January, 1960

Dear Joe,

Good to hear from you again. Germany-it sounds great, what with all the frauleins. One thing, I'll bet you won't win any chug-a-lug con- tests with the Krauts, huh?

Things are pretty good here, now. I quit the firm I was working for and I'm free lancing now. I have several small clients, but most of my work is for Clair. I mean, if she wants to pay me accountant's fees for clerical work, who am I to kick? Plus my hours are better and the money is real green. Of course, I've been currying favor with the boss. She's a lot of fun, Joe-probably the most fun person I've ever been around. I'll be honest-part of the attraction is the money angle—I mean, she has this car, plus a boat and a big house on about five acres overlooking the lake here, so-well, we enjoy ourselves you might say. And she's not that old, Joe—I mean she's maybe sis-seven years older than me quite a bit different from the younger girls. You know—she knows what she wants and she knows how to get it. So I guess a lot of my job is seeing she gets it. Right? Oh-I know what some people might say, Joe, but look at it from my angle. I mean, for God's sake— I never had much of my own anyway, you know, with my old man running off and my mother dying before I was out of high school. And I never did learn how to act with all those damned girls. The young ones. You know that quotation I used to keep framed over my desk- from The Black Rose? "I prefer the partnership of maturity to the vexatious mewlings of virginity." Well-there's a lot to be said for that!

So call me a gigolo if you want, but there it is, Bob. Anyway, I'm more an escort and high class errand boy for her than anything else, so I figure I'm really earning what she gives me.

Say do you think you might get back to the U.S. sometime in the near future? We could sorta get together and hash over the old times. Maybe I can buy back some of the beer you used to buy for me.

Well, like they say, auf wiedersehen.

Jack

P.S. Enclosed is a picture of me and Clair-not bad is she?