1940s AU

My dearest Antonio,

I hope this letter finds you well overseas, my dear friend. My best regards to you and yours. Back home, they say the war is turning in favor of the Allies, but I cannot say for sure; you are the one putting your life at risk so that we may live ours free back home, so I have no right to judge what the situation of war is. However, I will say that home is not quite the same without you. It has gotten lonelier recently as well. My father was in a fatal factory accident just last week, and with just my mother and myself making the wages, we are not sure we will have the funds to provide housing next month. As a result, I have accepted the wedding proposal of a Miss Maria Lyons, a charming young lady and the daughter of an affluent banker whose wealth seems to have let them carry through the Depression as though it were a grain of rice! She truly is a lovely specimen, Antonio, perhaps you will come and visit us once the war is over; she has these gorgeous, brown, wavy locks of hair, and her eyes are gentle and playful, much like yours. In fact, there is much you have in common with Miss Lyons, and I suppose that is half of the reason why I am so taken with her. I do sincerely hope you understand my predicament, and I beg of you to not let this situation tarnish the camaraderie that we have built together. I will always hold a place in my heart for you, however, the consequences of our prior arrangement are simply too severe, and Miss Lyons is offering me the chance to save my widowed mother. I am sorry, Antonio. Our previous plans to meet at Cleveland Hopkins once you were discharged are hereby suspended indefinitely. We will not be seeing each other the same way as before. Farewell.

Sincerely yours,

P. Carter