The Meanings of I Love You

Dear Miranda

Dear Miranda,

Hi. I know you're not here, notreally. So many people keep telling me how you'll always be here. Idon't really think that's true, but Dr. Day thinks I shouldn't thinkso negatively and was the one that suggested for me to write theseletters. I miss you a lot. The house is really quiet without you now.Dad even flew in from Florida and is spending the next couple weekswith Mom and I. Mom arranged a really nice bouquet for the funeral.It was filled with all your favorites (even the little purple onesthat are so hard to grow in this weather). I think this is all I canmanage today. I love you.

Love,

Katie

Dear Miranda,

It's been three months. I don't seeDr. Day any more, partly because I lied about writing these letters.I told her I wrote to you every day even though I haven't wrote inmonths, that it's helped me greatly, but in actual honesty I haven'twrote anymore because I had nothing worth telling. Now I do. I'm notas sad anymore, I still miss you though. Dad hasn't left, I think himand Mom might even remarry. I wish you were here to see her smile.It's so beautiful, Miranda. It's like sunshine pouring right out. Ihaven't seen her so happy in a long, long time.

Do you remember Travis Stoll?

Well, if you don't, let me remind you.

He's a total ass. We were in art classtoday and he just had to poor blue paint all over my jacket. Well,actually your jacket. It was the one you wore all the time with thebaby blue and pink stripes. It was the only thing that still smelledlike you. Flowers and earth and cool mountain spring water.

I went home after that. Mom is stilltrying to get the paint out. At least I slapped him right across theface before leaving. That left him both blue and red. I didn't evenget in trouble.

He's the kind of person that deservesa thousand slaps. He doesn't deserve anything, but horribleness. He'smade my life hell since that first day of kindergarten and this isjust the icing on the cake.

I hope you're doing well,

Katie

Dear Miranda,

Travis Stoll had the audacity toapologize to me with a bushel of flowers today. He even said he feltbad for ruining your jacket. Ugh! He is so infuriating. I doubt hehas even a fraction of an ounce of guilt in his whole body. It wasprobably the principal or his mother that forced him to apologize.

The flowers were nice, though. Bright,tall tulips of purple and pink. He probably just pulled them from aneighbor's garden on the way to school. He wouldn't ever do somethingactually nice.

I guess I just needed to rant to youlike old times. Do you remember when we'd rant to each other in yourbedroom? We would sit on your bed with that old Bratz blanket you gotfor your 5th birthday. I'd go out and buy us Neapolitanice cream. You'd eat the chocolate part, I'd eat the strawberry, andwe always left the vanilla part to mealt.

I miss that.

With love,

Katie

Dear Miranda,

Dad proposed to Mom today. I'm happy,I really am. Mom was glowing as bright as a star when she said yes. Ijust... I feel a little ignored now. It's like they don't have timefor me between work and dates. I know if you were here you'd take abreak from life and just play a board game or two with me. You'd makesure I wasn't lonely. You'd love me like nobody else.