Chapter Thirteen Senior Year
Dear Glory,
Your job at the cafe seems fun. It sounds like you just facilitate food fights, although I guess that would be more enjoyable for the students than it would be for the employees.
I’m not really sure how I feel about you envisioning my love life as a sappy romance novel.
And if my life was a romance novel, I wonder if the cover would have some bare-chested stud with flowing locks on it.
I don’t regret my relationship with Laura.
We had some really great moments and I learned a lot about myself.
But looking back on it I realize that a lot of my heightened emotions were a result of being independent and experiencing love as I navigated this new sense of freedom and the excitement of being in an electric city.
And, let’s face it, I’m sure hormones had some play in it all too.
If I had met Laura in Chicago back in high school, I probably wouldn’t have felt so strongly about her.
Speaking of Chicago, I actually went back there last month for a couple weeks.
My mom fell down the stairs of the apartment building while she was trying to carry in a bunch of groceries and broke her leg and wrist. So I went to visit and check on her.
She was totally fine, but my dad was a wreck, worrying about every little pain she had and blaming himself for her falling.
“If I made more money we wouldn’t be living in this crappy apartment with crumbling stairs.
” He said that and about a dozen variations of that statement while I was there.
I think it made him feel worse that I gave him some money I had saved to help with her hospital bills.
I never thought I’d be the one making surplus money in my family.
I guess I don’t have a lot of expenses and the financial bar for the Finlay family is pretty low.
But I don’t really care about that now. Sure, my dad could have gotten a better career, but he did what he loved, and for the most part, our family was always happy.
How is your mom doing, by the way? I guess I’ve got moms on my mind.
Bye,
Collin
August 2, 2014
Dear Collin,
Well, things are over with Donovan. Everything was going along great and then he had to ruin it by asking me to marry him!
I couldn’t believe it! It was completely out of the blue.
In that moment all of his bad habits and unattractive traits were amplified, and I was disgusted by the thought of having him as a husband.
I guess I feel bad about leading him on, but I honestly thought he felt the same as I did.
I thought he was fine with a semi-static relationship that wasn’t leading anywhere.
Why do people feel the need to take things to the next level?
It’s just as well, now I have more time to concentrate on my classes.
Sorry to hear about your mom’s accident, but that’s nice that you were able to visit her.
I think your dad made the right decision in doing something he loves even if it doesn’t pay much.
My dad chose his profession based on income and he ended up miserable and married to some awful witch with big lips.
My mom is alright. She’s been dating a few guys she finds on the internet, which is a little weird.
Although, I guess the way we’ve been writing to each other is kind of like finding people on dating sites.
Not that we’re trying to date, but we’ve been keeping this pen pal thing up for so long, maybe we should.
Maybe not. Maybe you’re already dating someone else.
How are your brothers and sisters? You haven’t written about them in a long time.
Sincerely,
Glory
September 24, 2014
Dear Glory,
I suppose I should tell you I’m sorry that you broke up with Donovan, but I’m actually glad you did.
It seems like you were pretty upset about it, but if you guys weren’t going anywhere and you knew you didn’t want to end up with him, it kind of sounds like it was a waste of time.
And people feel the need to take things to the next level because that’s the natural progression of life.
People don’t want to be stagnant in their education or their careers, so why would they want to be stagnant in their relationships?
Dating forever and not taking the next step is like writing a song and never performing it, or orbiting Mars for months and never landing.
At some point you’ve got to take a leap and see if it works out.
For the most part, my siblings are doing well.
Brittany is still living in Kansas with her husband, and she has two little girls with a baby boy on the way.
We got to see them last Christmas, and I’ve got to admit that I really love being an uncle.
Patrick has bounced around between a few jobs, but now he’s doing construction with my dad.
Alex is going to law school, which was a surprise to all of us, but he really likes it.
Gavin decided that instead of college, he wanted to travel the world, and he’s currently in Argentina.
I enjoy seeing his pictures and hearing about his crazy adventures, but I’m worried he’s going to run out of money soon.
Erin just started her senior year of high school, and my mom is freaking out about not having any kids at home soon.
I guess I can see how pen pals are like the old fashioned way of meeting people on the internet. I’m not dating anyone, by the way. To be honest, the only girl that’s been on my mind recently is you.
Sincerely,
Collin
November 2, 2014
Dear Collin,
Thanks for driving home your point about the natural progression of relationships. It was a little bit patronizing, but I appreciated the astronomy reference. I guess my real problem is that I don’t like change, and so when I find myself in a comfortable situation, I happily plateau.
