imagine if I could track Freda down so that Gran could get in touch and know that she’d see her again. With that miracle in prospect, she’d sail through the operation.’

Rory nods thoughtfully. ‘In an ideal world, you’d find Freda before Paula goes into hospital.’

‘Yes, I would! Okay, I’m going to write to this address and see if anyone living there can give me a clue as to where Freda went.’ I glance at Rory, all fired up.

‘That could take a while, though.’ He frowns. ‘Airmail letters...’

My heart sinks. ‘True. So I guess it won’t be possible.’

‘Unless...’

‘Unless?’

‘I’ve got a better idea. Instead of writing letters, why don’t you go over there and track Freda down yourself?’

I stare at him, my heart beating fast.He has to be joking. That’s such a left-field idea. The craziest ever! But he looks perfectly serious...

‘You mean fly to New York and try to find her?’

He shrugs. ‘Why not? If it’s important enough to you... and Paula.’

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