Because all that stuff in your letter that you said makes you feel like you’re constantly tiptoeing across an ocean of eggshells – Lou, climate change, holes in the ozone layer, famine, school exams, wars, animal extinction, rising sea levels, plastics clogging up the oceans, but mainly Lou – I know that feeling, Wolfie. Or should I say I’ve known it, from time to time and probably not as often as I should have. Also I’d have to make a few substitutions with some of the things I worry about (amazingly, a strike at the brewery is no longer one of them), but maybe that’s the point. The truth is, there’s an infinite number of things to worry about and that’s not ever going to go away, because that’s life, and that’s just how we fallible humans are made. Come to think of it, I’ve seen the look on Gentleman’s face when the dry food bucket’s getting low so it’s probably universal.

But the important thing is that you just get out there every day among the eggshells, in spite of them. Otherwise you could spend half your life waiting around for an easy way through to appear, and I’m here to tell you there isn’t one. The only way through is through. Just get out there and dance on those eggshells, you brilliant, brilliant kid. Smash them up and make your own way, because I’ve got ya, babe.

So, the answer to your question is yes, Wolfie. A million times yes and a promise from the bottom of my heart. Everything is going to be all right. I can’t say it’s going to be easy all the time; in fact I can pretty much guarantee it won’t be. But I can tell you that whatever happens, whatever twists and turns you take, I’ll be there with you. Both of you. And even though I know damn well I’m not fit to be anyone’s hero, I promise that for all the days of my life I’m going to try and be the man you think I am.

So now (and with thanks to Google Translate) I can confidently say: con todo el amor del mundo.

With all the love in the world,

Sincerely and absolutely yours, Uncle Danny

Acknowledgements

Writing a book during a lockdown should have been easy with all that time and lack of distractions, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. But while Sincerely, Me evolved so much from the original 130,000 words I banged out during the darkest days of the pandemic, Danny and Wolfie never wavered from the story they wanted to tell. So for that, and the joy and comfort they brought me during that time, I am both amazed and grateful.

Everlasting thanks to my wonderful agent Sue Armstrong for taking such good care of me; your passion for books and reassuring voice of reason never fail to inspire me. To everyone at C+W for the hard, often unnoticed work that goes on behind the scenes, thank you – I notice.