11:30 P.M. April 29 – ‘65
My dear, dear Patricia:
I guess John thinks your problem can be handled O.K. for you haven’t called me back, but it hurts me to realize that you are ill at all if I can’t do anything to help you. So please don’t hesitate to ask me to do anything I can that you need or wish done – any time you need it. Just let me know and I’ll be at your service. And remember that it gives me pleasure to do things for you – so you will not be imposing on me. I know that you try to spare me any task that you feel you can do for yourself – and I know that you have excellent practical judgment – often much better than mine – but I have the car and it makes so many things easy – so let me help all I can. I will be happier for it.
And while I’m in this vein – I much appreciate your sweetness in coming for me – admonishing me to “drive carefully” – sometimes I need to be told. And I never travel the outside lane on the highway anymore without thinking of it as “Turtle Lane.” I’ll travel Turtle Lane tomorrow I promise – and I’ll be careful. I can’t afford to be careless – not only for my own sake but since I must think of you, too, I have told myself that I have no right to risk any danger – For I have no right to risk giving you any little cause whatsoever for any degree of sadness or misery because of my recklessness toward myself. So I promise you as I have myself so that you’ll have no need to worry about me – I’ll try always to run no avoidable risks whatever. And I’m looking right at your picture as I write this.
I’ll phone you in the morning – not too early – but doubtless before you look in your mail box & find this – to see how you have made out during the rest of the night. I’ll not be going to Menlo Park till after noon as there’ll be no point in giving myself more than a moderate leeway before I go to Superintendent Fuller’s dinner in the evening. I’ll allow time to get the extra rocks for you and the rest of the books in the Life World Series and that’s all I’ll need. In the morning I’ll do school work. There’ll be papers from now till end-semester grades are due! And so – now – since I am tired and also need sleep – goodnight my darling – in very truth – my darling daughter.
- Much Love - Carl
Dr. Carl Duncan and Patricia Whiting Collection (SJSU)
