όψεις και απόψεις στις Σπέτσες

Γράμματα της Doris, ανάμεσα Λίβανο και Αλεξάνδρεια / Lettres de Doris, entre le Liban et Alexandrie / Letters from Doris, between Lebanon and Alexandria

a) Doris / Dhour El Choueir 26.8.1964
Dear Aline,
I hope you realize how much energy it’s taking me to write to you this letter. My tummy has grown considerably, I shall have my baby in 50 days. I count the days which now seem to me endless especially that I don’t go out much except for short walks and occasional car drives.

It is with great difficulty that I can bend to pick up something from the floor so you can imagine the trouble it is taking me now to bend on this table and write to you while the baby does not stop kicking.

So I hope you shan’t get too angry if my letter ends abruptly. I hope you shall answer soon and tell me if you are coming.
Lots of love
Doris

b) Doris / 24.1.1964
Dear Aline and Peter
It was in October that I got to know you two were married but only yesterday did I find out that D.Day was in September.

Aline, you big fat bum, you’ve been married all that time and left me without news except for your monosyllabic cards. Honestly you’re unforgivable. It must be Peter’s fault who’s taking up all your time and keeping you from writing.

So Aline dearie, you’d better hurry and answer all my questions so I can be up to date once more:
What are you studying?
What’s Peter doing?
How did you break the news to your parents?
Will you always live in Paris?
How do you manage your house-keeping?
Is it true that you cook well?
And finally very indiscreetly: is there a baby on the way?

Bye bye for now hope to read you soon.
Kisses
Doris, Claudine, André

c) Doris / Beirut 17.9.1964
Chère Aline,
Enfin, j’ai une petite demie heure à moi et je peux poser mon derrière sur une chaise et bavarder avec toi un peu.

Ta longue lettre m’a fait très grand plaisir surtout que ce n’est pas dans tes habitudes d’écrire tellement. Je vois que Peter t’a appris de bonnes manières et j’espère que tu le feras souvent.

Je suis maintenant de retour de la montagne où j’avais pris un congé et un repos complet des responsabilités de ma grande maison. But ever since I’ve been back (almost 10 days) I can say I’ve had very little time for myself. The work goes on and on and never seems to end.

Next week Nana will one her way to Greece and she told me her boat stopped in Beirut. I don’t know if she’ll spend a few days here and even if she does I don’t know where I’ll make her sleep (I have only 2 beds in my big fat house).

Three pages is all the time I can allow myself to write for the moment, so bye bye and write soon. Love to you and Peter.
Kisses
Doris

d) Doris / 21 April 1965
My dear Aline,
I finally went to see Vera last month. She told me she had met you lately and that you hadn’t changed at all. For me Vera is still the same except that she has put on a few kilos, maybe it is due to her pregnancy. Her husband too is a nice chap as far as I could see in half an hour.

I wanted to know from her if Peter had changed but she hadn’t seen him. Why don’t you tell me about your husband? Has marriage changed him or is he still the nice chap I used to see in Montaza? As for you, I take Vera’s word that you’re still the same but there’s something I want to know. Did you finally wear stockings?

As for Claudine she is becoming very amusing. She spend her time hiding from me all day and it’s lots of fun when she talks because she very rarely manages to pronounce the word correctly. For chocolate she says coka and Doris is Sadis.

You can’t imagine how much I want you and Nana to see her at least in order to appreciate the things I can do.
Kisses
Doris

e) Doris / Mercredi le 12 Mai 1965
Très chère Aline,

Ta lettre m’a beaucoup amusée et je comptais t’écrire le jour même que je l’ai reçu mais qu’est-ce que tu veux ma chère, quand on est aussi paresseuse que moi !

La nouvelle de l’accouchement de Vivi Charki m’a fait grand plaisir. L’enfant est né au 8ème ou bien je calcule mal… et puis le nom est très original ce Nepomük. De toutes façons je ne la féliciterai pas jusqu’à ce qu’elle me l’annonce elle-même.

Vera’s tummy is increasing à vue d’œil and she has put on some 5 kilos. Her mother is here but will be leaving to Canada very soon to be back for the accouchement. I think in October. If it’s a boy they’ll call him Sleiman (horrible name) after his grand-father.

