Aberration of Starlight

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Dear Alex,

How are you doing little brother? I’m writing to you at Lake Ronkonkoma because I seem to remember that this is about the time that you take your two weeks from the salt mines. I hope the kids are okay and of course the ball and chain. I’m only kidding, Susan. You must have that damn palace just about paid off by now. What about your plans about living there all year round? I guess it’s not so cheap to put in a cellar. And in times like these, oh boy.

I’m writing by the way, to thank you for finding out about this place for me at the office. It is, kid, just what the doctor ordered. It’s about a mile and a half or two down a dirt road to the nearest main road and about ten miles from there to Hackettstown which is the Big City around here. Netcong is the other way, maybe fifteen miles. And very quiet and cool in the evenings. Some skeeters at night but what can you expect in Jersey? At least they don’t wear shoes like people say. The people who run this place are your typical Germans, neat as a pin and run like clockwork. The meals they put on the table three times a day are enough to choke a horse. My table has five people plus yours truly and for breakfast for example there is always two platters of eggs, two dozen in all plus, ham and bacon and cereal and about ten gallons of fresh, and I mean fresh milk and coffee, not to mention bread and rolls and buns and biscuits, you name it. If you see me in the Fall and think you’re looking at another Hindenburg, I won’t be surprised, believe me.

I guess that Janet and little Tommy will be spending some time with you later in the summer after they come back from my dear sweet mother in law’s in Connecticut. If she starts in on me kid, do me a favor and take all her belly aching with a grain of salt, okay? Janet has a tendency to paint me all black and what really gets me is, she does it in front of the kid. Maybe you can get Susan to ask her to take it easy on me for Tommy’s sake. But for God’s sake don’t tell Janet you heard a peep from me about this because she’ll do the exact opposite as sure as hell. God only knows what she’s been feeding the kid about me but it gets my goat to be the villain of the piece. I know I have to bear a lot of the blame for this mess but it takes two to make a marriage, am I right! Gee how I envy you, kid. Susan is some peach.

Speaking of peaches, there is a gal up here who is in the same boat as me, divorced, maybe about 34, 35 and she is quite a looker. She’s got a boy about Tommy’s age and a nice kid too. She has her father with her too. A widower and the old geezer can’t stand me. But Marie, which is her name, likes me a lot and we get along fine. Don’t get any ideas that romance is on my mind. Once burned twice shy. It’s just nice that there is somebody my own age here and we can have some good clean fun and a few laughs. The old man and I play a lot of croquet and kid, is the old fart good? Oh brother. If I beat him once in a blue moon he gets so sore that he snaps at everybody the rest of the day.

Alright, I’m stopping here before I write a book. Give my love to Susan and tell her that I said you better be good to her because she is pure gold. And love to the kids too,

Tom

P.S. Don’t forget what I said about Janet and her tales. By the way, you wanted to know the name of the lake up here. Budd Lake is its name.