Worse than I thought...

My dear Nicky,

Forgive me for not writing last night, so soon after I had said I would begin again, but last night I drove up to New Hampshire to check on your grandmother, and she is not doing well at I'm afraid. I was so started i fell asleep as soon as I got in bed. My mother's in the hospital and she's showing signs of dementia in addition to an appalling poor health overall. My dad is not much help either, because he's stubborn, bewildered, and nearly deaf. I miss my family so much, and I feel so terribly alone up here.

Love,
Dad