Somehow, it was easier after I promised Marie that I would come back and marry her. I had decided my future, and now I had to turn my attention to the present to make sure that I was going to see that future. But first there were a few things I needed to do.

I filled out the Will page in my paybook, and left everything to Marie, making sure that there was enough information to make sure that they found her. Then I sat down and wrote a letter to my parents. It wasn't easy to do, and I used up a good deal of paper. Maman being French made it easier, but I was unsure of what my father's reaction would be. I pointed out that I had matured a lot since I had left for France, that they had had no problem when I was going with Peggy, and that since Marie and I had been apart for three weeks, this was not a case of infatuation. I considered asking the Captain's special handling for this one as well, but didn't have the nerve. He had a pretty good idea of what was going on.

That done I had two tasks remaining:

To keep myself alive and whole

To find a way of avoiding being shipped back to Canada to be demobilized before I could get back to Marie.

I had a pretty good idea how to do the first, but the second was beyond me.