The
street is empty. Why is it still empty? The mail comes like clockwork, every
morning, without fail. Why does it have to be today of all days that it’s late?
I’m
wearing my best dress today; I’m not entirely sure why. Between school and work
I probably won’t have a chance to meet him for a few days. He won’t see me as I
rip open the envelope, tear the paper out and greedily absorb the name printed
on it. He won’t see me as I place the index card in the frame my parents bought
me for my birthday—the birthday where I finally find out who I’ll be spending
the rest of my life with.
But
still, there’s no harm in looking nice, right?
The
mail courier comes into sight, finally—just in time for me to meet her on my
way to school. I jump off the sofa, grab my bag with one hand and cover the
doorknob with the other as I shove my feet into my shoes. I shout a quick
goodbye over my shoulder, one that my mom most likely didn’t hear in my rush to
close the door behind me.
I
approach the courier as she’s opening our front gate, my smile wide and fingers
twitching with anticipation. She knows what I’m here for; she gives me a
knowing smile as she hands me my mail. I resist the urge to rip it open then
and there, pausing only to thank her before rushing off down the street.
I stop
at the corner, breathless, and slip my finger under the paper, ripping it open
in one swift movement. In my eagerness, the contents flutter to the ground
beneath me. I curse and stoop down quickly, but what I see on the ground makes
my fingers freeze in midair.
Two
things have fallen out of the envelope. Two stiff cards, with the same elegant,
formal writing that were printed on the framed cards in my parents’ bedroom.
Two
cards…with two different names.
~~
Until later,
- Justyne
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