”Hey, Luce. I, uh. I made it back. Told you I would. Got something for Duncan, too. He seems to be doing really well, so. That’s….that’s a huge relief.
”I brought…somebody back, too. Her name’s Cherry. I met her in the Commonwealth, while I was helping this other friend of mine, the one that helped me find Duncan’s medicine. She…she’s real nice. I like her a lot. She knows about you, of course, and I wanna bring her up here and introduce her and stuff. I just…wanted to talk to you by myself, first. Let you know what’s up.
“I really do like her, Lucy. She…she makes me happy, which isn’t something I’d ever expected to feel again, y’know? And then I feel guilty, because what the hell am I doing being happy while you’re…not. …wait, does ‘hell’ count? I’m saying ‘hell’ doesn’t count.
”Anyway. I don’t think you’d want that. I mean, at the very least Duncan deserves to be happy. He’s getting old enough to notice that kind of thing, picking up on how people are feeling and stuff. God, he’s so smart, Luce. I think…I think not being around me for a while helped him. Which sounds awful to say, but I…wasn’t in a good way. For a long time. Duncan didn’t deserve that part of me. I’m still not totally convinced he deserves me as a parent at all. He might deserve Cherry, though. She’s real good with him. He likes her.
”I just…I wanted you to know, that there was…someone. And maybe that’s stupid, because you’re…not here, anymore, to care about that kind of thing. But I care. I still love you so much, Luce. I always will. I just think….it needs to be a different kind of love, now. We can’t - Duncan and me, we can’t…God. F - hell. We can’t stay in that subway forever, y’know? And it took me a long time to get out of there. A real long time. Cherry….Cherry’s helping me climb out. I think you’d like her. I hope you’d like her. She’s not replacing you, or anything - God, I don’t think anyone ever could. But I think she’s good for me. I hope you think so, too.
”It’s about time to give Duncan his medicine, so…I’m gonna head down there. Maybe when he’s feeling a little better I’ll bring him up here, let him talk to you. I know you’d probably like to hear from him.
“I love you, Lucy. Talk to you soon.”