I like hearing about your family. By this time I almost feel like they’re my family.
It must be nice to have such a big support system and familial network.
There’s always someone you can ask for help or tell a funny story to or visit on the holidays.
I guess you can have that same dynamic with friends.
I ran into Piper the other day and we ended up talking for a long time.
A lot has happened since we lived together our freshman and sophomore year, and I realized that I had missed her a lot.
Anyway, we made some tentative plans to move in together after graduation.
I don’t even know if I’m going to stay in Phoenix after I graduate, but if I do, now I have a plan.
What do you think you’ll do after graduation?
Sincerely,
Glory
P.S. It’s really annoying that your letters can excite and infuriate me at the same time. That being said, I really love getting them.
December 9, 2014
Dear Glory,
I actually know exactly what I’m going to do after graduation.
My band entered a contest for one of the radio stations out here, and we won!
So they having been playing one of our songs on the radio, and in August they’ll be sponsoring us to go on tour to Canada.
I know there are probably more thrilling places to go, but I’ve only been to the midwest and New York so I am extremely excited.
And now I’m not really motivated to finish school, but I will, because I don’t want all of this time to be a waste.
Why do I infuriate you? If I said something offensive, I apologize. I’ve had people tell me that I can be insensitive and clueless. I guess things just aren’t as black and white as I think they are.
If you don’t stay in Phoenix, where would you go? Do you have any ideas or prospects for jobs after you graduate? Maybe you should come to New York. There are plenty of jobs out here. And then I could have more opportunities to infuriate and excite you.
Sincerely,
Collin
P.S. You are welcome to be a part of my family anytime.
January 14, 2015
Dear Collin,
Exactly how do you propose to make me part of your family? Are your parents going to adopt me? Or maybe I could marry one of your brothers? Your lawyer brother sounds interesting.
Congratulations on winning that contest with your band!
See, now your band could totally take off and you actually might become famous.
And years down the road I’ll sit in my tiny apartment and eat doughnuts and watch you on TV and fantasize about how I could have met you before all the fame made you untouchable.
You don’t infuriate me that much. You just have a way of saying things plainly and making me realize how ridiculous I’m being. And that’s irritating. To me.
I’m still not sure what I’ll do after graduation.
I’ve met with some companies here in Phoenix that are looking for interns for their engineering programs, but I’m not super eager to sign on with any of them.
They’re all so bland. Maybe that’s just part of becoming an adult.
I’ve actually considered looking for work in New York City.
But it’s so expensive there. Plus, if you’re going to be off on tour with your band, then what’s the point of going there?
Write me back soon.
Sincerely,
Glory
February 1, 2015
Dear Glory,
First of all, you can NOT marry one of my brothers.
They aren’t good enough for you, and you deserve someone better.
Not that I don’t think my brothers are decent human beings.
They’re fine. But you need to marry someone as amazing as you are.
Secondly, just because I’m going on tour with my band doesn’t mean I’m never coming back to New York.
We’ll only be in Canada for about two months, so you should definitely consider moving up to New York City.
I think you’d love it. It’s not bland at all.
If you moved here, I’d make sure I was here.
You know, to help you move in and tell you where to find the best pizza and sushi.
I think it’s pretty unlikely that I’ll become famous, which is fine because I don’t think I would handle fame very well.
I like my privacy and my freedom too much.
However, I would love to be able to make a living playing music, and so if I’m able to do that with my band that would be awesome.
Have you ever wanted to be famous? What would you want to be famous for?
Right now I’d say you’re famous for keeping me up at night.
Sincerely,
Collin
March 28, 2015
Dear Collin
It’s the middle of the night and I’m trying to study for an exam, but I can’t because all I can think about is you.
It took me a while to write you back because lately I realized something and it scared me.
I’ve been trying to figure out what do with my future, and I found out that the only thing I really knew for sure was that I wanted you in it.
And I don’t even know what that means, and yet, at the same time, I know exactly what it means.
I have feelings for you, Collin. And I think they’re the euphoric, losing sleep kind, because here I am, losing sleep and unable to concentrate on anything else besides what it would be like to see you.
Am I even making sense? I’m sorry this letter is such a train wreck.
I don’t even know if I’m going to send it, but I probably will because someone once told me that the natural thing for relationships to do is progress.
And isn’t this a relationship? I want to be more than pen pals.
I want to be more than friends. So with all of that said and confessed, I think we should meet. What do you think?
Sincerely,
Glory