The Last Letter From Your Lover

Everything's going to be fine, darling.

Madam, it's so wonderful to see you.

Welcome home from the hospital.

Jenny, this is Mrs. Cordoza.

Yes. Thank you.

I'll show you to your room, madam.

Everything is just as you like it.

I'm so happy to have you back home.

Good night, dear Jenny.

Good night, Lawrence.

Larry.

You call me Larry.

Larry.

Hey.

Hey.

Oh hey! Um...

Fancy seeing you here.

Uh...

I actually...

I have to sort of start getting ready for work, so...

I might have to ask you to, um...

- to, uh... - Um.

- If you don't mind. - This is actually my flat. So...

Oh shit. Um...

Well, in that case, at ease, monsieur.

No problemo.

Love to see you again.

As in, um...

I had a really great time last night.

Um, well, the thing is, Rob, I'm just...

My name's not Rob.

Um...

- Andrew. - Andrew.

Um...

I actually... I just sort of came out of quite a straight-up soul-destroying...

So, thank you.

- I'm just saying I can give you my number. - Or you could not.

And we could avoid the whole me feeling guilty and never calling you back.

You feeling dejected, never hearing from me again.

I feel so used.

Well, you know what, Rob? Welcome to my world.

- Name's not Rob. - Andrew.

Fuck, sorry.

Well, Andrew,

it's been very nice meeting you, and you have a lovely day.

- Ellie? - Yes.

How's it going?

Staff meeting in five.

Nick?

Nick!

I'm not talking to you, Ellie, because that only involves me losing my shit.

What did I do?

I get it. You've had a shit year, Ellie,

but it is just not cool to so flagrantly disrespect us.

- What are you talking about? - You abandoned us last night.

We heard you went off with a random guy! How do you think that'd make us feel?

- All right. I'm sorry. - And on my birthday.

I'm... I'm really sorry. Nick.

I'm serious.

Are you stressed? You seem stressed.

Mary Ellen died, and Janet wants a feature.

There are not enough hours in the day.

- When? - Sunday's edition.

No, when did she die?

- A couple of days ago. - That's so sad.

- How? - Yeah, old age.

- Yeah? - You know, I really wanna die that way.

Why don't I take this one?

I've got two hours left on this polish, and then my schedule is wide open.

Okay?

Okay. Okay.

Consider your load officially lightened, my friend.

- Morning, everyone. - Morning.

How are we all?

- Good. - Great.

- Hi. - Hi.

How you doing?

Good. Thanks.

Uh, I'm writing a feature on the paper's longest-serving women's editor.

- She just died. - Yeah? Oh no.

Yeah, no.

It's my understanding she donated

her collection of writings to the Archives.

What time was... What's your appointment, sorry?

Oh, no, sorry. I... um... I work here.

Yeah, no, the thing is you... you still need to make an appointment.

- We can't... - Even for staff?

We don't just let people into the archive.

Even though I work here.

Yeah, no, sorry. Um...

So if you... if you go online, um, you can find our online catalog

and then decide, uh, whatever it is you wanna view.

But I've done it a million times before...

Yeah, um, and then either myself or someone from the Archive team

readies your documents.

In which case, I would love to make an appointment, please.

Appointments have to be made online through our...

Seriously?

...online portal.

Online portal.

You know what?

Thanks so much for all your help today, and

I will see you again sometime soon.

I wish I could lose my memory.

I'd run off into the sunset and forget I ever married Francis in the first place.

Do you know how it happened? Where I was going?

Larry says you were out running errands.

Beyond that, I'm sorry. I don't.

- So you really don't remember anything? - I remember in gaps.

I don't know how I'm meant to behave. I don't know...

I don't know how I felt about my life.

I don't...

All right, darling. I'll fill you in.

You were lovely and funny and full of joie de vivre.

You have the perfect life, the cleverest best friend.

The rich, handsome husband who adores you.

Do you know why we don't have children?

He's away an awful lot, your husband.

It's one of the reasons I've always been horribly envious of you.

Oh, you'll be fine, darling.

In the meantime, try to have fun tonight.

Yeah.

I don't believe it!

Harold Wilson?

The Harold Wilson?

The very same.

Please tell me he took you somewhere scrumptious.

- Lockets. - Oh!

His favorite place to holiday is the Sicily Isles...

...party now has a chance of getting a larger majority.

Gentlemen, this is all well and good, but what we really want to know

is what does the prime minister like for dessert?

Darling, I think that's enough.

- But it's just my second... - Doctor's orders.

Just water.

Speaking of which, you really don't remember anything?

- Anne! - What?

How about some coffee? Anyone?

Yes, please.

Hi.

- Hi. - How you doing?

Uh-huh.

- You? - Phenomenal.

Um, everything's ready for you in the reading room.

Hmm.

Spectacular.

And sorry, we don't allow food and drink.

Oh.

Hmm.

Right this way.

So, this is everything from about '65 up until around '86, '87.

These are her actual notebooks?

Yep, they should be. Yeah.

Thanks.

Um, I just wanted to say quickly, uh, I really enjoyed your, uh, feature on

starter marriages and all the, like, online dating stuff.

- Oh yeah? - Yeah, yeah.

The bit about, you know, the difference between passionate and companionate love.

Yeah, I never really thought of it like that before.

Thanks.

It gives me a warm, gooey feeling

knowing my unadulterated misery has finally been put to good use.

So, um, how does someone like you end up making their living as an archivist?

I studied art history actually.

And went on to do a postgrad in Records Management, but...

...um, you know, at that point, I sort of realized,

um, I sort of enjoy categorizing stuff, oddly enough.

And, you know, people think it's a bit odd...

My dearest and only love,

I know you're frightened,

but believe me when I say I've known nothing like this before

and can assure that I never will again.

I know I will never be satisfied with just a part of you.

And for that reason, I'm going to take the job in New York.

I'll be on platform two, Marylebone, Friday, 7:15 p.m.

Come with me, darling. Spare him a life half-lived, a marriage of convenience.

More importantly, spare yourself.

Seize this thing that is true and real and infinite.

Yes, it is scary, but I believe living a lie is worse.

We could be happy.

So happy.

Know that you hold my heart, my hopes in your hands.

Your Boot.

...historical materials.

- I... I... I think it's actually... - Look at this!

Huh?

Um, what is it?

It's a letter.

Hmm. Jeez.

Yeah, sad thing is if you're gonna elope now, you'll probably just send a text.

WhatsApp.

Yeah, it'd be like, "Hey, babes, meet me at the station if you're interested."

#ComeWithIfYouWannaChangeYourLifeForever,

smiley face, aubergine, road sign, sausage.

The worst thing is when you can see they've read the message you've sent,

and the little blue tick appears, and...

- That's the worst. - "Hello, I sent a message five days ago."

Five hours ago!

- I mean. - Did I say days?

I think so, yeah.