dear frida (coming september 1st)

written on kik

phone found between crumpled up bed sheets

lei owyang: yeah, fine. kind of tired. and i've got a headache.

leander leander: i was so worried, you were otherworldly drunk yesterday.

lei owyang: i was not.

leander leander: you were. i should've known, i mean, you weigh like two pounds.

lei owyang: uhhh no?

leander leander: anyway, glad you don't feel too sick now. and glad we got you home safely. fattouma's such a boss, she quite literally dragged you out.

lei owyang: i was fine. we could've just stayed.

leander leander: pants on fire.

lei owyang: you were drunk too.

leander leander: but i'm a big person.

lei owyang: i'm just as tall as you?!?!

leander leander: but you're all lanky. and i'm used to some.

lei owyang: hmm.

leander leander: hey, i kind of saved those tissues you were writing on last night.

lei owyang: oh. what? oh. did you read it?

leander leander: just the first line. i stopped when i realised what it was. frida kahlo, right?

lei owyang: i'm not crazy, okay? it's not as if i expect her to crawl out of her grave to get a 2HB and write me back.

leander leander: wasn't she cremated?

lei owyang: i don't know. i don't want to know about her death and everything. makes me sad. i just write to her like to a diary, a little, but less lonely.

leander leander: that's kind of beautiful, actually.

lei owyang: i don't know. sometimes it helps me think. i haven't written that much in a while, though.

leander leander: you should. i think it's wonderful.

lei owyang: also kind of strange.

leander leander: can i maybe try it with you?

lei owyang: writing to her? here?

leander leander: why not?

lei owyang: okay. this feels really weird though.

leander leander: we'll be fine. you can start.

lei owyang: okay. uhh, i usually just...

leander leander: dear frida.

lei owyang: yeah. this is a little a lot weird, but i've got someone who wants to meet you, frida. he's got this strange-ass idea of writing you a letter over the internet which is bonkers because you don't know whatever the heck an internet is, but okay.

leander leander: internet is really cool, frida. and so am i, but lei has this habit of putting down my ideas. like, last week we were doing some photography and i wanted to make light effects with mirrors and she kept on snorting at how it looked.

lei owyang: it looked like glow-in-the-dark bird shit on my shoulder.

leander leander: see? i can't believe you're pen pals with that shoelace.

lei owyang: (you did not just call me a shoelace.) don't listen to him, he's just jealous.

leander leander: (bet your ass i did.) okay, maybe i'm a teeny tiny bit jealous. maybe i'm going to start sending postcards to van gogh. this is fun for real though.

lei owyang: it's different when you're alone with her. more... i don't know. just more.

leander leander: you're so strange when you talk about her like that, you know.

lei owyang: good strange?

leander leander: yeah, good strange. may our lives always be the best kind of good-strange.