19. Annabelle
Annabelle
The cards I design for the public are meant to have mass appeal.
The cards I design for celebrities are meant to be optimally entertaining for their fans.
But the cards I make for my friends? Those are top-tier.
They’re one-of-a-kind, intensely personal, and the most fun to make.
I spend hours getting every detail just right, and I save screenshots of the texts I get when people receive them.
I’m especially excited about Kat’s birthday card.
Front of card: An illustration of Kat as a superhero. Her long hair is flowing behind her. Her cape is sea blue. She’s holding a pair of shears in one hand and a blowdryer in the other.
Front caption: To the woman who can fix anything, even a bad hair day.
Inside caption: To my talented, gifted, split-end–slaying friend.
I wanted to remind you how fabulous you are, not just at hair, but at being someone who makes life brighter, funnier, and always perfectly layered.
Now go forth and conquer the frizz, the cowlicks, and the “I saw this on Pinterest” requests!
I sign it: Love, your biggest fan, Annabelle
Kat texts me a few days later.
Kat: Ahhhh your card is so stinking cute!
Annabelle: I’m so glad you like!
Kat: I LOVE
Annabelle: Yay!
Kat: Jacqueline told me to ask you what that “perfectly layered” part means
Annabelle: It means what it says
The dots appear and disappear as Kat types. When she finally replies, it’s just the shrug emoji. I wait, but she doesn’t send anything more.
I put down my phone and look out the window at the closed businesses on the other side of Elk Street.
Lately, I haven’t been able to have a single interaction with Kat without Jacqueline in there somewhere too.
Jacqueline who always seems available for a night out, or for hyping Kat up when she’s nervous, or for getting lunch.
I want Kat to have friends. She deserves to be surrounded by people who love her. But I can’t help the stubborn ache that craves a conversation where it’s just the two of us, laughing about nothing, without the constant Jacqueline cameos.
I know how needy that is. I’m the one who moved away. This is my problem to solve, not Kat’s. But the lonely feeling is still there, humming under everything.
Maybe the real problem is that I work at home and I’ve been alone for too many days in a row. What was it Sophie said to me? Something about getting through the winter by getting out more? I check my weather app. It’s supposed to be decent for the next few days, and I need fresh air. I text Sophie.