Working away

January 22nd 1973…
I was back at work in Warrington for the second week of my temporary transfer. I was in a much happier frame of mind about Iris. At last, she had given me some indication that she had missed me the previous week and the fact that she’d finally broken all ties with her ex was heartening indeed.
I had taken my personal secretary with me to Warrington this week, as I needed someone I was used to working with. She was a very good secretary, divorced, quite attractive, with a bubbly personality. She had been with me for about four years. We had very little to do in the evenings and we went out for a meal and a drink most nights. I had confided in her about Iris some time ago and she was eager to be told the “State of play,” as she called it. I found that by talking about her and telling her of my ups and downs of the situation, helped me to make it easier to be apart.
Andrea, that was her name, had looked after me like a mother hen from her first day as my personal sec. and she knew me better than most people. There was nothing between us, however, although I used to take her to dinner or to a club occasionally. I asked her one evening if she thought I was wasting my time with Iris. She told me that on the face of it, I most probably was but said that women are fickle beings and quite often do the unexpected. She asked me if I had told her how I felt and I said I hadn’t, I didn’t want to scare her away. She suggested that when we were back home, I should introduce Iris to one or two colleagues from work one evening. Andrea said that she would have a discreet word to find out if she was really interested in me. I wasn’t too keen on this idea but Andrea overruled me and persuaded me to go along with it. I showed her the poem and she said that it was a very touching gesture. She went on to say that if Iris didn’t like it, there was no point in pursuing her. Short and to the point; that was Andrea!
I wouldn’t be seeing Iris until the end of that week.

Things are moving quite rapidly on the research I have been working on. I got a letter in the mail this morning informing me that the documents I had requested were now to hand and would be made available to me. I spoke to the friend about the information I had received recently and she took it very well. I was so afraid that it may have upset her but I was assured that it didn’t. I hope that the final piece in the jigsaw will be in place very soon now.