The discovery of Peggy’s arachnophobia entitled Lt. Mrs. Simpson to order Peggy to two days of bed rest, Audrey pleaded with her to spend the two days at her parent’s home. Peggy refused “What if a letter from Harvey arrived?” she argued.
“Vivien will keep it for you.”
“No. I want to be here, especially when his first letter arrives.” Peggy’s eyes were dark from exhaustion, but nothing would deter her from being right where Harvey’s letter would get delivered.
“Fine Peggy, but you are to rest. If you don’t, I will make sure Vivien orders you home.” Audrey said defiantly while Dorothy and Maisy nodded their heads in agreement.
When her dear friends and colleagues had left the room, Peggy got out of her bed and sat at the little writing desk next to the window facing the mountains. She readied a piece of pattern paper and her pen and thought about how to explain what had happened that morning. Her mind was still fogged up with the actual events, but she managed to relay the episode of the ugliest spider that ever existed to Harvey from her jagged memory and Lt. Mrs. Simpson’s account. While she wrote, she held the back of her physically wounded neck. Peggy left out of the letter the torrid dream she’d had and shivered shaking off the image of Harvey’s grotesque and evil face. “How could my gentle husband ever look so evil? It was not possible.”
As she wrote, she pieced together the bits that Lt. Mrs. Simpson had told her, and she remembered her promising not ever to repeat this story. Lt. Mrs. Simpson had shaken and rubbed her shoulders at her memory “I don’t care ever to repeat or remember, or get reminded of the biggest, ugliest spider I have ever seen in my entire life.” She had told Peggy. Peggy shuddered and immediately scratched her already scarred neck at the thought of it.
Normality was restored at the barracks. However, everyone had become visually aware of now, not only baboons but also eight-legged creatures. A movie night in the Rec. room on the first Saturday in December 1943 was just what the doctor prescribed. Laurel and Hardy - again - brought out laughter and smiles to Peggy’s disturbed heart.
Walter walked into the Rec. room almost at the end of the movie holding a pile of censored mail. Peggy’s hopes sprang into her chest when she saw him. Walter noticed her eagerly watching him, and it was easy for him to read her questioning expression. He winked at Peggy and clipped his head to one side beckoning Peggy to go to him. She shot from her seat and stood next to Walter in a second flat.
Walter held a small white envelope in his hand and smiled. “What you been waiting for I presume?” He was greatly satisfied that he was the one to deliver Harvey’s first letter to Peggy.
Peggy disappeared silently from the Rec. room and with her flashlight on dim hurried to her room. She first lit the candle in her room and checked every inch with her flashlight; the blackout orders were still in force, so she was unable to switch on her light. After her inspection, she changed into her nightdress and climbed onto her bed.
She read the address on the envelope written in Harvey’s neat but masculine handwriting; she smiled contagiously at the precious envelope in her hands. She held the envelope to her chest relishing the words still hidden within.
With slow, deliberate movements, she opened her letter from her perfect gentleman, Harvey, her beloved husband. For a few moments, she simply stared at the written words on the plain white paper. She pictured Harvey sitting at a table with a pen in his hand writing these very words; she frowned at the big black blotched line that erased a sentence. Peggy shook her head and focused on what Harvey had written.
My dearest darling
How I miss you, this is no understatement my dearest; my heart is forever heavy without you close to me. How are you? Forgive me for not asking first, but I simply had to tell you promptly how much I miss you. I truly do.
The journey on the ship was long and arduous. The food was satisfactory, but since I am not permitted to discuss our efforts in the war, it lead to many a silent hour without conversation. But no harm came of that as they had many a good book or journal to read in the library.
New Zealand from what I have seen so far is beautiful, but never more beautiful than our homeland. I arrived in Auckland and was immediately flown to Wellington. They have been very warm and welcoming toward me. I must it has been a wonderful relief to be able to speak with technicians and experts regarding our Radars.
I cannot wait to receive your first letter, do write every day, please. It was no point writing on the ship journey as there was simply nothing to tell other than what we ate, but now that I am here I will have much to share.
I love you my darling Peggy, most ardently and every moment, no every second without you is an eternity. If ever I wished for our Lord to speed up time, it is now and that this month will fly past so that I may hold you once again.
Take care of yourself my darling.
Yours forever
H.
Peggy wiped her chin before her tears wet the page. She read and reread and positively read the letter a hundred times more that evening. She blew out her candle that was almost at its end and rolled onto her side, pulling the light blanket over her. She closed her eyes and hugged her letter into her heart; her Harvey, her sweet, gentle, perfect Harvey will be in her dreams tonight.
But was he?
Peggy shot up from her sleep, sweating and panting. Why were these awful dreams of her beautiful husband with the most sparkling China-blue eyes, now smeared with a horrid, ghostly appearance haunting her? She took a gulp of water from the glass that was standing on her nightstand. She fumbled for her flashlight panicking that the spider had also returned. She nervously shivered at the crawling sensation down her neck and shoulders, immediately scratching herself viciously. Peggy flashed her light about the room, stripped her bed, inspected underneath it and checked every inch before she remade the bed and rested on it. She swallowed a sleeping pill the doctor had prescribed with the last of the water in the glass and sunk into her pillow unwilling to heed the tears that followed.