I'll Be There by Iris Rainer Dart Page A

of my thoughts about your future with Nina, and that brings home the very painful point that you in fact will be having a future with her, and I will not. Nevertheless, it’s becoming increasingly clear that my rapidly declining physical health will soon prohibit my getting a letter of this sort off to you at all, and it’s crucial to me that you understand what it is I am about to set down here.
    Essentially what I want to write to you, and had the situation been otherwise would have preferred to say in person, has to do with what I will call her care and feeding after I’m gone.
    To begin with, let me say that from the very first day of her somewhat unorthodox life Nina has been the dearest and best girl in the world. Yes, she is willful at times and bossy too, but I think that comes mostly as a result of being the fatherless daughter of a living father who, though he admits that she exists by sending money, continues to refuse to see her. That has never been easy for her and I’m sure it never will be. That said, I have to tell you I am terrified that her further rage at my death will tear the goodness from her. And that’s why, even though I know you will do everything you can to take splendid physical care of her, educating her per my lawyers, etc., there is so much more that she will need in order to survive.
    Oh, Aunt Neet, what I’m trying to say is please, please, please, love her.t Try to look beyond her very proper little person facade and you won’t be able to resist loving her. See the funny spark in her. appreciate her wonderful mind and indulge her wild imaginings. And as many times as you can find a moment, promise me without a doubt that you will take her in your arms and hug her long and hard. Let her feel grownup arms around her, reassuring her that even though it seems as though events have conspired against her, she really is loved and special, and maybe that will serve to give her hope that down the line she will be able to find some happiness of her own.
    I don’t care ifhergrades in school are not the highest in the class. I don’t care if her room is perfectly neat, though I realize I can’t dictate the rules for your home. I don’t even care if she’s sometimes irreverent and more outlandish than I
     
    I’LL BE THERE
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    ever was. (Which heaven knows, wouldn’t take much, after old Straight Arrow’s life. The only unusual thing I ever did was to raise her alone, and I thank God for that decision every day.)
    Thank you, Aunt Neetie. My memories of the times I spent with you during y childhood are many and precious to me. You were my mother’s dearest sister, and she would approve of my leaving Nina in your care. The truth is, you are my only real family, and I am grateful that you have agreed to shoulder the enormous burden of raising my girl… y dear dear girl.
    Know that I will be looking on from wherever my spirit lights, smiling with gratitude on both you and Uncle Herb.
    Roberta
     
    4O
     
    IRIS RAINER DART
     
    Dear Aunt Neetie:
     
    I have only known you as Aunt Neetie, so I hope it’s okay if I call you that.
    I’m sending this to say thank you a lot for the copy of Bertie’ s letter to you. I knew about the letter but in the middle of all the stuff that’s been going on here, I guess I forgot about it. What I’m trying to say is that if you look closely at the original, you’ll understand that the reason I already knew about the letter is because the person with the lousy handwriting wasn’t Bertie, it was me. She dictated it to me one day when I first started caring for her during her illness, and she was feeling too bad to write it herself.
    The one thing I want you to know for sure is that she was not in any way out of her mind when she wrote it, or when she agreed to let me have Nina instead of sending her to you.
    I’m knocking myself out to try and carry out Bert’s wishes for Nina. And I promise I’ll tell the kid to write you more often.
    Cee