Dear George,

My name is Lora and I seen this coming.

You found me in the Cafe in the train station, I been staying up Nevis with some friends, but they sickened and went home, and I not known what I do. I thinking you have a nice face, and you talking about all those walks, and hills, and lakes, and animals and birds. And I a strong girl from Catalonia, and don’t worry about hills, and strange men.

You try hard to tell me not come, but I come, and we have nice walk together, and I slow you down a lot, but you are good at making camp, and we camp on top of small hill, and we see the stars and the stag, and big bird. I want to walk with you everywhere, and always, and learn you little secrets, and you is “gentleman”, and is so clever, and you nice to me, and laugh when I say silly things, and you is patient, and you not get sick, but go and get me lady things when I need, and I stay at old empty house, and watch the lake, and the fish, and the birds, and the wild sheep, and the dier. But the glen so quiet, and no people come all day, and I wait long, but you come back. We stay the next day too, and eat the good sausage you bring, and we go for small walk, up the hill behind the house. And we sit there long in the evening, and we come down late as it gets dark, and then I swim in the lake and you make good fire, and you tell me fire is special, and we not have fire every day. And I like being with you, and understand, I need to worry about me, not you, because I seen this coming, but I tell myself I is strong Catalan woman, and I is not a kid, and anyway you quite ugly and I try and …..

You know all this, but I like saying it, you don’t mind me saying it, I think you like me saying it, in private. And you tell me you not seen your wife for two years, and you argue too badly with her, and you still love her, but she not love you, and you is a gentleman, and you kick me out of bed, but you not hurt me.

But you did hurt me, but I seen this coming, and I is strong Catalan girl, and I walk long walk with you, and we stay friends, and I want to always be you friend, but I know it be difficult for you.

We get, got, you see, I learn better English, I speek the Queens English ( :

We got a lift, in the back of that funny old lorry, and we both have to hold on to the cab, but you hold on with one hand, and the other hand for me, and I is so happy, and I can wait how long it takes, but for now, I is your walking friend. And then we went to the old house by the sea, where we can see islands and the bridge, and the kayak people is there, and you put up you big tent for me, and you sleep outside, and we stay there for three days, because you bring too much food, and we swim, and we walk, and we talk to all the people who comes, and I is learning to speek English like the Queen, but I still makes mistakes, beacause I likes you to laugh, because you is not so ugly when you laughs.

And you tell me about the history there and it is so sad, and so changed, and the sheep is there, but no one cares for the sheep, and we not stay in the old house, but we go in to drink and sing songs, with the kayak people, and the old people, and the young people, and you is not so ugly when you sing songs, and you sing good songs, and you not need to write them down.

Then it was Sunday, You see, I is speeking English like the Queen, can we have a corgi for us tea?

Then it was Sunday, and you has to go back for appointment on Tuesday, and I has forgotten I has nowhere to go, but I not tell you that. I tell you I going to catch airplane on Wednesday, but I stay with you at Fort Billy Station till the train goes on Monday evening, why it go so early, you call it night train but in Catalonia we have bigger night train and it go at night.

I tell you I go to pub but I not go to pub because I is crying too much but it makes no sense, because I is big strong Catalan and you is stupid ugly Inglés. And you not love me, and I not love you, but I cry so I has to go back to hostel in Nevis. And then I cry and cry and cry, till a nice girl give me money for bus to Barcelona, and I have no address for you, but email, and you not answer, because you not love me, but maybe you do love me but it is difficult for you.

You not have to write to me, I write again, and again, and if you not tell me stop, I keep writing till I die off grief.

Because I is big strong Catalan girl, and I speek the queens English, and I seen this coming, and I wait here in Barcelona, till you come look for me, and we walk together to Santiago, and then to Rome, and then to Mecca because I is strong, and you likes walking, and I think you loves me.

Atentamente, Lora.