Michael Billings Collection - Wallet 14 - Part 6 of 13

2.

in you and I do so want to find you my sweet bundle full of life and fun
for I reckon both of us are in dire need of a goodly helping of those 
dishes. For myself,well,I'm afraid you won't rave over me for a few days
for the tropics drain the vitality and energy out of you after a while but
don't be alarmed, a change in the surroundings you so attractively paint will
revitalise me in a jiffy. You see, down there are all the things that go to make
life really worth while living and that's precisely what's lacking in these
parts. Now that the end is in sight, too right the days begin to drag but once
you get a start, I believe there are no holdups en route, they shoot you through
quick smart and you may depend upon it, I won't be staying a minute longer
than I can help here or anywhere else for I'm like you - xxx  separation after
a while is torture, more so now our life is enlarged by the coming of the
little morsel. I have just glanced at my snaps and boy, oh boy, I'm getting 
frantic to get my arms around you and him.

Tut, Tut, fancy you being unnerved at the prospect of
performing the culinary efforts your visitors appear to deserve. You will do
O.K. for I still recall the tasty servings of Brisbane days. It had better be
up to scratch xx for there is one person pitifully in need of some mother's
cooking. Woe betide you, wench, if I am not wined and dined in a manner befitting
an emaciated starveling from the tropics, I shall haul your frilly strides
down as a fitting penalty, in front of your son too. Nice you can recall my 
lantern jawed countenance in such detail, hope it will materialise in the
flesh in the very near future. Yours, by the way, is equally vivid to me and
what makes it all the better is the indications you speak of from time to
time of your sweet face being just like I remember. I'm no less pleased
than you are that your skin is blooming again and your pretty hair coming
back to its former beauty. Um. Um, it will be super to go to bed again with
you and play around like gossoons before that mutual attractionx brings us
breathless into each others arms.No wonder we take a poor view of being
apart for we are missing the very essence of life, the opportunity and
glory of a beautiful love. 

Well, well, how time doth fly. It behoves me know to prepare
to bash the spine    so will conclude now,previous Kay, wishing you such 
pleasant dreams, include poor Micky in a few,do. Give the bounding bundle
a vasty kiss from Dad. Seeing you get a thrill about being told that you
are the recipient of my love, I reiterate "I love you". Just the bald state-
but i assure you it conveys a might lot. 
Micky

AIR. MAIL 11.5.44
Mrs. K. Billings
X 536 Whitehorse Rd
Surrey Hills
Victoria

VX38483 Sgt. M Billings, 
District Accounts Office
New Guinea.       15.5.44.
Darling Kay,
Just received your most welcome letter of the 11th and as
luck has it, an opportunity has presented itself to dash odd a reply right
away. Fine letter too, for everything pretty well down there in the garden
seems rosy bar the stinking wood supply etc. Glad you and Richard continue
in robust vein, you certainly seem to have recovered your snap and giving
immense spurts of energy to get ready for the housewarming. Darling, the place
is beginning to sound awfully co sy and homey, it will be marvellous
to take up residence under your roof . Yep,the great days gets remorselessly
nearer but seems to crawl like a snail for a ll that.The last bit is the
worst all right but even the totrtoise got there eventually and so shall I. 
I think you are puttimng on a turn with your excessively modest mien in
regard to your culinary ability and you are really not a bit surprised that
your effort in aid of the so critical visitors turned out well. Jolly nice
of Bill to come up and do his valuable bit toward making the place more in
keeping with your desires. Most certainly a coat or two of paint make a 
vast difference to the drab spots around a house .So by all this you can 
see I am very eager to get me a possy in this 'ere house you tell of.
Its a shame about the wood   ,pet, rotten swine - I can see me and local
tradesmen getting into holts if they come and gang up on us.

