Chapter 1: Letter to my dear Eugene

Cyrenaica, Libya

February 3, 1942

My dear lady, allow me to declare the following lines to you:

In the middle of this battlefield, in the solitude that overwhelms me, I see how many of my companions are wounded and how others will not return home.

My beloved lady, I beg you very fervently to please forgive my negligence in not saying goodbye to you, I suppose I lacked the strength to do it for the same love that I have for you. Many times, I was in front of your window to contemplate your image through the veils, wanting to hug you and fill you with kisses.Please don't say anything, I just want you to listen to me; I love her… I love her with all the madness that a young heart can possess. And I am grateful to her for her simplicity and humility.

In love with his words as well as his big honey-coloured eyes, and her long, red hair that reminds me of the sun falling in a sunset. At night my love, I dream of having you in my arms, kissing you until dawn comes, without witnesses, only the night from that month of April, under the shelter of that cottage, in the light of the lantern. Contemplating your silhouette, a more than perfect image, just for me.

Oh, my lady! How much I would like this dream to be possible. And now that I am about to fight, I want my words to be for you, my great love.

With love, Patrick