Chapter Text
'Voices from the Past' : 1 of 9
>From Robert: 'Her name is Caroline...' Spring 1961
Her name is Caroline. Caroline Pinsent. I saw her for the first time yesterday, as she walked across the road in front of the police station. She radiates loveliness in a way I cannot describe. She needs none of the fancy face-paint that is the current fashion. Some might say that she isn't even pretty. But as she walked off down the road yesterday, I could not take my eyes off her. Buck keeps joshing me about it. He thinks I don't know what a woman is. I've tried to make him understand how I feel, that I'll know the right girl when I meet her, but I truly believe it's beyond his comprehension. How could he understand when he has a woman permanently on each arm, as soon as he's off-duty. He'll learn though. When he finally finds that soon-to-be Mrs Frobisher, he's going to fall hard.
Tonight was the Annual District Dance. Caroline was there, with her father, and all the young turks from the town buzzing round her like bees to a honeypot. I've never seen a woman cope well with that sort of attention before. In my admittedly limited experience, they usually blush and try to hide, or play up to it terribly. But she stood calmly amongst the circle of admirers, and deflected the comments and questions like snow off a caribou's back. And I could swear that she was looking at me. I've never had the courage to walk right up to a woman before and ask her to dance. But I found myself standing in front of her, without realising what I was doing there,and the band was playing. It was only natural that we should dance.
She is so slender in my arms, so delicate - as if the faintest breeze would blow her away. But from the short conversation we had tonight, I can tell that she has a strength inside her that is immeasurable.
Her father has just been posted here, as the new Staff Sergeant, and her mother is dead. I didn't ask how. I have a feeling that part of her inner strength comes from her life as an RCMP child and from losing her mother. She was so calm when she mentioned it, that I believe it must have been some time ago.
When the dance was over, from somewhere I found the courage to ask if I could see her again. And she said yes - I thought I'd misheard her, so sure was I that she would want nothing to do with me.
Although I've been on the force only a few years, little fazes me nowadays. But *she* does. And I've know her less than a day. My God! What am I letting myself in for. I can see her father looking at me from across the yard. I shall have to talk to him tomorrow; ensure him of my honest intentions. I can't believe that I'm thinking like this already. It's only been one day. Calm yourself, Fraser - you can't possibly decide that fast. But when I close my eyes, I see her dark brown hair, her well-defined nose, her freckled cheeks, her beautiful blue eyes, and I know that my feelings for her will never change. I have every line of her face ingrained in my mind after only a few hours.
Gerrard would understand how I'm feeling now. I'd dearly like to talk to him about all this, but he'll be in Whitehorse for another 6 months. So I will keep my own counsel, and if I end up making a fool of myself - so be it. How does the saying go -'Nothing ventured, nothing gained.' I always thought that was somewhat trite, but in this instance it's entirely apt. I will venture my peace of mind and possible embarrassment, in order to gain Caroline. It is that simple.
I love her.
Robert Fraser loves Caroline Pinsent.
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