I am quite intrigued about the gift you have gotten
for me, it sounds very nice but my addled wits are not acute enough just now
for me to dope out just what it is. By what I hear there will be quite a few
things I will need to hold my own against the rigors of winter so it could
be anything from a quart of rum to an eiderdown. Jolly good though, darling
I know whatever it is it will be nice and useful too. I hope my plans to
get you a decent present work out all right too.for you certainly merit
a lot more than I could get you but it will give you some idea. 

Not much news from here, just the usual routine getting
into its swing for another dreary week.Have'nt felt the best the last few
days with a cold and a cold up here is far worse than down there. Talk about
sweat, it ran out in bucketfuls for a day and left me somewhat limp and
listless. Been extremely hot too, yesterday was a scorcher but after doing
it in tropical style fair on the back all day, I ventured to the Yank show
to glance at a picture. Quite good too, introducing a new star, a luscious
blonde named Belita who performed amazing feats as a danger of swing, tap

2.
ballroom and ballet  ,both on the boards and on the ice.Top class stuff and
x no matter xx how banal the story, I always think the expertness and grace 
of a real artist well worth watching. 

So beside that piece of wild excitement, little of
moment has occurred. Feel a bit like you at present, making heavy weather
of this screed so will make it brief and await a more communicative mood.
Give the little bloke Daddy's big kiss and tell him he is a fine fellow
to grow his teeth so quickly   .For a while longer, little Mother, I must be
content to tell you in this klame fashion that I love you such a lot but
you at least will get the thread of the way I'm feeling about you,
Cheerio, sweetheart mine and more power to you,
Micky

AIR MAIL
Michael Billings
 
15.5.44
 
Mrs. M. Billings
536 Whitehouse Rd
Surry Hills. Vict. 

PR00610
Australian 
War Memorial

3 Opened by Censor

VX 38483 Sgt. M. Billings
District Accounts Office
New Guinea. 18.5.44
 
Darling Kay,
Was going to write you
last night but felt sure there
would be a letter from you today
which would improve my letter
a good deal. However, to my
chagrin  x  I drew a blank. The
last I had  from you was that
of the 11th so it seems there are
one or two en route to my imploring
hands.  There was a mail  in  today
but nowt for me as yet. Perhaps
I shall score in the morning 
delivery.
I read with a mixture of 
relish and trepidation your groans 
about the frigidity of the weather 
down there. It is the exact

2/
reverse in these parts. As hot as
I have known it and it keeps
you pretty busy at the washtub
for its a case of change daily.
Haven't been feeling the best the
past three or four days, troubled
with headaches, mostly just
over the eyes. Thought at first
twas a dose of malaria brewing
but now reckon its eyestrain.
Much better today but am fronting 
the quack in the morning to
see what's amiss. May have to get
specs for readin'  and writin'
I trust all is well 
with Richard + you and that you
find your abode even more
congenial than ever. I might tell you 
that the comeback by you both 
has helped me a lot to view my

3/
period of waiting with more
equanimity than I displayed a
few months back. I daresay though
your brightness is somewhat stimulated 
by the expectation of a slice of normal
married life shortly, particularly our
particular variety of that blissful 
state. To try and goad my people
into accelerated action I fired in an
application for early relief but have
not heard as yet how it was
received. Anyhow it will serve as
notice that I have had  a gut full
of New Guinea so maybe my name
will go up shortly. Burning to get
down to you so my importunity
may speed up the slow processes of 
authority, (perhaps). So in any 
case, those lonely evenings that
are your bane should soon be

4/
relegated to the dustbin. My thoughts
really are full of the most delightful 
things that await me whether it 
be winter or summer.  The nights
together particularly for then we 
shall be completely together and
like you, its so lonely now. Just
men and more men. I languish 
for the love and comfort that can
only be imparted by the woman
 you love. Just as well it waits 
just around the corner, its the 
nearness to realisation of an urge +
a dream pent up by the repression
of  hundreds of humdrum tedious
nights and days. So you can see 
I'm setting great score on our
approaching reunion and I have a 
hunch I shall not be disappointed.
all the above is quite apart from