What Defines Us?

Axel's Letters

After we eat, we go back to mom and dad's room, with Axel. He grabs a box and starts rummaging through it.
"Hey Axel?" I ask.
"Yeah?" He says.
"You have three letters." I say.
"Read them to me." He tells me.
"Dear Axel,

I'm proud of you. Even though you made some bad decisions, I'm still proud of you. You did really well in school and you were always such a good son. I wish everyone could have a child like you, Axel. I understand that you made some poor decisions. Driving under the influence probably being the poorest. I don't care that you made bad decisions though. Your sister is leaving for college soon, so maybe you could come visit more. We miss having you around. Anyways, we hope you and Seth are doing okay. We totally approve of your relationship. As you know, Callie has a friend, named Brooke. They should be dating. Maybe I should stop meddling though. Anyways, I love you very much, Robert Axel Peters. Take care of yourself.

Love, Mama." I read.
"Oh wow. Dad's is next?" He asks.
"Yeah." I say.
"Read it." He says.
"Dear Axel,

Your mother is making me write a letter. I hope you're doing well. I want you to know that I'm extremely proud of you, even though you made a few wrong turns in life. I couldn't ask for a better son. I don't want this letter to be really sentimental and sappy. So I'll talk about fishing. We made some of our best memories while fishing an that means a lot to me. I love you son. I hope your relationship with Seth is going well. I support you one hundred percent. Well, your sister is leaving for college. You should come by and see us more often. We miss you. I miss you. Anyways, take care of yourself. I love you, Axel. Behave yourself.

Love, Dad." I read.
"Damn..." He says, tearing up.
"One more." I tell him.
"Read." He says.
"Dear Axel,

I know you probably won't read this letter, but it's worth a shot. Mom and dad said I should write a letter. I love you, even though you ignore my existence. I'm glad I have you as an older brother. You're amazing. I wish I could be as cool as you are. I also wish that you wouldn't ignore me. It hurts me when you do that. I want you to like me or at least tolerate me. It would mean a lot to me. I'm supposed to be writing this letter from my eighteen year old self point of view. So I'm leaving for college soon. You should come see mom and dad more. They miss you. A lot. Anyways, I love you big bro. Take care, and tell Seth I said hey.

Love, Callie." I read.
"Damn it." He says, crying.
"I didn't even die." I say.
"Well, I was an ass." He says.
"Yeah. You were." I joke.
"Shut it." He says.
"Hey, you should invite Seth over. We could have a move night!" Brooke says.
Axel calls Seth and we go to the living room. When he gets there, Axel lays his head on Seth chest and Brooke cuddles up to me. We decide on watching Mean Girls. Eventually, we all fall asleep on the couch. But not before I notice the ring on Seth's finger...