Part 3: 2031-2033

— 2031 —

Hi my love,

Just a quick email to set your mind at rest, as I expect you have seen the news. I'm fine and safe. Bertram and I are staying quite far out of the city on Long Island and the hurricane only brushed past us. The windows shook a bit and there were umbrellas and sheets of corrugated iron blowing down the street, but nothing more. Manhattan and Brooklyn are by far the worst areas affected. Have you seen that picture of the Statue of Liberty, with the spike on her headpiece all bent over? It would almost be comical if the situation wasn't so dramatic. Bertram has some great pics, along with every single New Yorker with a camera, of course. Straight out a disaster movie.

Anyway, as you've probably guessed, that World Economic Forum event I was scheduled to interview at has been cancelled. But, as we're here, Fred says we should just write a piece on the hurricane instead. All flights are grounded, which means we can't get home at the moment, but also means no other journalists can get in; so it might actually be quite a unique feature we come up with.

Also, my parents said they sent a parcel to us from Barcelona last week. Has it arrived? The last one they sent never made it. I swear the international postal service is getting less and less reliable.

One more thing: I have something to tell you, something good. I would like to break tradition and hear your voice, rather than say it over email. Call me when you can?

Love,

Maria x

My gorgeous, wonderful Maria,

Wow. I'm still in shock! I know I wasn't very coherent on the phone, so let me put what I want to say here too, hopefully in better English.

I'm thrilled, I'm over the moon. I just know you will be the most excellent mother, and I hope I will make a passable father too. I'm so looking forward to our future together, to having a proper family, to decades and decades of love and happiness. I'm so glad I have you, and can't wait to welcome our new addition.

Everything else seems trivial now, but I will give you my news too as promised. The parcel arrived just fine. It's a load of your childhood diaries, from way back when you lived in Madrid. And don't worry, I haven't pried – not that I could if I wanted to, given they're all in Spanish! I would love to visit your childhood home someday soon.

I'll wait till you're home before breaking the big news to the Croydon crew. I just know they'll be thrilled. I might tell my parents, though, if that’s alright with you. I'm visiting their new flat in Reading soon. I'm so excited!!

So much love,

Jonah xxx

— 2032 —

Hey love,

Hope you're enjoying Bristol. Are they giving you time to explore the city, or are you just stuck in meetings all day? The forecast there is very rainy – have you seen any sun?

All is fine here at home. Bella has finally started sleeping through the night, so I'm feeling less exhausted than I was when you left. Mothy, however, is driving me mad. She's taken to peeing in corners all over the house. Do you think it's a territorial thing? Maybe she feels threatened by the baby?

All the crew have been drifting in and out, keeping me company while you're away, so I haven't been lonely at all. Even Bertram dropped by the other day, with his camera round his neck as usual. I think he feels naked without it! He took some beautiful pictures of Bella; I have attached some for you to look at. He and Joanna have just left for Kashmir to report on the war there, then trekking overground down to Kerala to investigate the famine. Seems the whole of India is really suffering at the moment, one way or another. Part of me wishes I was there, but then another part of me feels I have seen so much suffering recently, maybe a break from it all is good for me. Just having Bella here is enough to make all my decisions seem worth it.

I also went on a walk through the park with Abby yesterday. She is having a tough time, very depressed, but her new medication is helping. I know she had only been dating that guy for a few months, but he obviously left a deep impression. I never liked him that much.

Nothing much else interesting to report. Bella's smiles are getting more and more frequent. I know every parent thinks their baby is the best, but ours really is just about perfect, don't you think? Even scientists would agree, surely.

It's strange emailing from the other side, with you out and about, and me stuck at home. It makes me want to hear your news even more!

Love,

Maria x

My lovely Maria,

Isn't it funny, us swapped round for a little while! Although Bristol isn't exactly as exotic as most of the places you end up. I have no doubt that Bella is, objectively speaking, the best baby in the world. It must be something to do with her wonderful mother.

I don't have much insight about Mothy, I'm afraid, although a quick Google suggests you might be right about the territoriality thing. Maybe ask the vet? You can get special scents that calm them down, I think. Maybe that would help.

Do send my love to Abby. She hasn't had much luck recently. Maybe invite her round for a movie night or something? She likes those artsy French films from the 2010s.

Bristol is, as you predict, extremely rainy. The drains barely seem to cope. Did you hear the airport here shut down for good recently? All those taxes Ms Marchbank's government has put on the airline companies must have finally done them in. Apparently Luton Airport is next – that's where Roy from uni works, do you remember him? Strange bloke.

