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LETTER 3: APRIL 27, 1963, TEXAS. Hello dear aunt Valya and uncle Ilya: It was a while ago that I got your letter and I was glad to receive it. But I got held up replying because of all sorts of domestic concerns. Forgive me. Right now I am living with our little daughter at our acquaintances in Irving, near Dallas. Alek has gone away to New Orleans. This is because he has no work, and there seem to be no prospects here. So we have decided to move over closer to the sea. Maybe he will be luckier in his birth place. We have money for about two months so all this is not terrible so far. In that time something should be found. Alka took all the things with him so it will be easier for me and Marinka to leave here on the bus. It is ten hours away. Probably we, that is, I and Marinka, Ruth, and the children will go by car. Ruth is great. She is an American woman. She is studying Russian at the university and is very glad I am living with her and able to help her learn Russian better. She divorced her husband and lives with her children but she is lonely alone at home. The husband comes twice a week to see the children. They in fact just do not live together, but officially they are not divorced. He finances the house where she lives and pays the bills. He is also happy that Ruth is not as lonely with me. We are thinking to go to New Orleans in a while. She was never there and would like to take a vacation. Alka left just two days ago. There is no letter yet, but he will write right away how it is there. We may leave soon so write to us at our Dallas postal box — the letter will be forwarded on. I do not know what our postal box number will be in New Orleans. Box 2915, Dallas, Texas, USA. Everything is fine. Our daughter is growing up healthy and she is a good girl. We and Alka love her very much and Alka looks after her. If she starts crying… you know, he is crazy. He gives you and uncle Ilya his regards and told me to write you after he leaves and I have more time. The weather is very good. There are rains and it is not too hot. I have been wearing little shorts and we all had time to get tanned. But it will be a little lonely here when Ruth leaves with her children for three days for the holidays in San Antonio. And Alka will not be here. I will watch television. Just the other day there was a broadcast from London of Princess Alexandra’s wedding. It was very festive and beautiful. It was held in a big ancient cathedral and the ceremony was very traditional. It was so interesting — I got goose-bumps. I am beginning to speak English a little and Ruth helps me too. I understand a lot but still need to systematically study. Which is what I do. We at last got Ogonek and Soviet Belorussia so we know what is happening in Minsk and everything in the Union. I have Russian books. Alka buys them for me in New York. That is, they send them from there: Tolstoy, Chekhov, Pushkin. When we have more dough we will see; I will buy some more. I do not have complete collections. Recently it was Easter and we went to a lake and Alka caught two big fish. They were 450 grams. On an ordinary hook. There were many vacationers and fishermen too. Everybody rushed with their rods to that spot but no more big fish were caught. Alka laughed that their fishing rods were twenty-thirty dollars kind, not like ours that cost 15 cents. We will be catching crabs and good fish in New Orleans. It is a port there. What will happen next I will write, but in the meantime I send you best wishes and to our acquaintances — especially the Andrianovs. Luda must be finishing — I wonder where they will send her. How are things? No answers from work. Innesa has been silent. She must be busy. I do not know who was born to Oleg. On this I end. I kiss and embrace you, Marina |
Marina Oswald and June, Dallas, January 1963.Photo by Lee Harvey Oswald. The format appears tobe similar to that of the notorious “backyard” photos of Oswald with a rifle. Lee sent this photo tohis friend Pavel in Minsk in 1963. Photo courtesy of Pavel Golovachev, Minsk, Belorussia. |
