Chapter 6 – Dallas
A few weeks later…
Dove,
I’m going to start calling you that now, ok?
Don’t get me wrong, I like the name Paloma, but I think you’re more of a Dove.
Yes, I'm aware that your name means dove so it isn't exactly a unique nickname; however, when I think of a dove bird, I think of birds that sing songs and are generally docile unless provoked.
Then they become vicious. I got that vibe from your letters, which is the only reason why I've finally decided to write back to you.
I don't want you to fail your English class, and I don't want you to become vicious.
Yes, I've received the weekly letters that you’ve been sending as part of your English assignment, and I've read every single one while laughing over my morning coffee.
I've been extremely busy this fall preparing for the app that I built to be sold. We’ve had some problems with people attacking the software to try to steal the code and install bugs.
I get that may not make sense to you at your ripe age of 15 years old but basically, it’s the worst thing you could imagine as an app creator.
People are jealous and want what I’ve built…
that or they are trying to destroy my chances of selling this thing.
I’m going to try to respond to all of the questions you've put in your past emails now.
Please remember I am ONLY doing this because you said this is for your class assignment and I don’t want you to fail. It’s still weird to be writing to you since you’re a kid.
(Also, don’t cuss. It’s bad. I'm allowed to do that because I'm an ADULT.)
No, the app I created is not like Facebook or Myspace.
It’s even cooler but there isn’t enough paper and ink to describe it to you.
Let’s just say, it’s for people who have money to spare and want to get even richer.
I’m good with numbers and I’ve used that strength to create this app and allow ADULTS (not kids like you) to have some fun making money.
Nineteen years old is an adult. Fifteen years old is not.
BTW – happy belated birthday. Sorry I missed it.
I’m an adult, and you are not. Yes, I know what you’re thinking, 'when the clock strikes midnight and you turn eighteen you don’t magically mature up and feel like an adult' but trust me, something changes in the world when you become eighteen. That means don’t go around acting like you’re an adult until you’re actually an adult and don’t let any adult men tell you differently.
Living in Los Angeles is fun. The weather is perfect and there’s a lot to do but sometimes I crave silence and peace.
My app operates out of my parents' house for now, but I often go down to the less populated beaches like Huntington and Laguna to work and surf. My parents like the flash and appeal of Hollywood but it’s never been for me.
I’m planning on traveling up to northern California soon to do some snowboarding and skiing.
If you like peace and quiet, you’d probably like that more than living in Los Angeles. Northern Cali is rad.
You should invest in the voice lessons your teacher suggested. It sounds like you have a gift.
That’s one thing that I don’t think I’d be good at.
Your dad might be right about the risk of hating something once it becomes a job, but I believe that if you’re doing something you love, it will never feel like work.
Just make sure it doesn’t become your entire identity because if you decide you no longer enjoy it, the fact the two have been intertwined so long may be hard for you to reconcile.
I don't have a favorite holiday. If I absolutely had to choose one, I guess it'd be Memorial Day. I've always hated the idea of holidays dedicated solely to gift giving. Gifts should be thoughtful, not forced. Plus, I’m a bad gift giver.
No, for the thousandth time, I am not your mom, Dove, and I don’t know who Margarita is.
I’m guessing she wrote down a fake address on the hospital delivery form on account of her hoping no one would try to find her.
I’m sorry if that’s harsh, but sometimes, life is brutal.
I’m sure it wasn’t easy for her to make a plan for adoption for you.
With that said, I do hope that you find her someday. You deserve that.
I didn’t know any of that shit about astrology.
I’d be ok with never being told that I’m a ‘Libra,’ again.
I find it hard to believe that you can classify an entire group of people from millions of diverse backgrounds, upbringings and locations who happened to be born in the September-October time frame and expect them to all act and think the same.
Dallas