Eighteen Letters To Juan Karlos •COMPLETED•

The Eleventh Letter

Warning: prepare tissues.

Juan Karlos was convinced that he had some sort of disorder that made him unable to interact with other people. Either that, or he was destined to become a hermit and live alone in a shack made of mud and straw until he was found one day, with his guitar still in his hand and surrounded by takeaway menus. Honestly.

Somewhere along the road of Pampanga, the tour bus had started making funny noises and the driver had pulled over at a service station, where they were then promptly told that they would be there for a couple of hours while someone sorted the bus out (something to do with a valve or whatever, JK hadn't really been paying attention when the driver explained). The rest of the group had of course taken advantage of the sunny weather and the break from the road. While JK, quite frankly, would've rather stayed inside and read another one of Addie's letters, maybe.

Ano that had led him to sitting on his bunk and rifling through his bag looking for the small parcel of letters, running a thumb underneath the fold of the envelope. It crackled softly, with a contended feeling in his chest, he pulled it out and began to read, the sun shining bright through the window, warm on his skin.

Dear Juan Karlos,

I thought that since I told you a little about Camille in the last letter, maybe I could tell you some more.

We adopted her when I was five, a nine month old girl with brown, straight hair and a bright, toothy smile. She made such a difference to our lives. I'd always wanted a sister, but I couldn't have one. My parents couldn't have children. My mother had been told that she never would, the chances were impossible. So it was kind of a miracle that I was born.

That's what my mother always called me. A miracle.

But it didn't matter, because there was Camille. Happy and playful and like a ray of sunshine, if I can say that without sounding too cliché, and my sister.

Juan Karlos never had a younger sibling. But as he thought of it, he actually had some.

Three of them.

Suddenly I was a big sister and I had to be there for her, hold her hand and tickle her tummy, I had to prepare to have a life of teaching her things and lending her my clothes, sticking up for her at school, teaching her dance routines, and I wanted that. I really did. I've always wanted to be with her, the big sister, you know?