At the memorial, when I spoke about how David and I met, I mentioned that David wrote an e-mail to my boss at the time, asking if he would allow thanking him for allowing me to work out of Pennsylvania. [Edit: I realised by this e-mail it was approved; this was essentially the follow-up note.]
From: David Fielding
Date: October 18, 2004 8:55:08 AM EDT
To: [my boss]
Subject: Hello, and thank youDear Sir,
I am writing to inform you that I have fallen in love with one of your employees…
And to thank you, on her behalf and mine, for letting her work remotely from Pennsylvania for a while. Gail speaks very highly of you; and I can tell that she is very devoted to her job, and to you. I look forward to meeting you myself to thank you in person.
This means a lot to us. Gail and I feel very strongly about one another, and our main hardship to overcome is distance. This arrangement will allow us to do that, and let our relationship grow. I will, of course, do everything I can to equip a home office so that Gail can work effectively from here. And no less than that, I will look after all her needs, and take good care of her.
Let me know if you have any questions, or if there is anything else I can do for you.
Warm regards,
David Fielding
No-one could have predicted how precious little time David and I had; we were also separated by 4,000kms. I’m grateful to our employers for being understanding of our situation — both made concessions to allow us to be together. I’ll never forget that.