Despite that, Asaf and I are managing to have a good time here. The meetings have all gone as expected, and we have found some interesting things to do in the evenings. Asaf doesn't drink, of course, but actually that means I've broadened my horizons a bit. Yesterday we went to the opera, can you believe! I didn't understand any of it, but I was impressed by the high notes nonetheless. That makes me a man of culture, right?

I might have to stay here a little longer than planned, actually. The rain has flooded a rail tunnel in Gloucestershire somewhere, so trains aren't running at all. Plus the A5 is waterlogged too, so as far as I can tell the only way back to London is some convoluted route up through Oxfordshire. There are a few coaches running, but the prices are ridiculous and the journey would take most of a day. Might just hang tight till it all gets sorted out!

Bertram's pictures are perfect. So lovely to hear Bella is doing great. I miss her so much (and you too, of course), even though I've barely been away a week. Send more pictures?

With all my love from the West Country,

Jonah x

— 2033 —

Hi love,

Brussels is mad! You've probably seen it on the news. I barely got into the European Commission building unscathed. I feel like my journalist pass is more valuable than my passport here. I at least feel physically safe surrounded by politicians and bureaucrats, even if their conversations are terrifying.

Yesterday I was spat at by some thugs on the street. They heard me speaking Spanish to my parents on the phone. We are so isolated from that sort of thing in London. It's years since I have had a full-on racist encounter, not since Brexit. Bertram was all for starting a fight with them, but I pulled him away. In light of the incident, Fred is sending Michael out too, for extra support – my two 'protectors'! Ridiculous, I know.

Anyway, now the EU is falling apart, emotions are running high. There are pro- and anti-EU 'camps' all across the city, some of them with barricades built out of chairs and traffic cones and other random things. There has been violence too, and the leaders aren't helping. The new French President is just fuelling the fire, at loggerheads with the German Chancellor. In honesty, it feels like a relief that the UK dealt with this back in 2020, although I feel this might never have happened without Brexit to start things off.

The article is writing itself, anyhow. I have talked with MEPs, bureaucrats and leaders of both the campaign groups. I am trying to write a balanced article, but to be honest almost every political decision seems to be taking place on emotion alone. The 'serious' things, like the economy, and environmental defence, are scarcely talked about. But there are plenty of personal stories that are very gripping, and probably make for a more compelling article anyway.

By the way, did you know Bertram and Joanna have been engaged for two months?? He broke the news to me only yesterday! Honestly, you would think he would tell me things sooner, considering how much we have travelled together, but he's always been a closed book! I'm very happy for them. They are so well suited to each other.

How is Bella doing? Has she learnt any more new words? I got your voice note from her, it made my heart melt! Tell her I love her lots and lots. And how is your father doing, too? I'm thinking of him, and your mother. It must be a difficult time.

Love,

Maria x

My gorgeous Maria,

Stay safe! It doesn't sound like a friendly place there at all at the moment. I can't help but worry what will become of Europe next. It sounds so silly, but do you think we need to worry about getting invaded? It doesn't seem like diplomacy counts for much anymore.

Even though the whole thing is theoretically nothing to do with us, that hasn't stopped Ms Marchbank peddling her own views everywhere. There are plenty of Union Jacks around, even here in London. Asaf got shouted at in a pub the other day – told to 'go back to where he came from'. (Which is Islington, by the way!)

Bella is doing just fine, and is expanding her vocabulary daily. We found a book of African animals the other day, so she now knows 'lion', 'elephant', even 'wildebeest', which I thought was pretty impressive. I was thinking we should take her to the zoo, soon. Whipsnade still has rhinos, some of the last in the world – worth a visit?

Dad is doing okay. The chemo is really taking it out of him, and is making a huge dent in his pension too – and to think it would have been free only a few years ago. Mum is doing her best to support him, but her hip has started giving her real trouble recently. I suggested they get a carer to drop by every week or so, but you can imagine how that went down. If only the spare room here wasn't up two flights of stairs, I would suggest they move in for a while. I'll pay them a visit once you're back.

Some other bad news too, I'm afraid. Mothy is barely eating and isn't herself at all. I took her to the vets and they say it's age-related kidney failure. She's got some medication but it only improves her prospects by a few months, so we might be saying goodbye quite soon. Call me if you want to talk about it?

All my love,

Jonah x