Mon nouveau hobby c’est les plantes. Et je passe mon temps à les examiner pour voir de combien de millimètres les nouvelles feuilles grandissent. J’en ai quelques-unes à l’intérieur et une quinzaine au balcon. André est jaloux il trouve que je m’occupe plus de mes plantes que de lui. Don’t ask me for the name of each plant ‘cause all I know are very few and what’s more important is that they look nice and I like looking at them.
Il y a 2 livres concernant les plantes que je voudrais que tu m’achètes. C’est des livres de la collection « Mes amies les fleurs qui s’appelle « Mes plantes d’appartement » et « Maison et balcons fleuris ». Ces livres tu les trouveras à la « librairie de l’académie d’agriculture 26 rue Jacob, Paris 6^e. Cela ne doit pas être très loin de chez toi, j’espère.

Hope we’ll be seeing you this summer. Read you soon.
Kisses
Doris

f) Doris / 6.3.1967
My dear Aline,

This must be the third time I have started a letter to you and everytime I do not know where I’ve put the first page because I have never had time to go any further. Tonight I hope to make the effort and put an end to this burden! On the contrary it is a pleasure to write to you my dear. You’re the only one who has written to me for ages.

It must be 10 p.m by now rather late for me to be starting a letter. I should be very quick in order to get some sleep. I never know how much I am going to sleep since I have had my baby.

When will you decide to have a baby, I think it’s high time. Ça suffit de faire les paresseux toi et Peter. Vous avez eu 3 bonnes années (ou plus déjà) pour vous.  Qu’est-ce qu’il devient ton monsieur Caritato tu ne dis rien de lui dans ta lettre. Où est-ce qu’il travaille ?

This summer I hope to spend a few days in Athens. Will you be there? I’m looking forward to this trip ‘cause I know it will be lots of fun especially seeing all people from Alexandria again. Kisses
Doris

g) Doris / Wednesday 17 May 1963
My dear Aline,
Ever since I came back I have been very busy receiving people continually and putting things right again.

You must believe me today is my first opportunity to write and thank you for the hospitality and kindness you both showed to me and André during our short stay in Athens. I think seeing you all again was the best part of all my holiday. It is a pity though it was so quick and short. Maalesh, l’essentiel c’est qu’on s’est bien amusé.

It’s your turn now to come over. I hope you’ll keep your promise and come very soon. Peter I count on you to get rid of her as soon as possible. You don’t have to worry, I’ll take good care of her!

I would have wanted to write longer but c’est du luxe avec Michèle qui pleurniche et Claudine qui a envie de prendre mon bic.

Merci encore mes chers amis et à très bientôt
Baisers
Doris

h) Doris / 26th June 1967
Dear Aline and Peter

I do hope you have already received my message from Despina and Nana to thank you for the gums. Each time I eat one I think of you. Thanks they are really delicious. In return I meant to send you with Despina some pistache but with the past circumstances, the couvre-feu and all, especially that she left so suddenly that it was not very easy. You’ll carry them along when you come.

Aline, many happy returns of the day; you are getting old. How much are they 24 or 25 candles that you are supposed to blow off? And Peter bonne fête to you for the 29th: I hope that you will spend together a good feast and birthday.

By the time you will receive my letter I hope Aline (as you had promised at the airport) that you will be packing and on your way to Beirut before going to Alexandria. Je t’attends avec impatience il y a plein à se raconter, les 2 jours que j’ai passé à Athènes ne m’ont pas suffit pour parler pour les 7 ans passées.

Peter I count on you. Cable to André Kosremelli Bijoutiers Beirut for date and time of arrival.

Hoping to see you very very soon
Regards and kisses.
Doris

Τώρα έχεις δύο επιλογές:
α) Προχωράς στα επόμενα:
<<7h. Οι ασχολίες της Αλίν / Aline’s activities / Les activites d’Aline>>
β) Επιστρέφεις από εκεί που ήρθες:
<<7g. Κείμενα της Αλίν και αλληλογραφία / Aline’s texts and correspondence / Écrits et correspondance d’ Aline>>