[If you haven’t yet read The Letter, parts one and two, please do so first. This post won’t make any sense otherwise]
Margaretha wrote back this afternoon. I think it is time to take a backseat and let the story tell itself…
After our conversation my son absolutely wanted to have a look at the letter so we checked it out yesterday already. Today at work I told several colleagues and also my daughter. Everyone thinks it’s a great story and wants to hear more.
I grew up in Halmstad and had just graduated from high school in 1970, after which I found work at the Swedish Central bank in Stockholm. In the spring of 1970 I was going out with Bengt, who that year began his military service at P2, which was an armoured regiment in Hässleholm. Bengt came to visit me in Stockholm, but I had made new friends and so I broke up with him when he visited. I met Bengt one more time during the Christmas holidays that year, but since then we have not been in touch.
I don’t remember the letter, but it is correctly addressed to me so I could well have had it. In the autumn of that year I moved to Vasastan. The theory about the bookmark may well be right, but I do not remember the letter, alas.
In 1976 I married Rolf, with whom I have two children — Monika, who is 22 and studying to become a journalist, and Olof, 18 and in high school. We have lived most in Stockholm, but also some time in Luxembourg and Gothenburg. I work as an economist at a waste management firm called S—.Efter ditt samtal igår ville absolut min son titta på brevet så vi gick in redan igår. Idag har jag berättat om det för flera arbetskamrater och även för min dotter. Alla tycker det är en fantastisk historia och vill gärna höra mer.
Jag växte upp i Halmstad och hade tagit studenten 1970, därefter fick jag arbete på Sveriges Riksbank i Stockholm. Under våren-70 hade jag sällskap med Bengt som det året påbörjade sin militärtjänstgöring på P2 som var ett pansarförband i Hässleholm. Bengt besökte mig i Stockholm, men jag hade fått nya vänner och hade väldigt roligt så jag gjorde slut med Bengt vid hans besök. Jag träffade Bengt ytterligare en gång under julhelgen det året, men sedan har vi inte haft någon kontakt.
Jag minns inte brevet, men det var rätt adresserat så jag kan ha haft det. På hösten det året flyttade jag till Vasastan.
Teorin om bokmärke kan stämma men jag minns inte brevet, tyvärr.
1976 gifte jag mig med Rolf som jag fått två barn med Monika som är 22 år och utbildar sig till journalist och Olof som är 18 år och går på gymnasiet. Vi har bott mest i Stockholm, men även en tid i Luxemburg och i Göteborg. Jag arbetar som ekonom i ett företag i sopbranschen som heter S—.
Margareta, who signs her name without an h, goes on to mention that she’s found a Bengt M— (the letter didn’t contain his last name) living outside of Halmstad. And shall we contact him?
This story isn’t over yet, in other words.
This is really coming along nicely – great story! I’m on tenterhooks for the next instalment…
Wow! What a story! 🙂
stef(f)an(ie), you again, huh? i thought we’d dealt with that particular issue once and for all.
your story is already interesting enough so you don’t have to comment on it yourself. are you king (or “queen”) self-publicist or what?!
WONDERFUL! Im so delighted! This story made my day today. Internet is just great. And handwritten old loveletters too. When my grandmom died we found a whole suitcase whith letters from my granddad from the ww2. We havent read them – i dont know if sholud have minded but it doesnt feel right just now. They are well kept though.
Wow, folk tror fortfarande att Stefan och Steffanie är samma person… 🙂
Stefan –may no one say that your blogsite is a narcissistic waste of time. Or, at least, let no one say that it is completely so. Mats’ last comment almost made sense to me. I think reading your posts is improving my Swedish.
but, so how did it get to NY? Did Margaretha travel to NY? SHe doesnt mention anything about crossing the Atlantic, which makes this story even more fantastic!