I'm back in NY and expecting you

My dear Max,

I'm not sure when these lines will reach you, but I know sooner or later, you'll read them.

It's been half a lifetime since we talked for the last time, hasn't it?

I'm back in NY. It hasn't changed too much, I must say. The street noises, the cars, the fumes of the chimneys, the skycrapers, the museums and the cafès - the urban landscape remains the same.

I don't know if you heard the news. Daddy left us the day before my birthday. I know it can be no coincidence - he did it on purpose. He just did that to me, as a legacy I'll have to bear for the rest of my life, and learn to live with it. How did he pass away? Too much whiskey, too many choristes. And of course, he complained I broke his heart (and also Charles's) when I refused to marry my last fiancé. That's all. 

Yeah, Daddy's gone. I miss him like heck, I will never ever stop loving him, and as long as I'm alive and kicking, he'll always be my beloved daddy. (Even when he could be a real pain in the neck, sure thing.) Whatever happened between he and I - it's bygones now that daddy is gone for good.

So nobody in my family will put a price on your head in the future. Nobody will offer a huge reward for information about your whereabouts. Nobody will try to challenge you to accept a duel to death, so as to push you away from me, with pistols or swords. Not even my half brother, Bernard, who's not as brave, as proud of himself or as stubborn as Daddy was. Isn't that some kind of... relief? 

We're free from all evils now. We're free to meet outdoors, in public places, or wherever. We're free to love each other. We're free to express our love for each other before the eyes of the whole world... 

Unless, of course, your heart belongs to some other lady. 

To be honest with you, my heart is not empty, though. Anyway, you know me well enough, so you know that (a) I find it hard to love just one guy, and (b) I chose to stay with somebody else only after waiting for you, with no good outcomes, for two and a half years. 

Yes, there's a man in my life, but - I'm not married.

At least, not yet.

Okay, I don't want to overload you with so much chattering. I'm looking forward to hearing from you again. Noblesse oblige, I have to say it, but I'm pretty sure you know it very well.

Who knows, I might be interested in discussing personal details about our love affair & our relationship - whatever it's been since the beginning, whatever it's become of it, and whatever will turn out to be in the future.

If -and only if- there can be a future between us.

You know where to find me.

All the best,

PS: I travelled on board the SS Andrea Doria this time. Three outdoor swimming pools, double hull, eleven watertight comparments - my God, isn't she the safest ocean liner ever built?!?