The weather had shifted from cold and dark to wet and hopeful, and the first of the letters arrived on the first day of spring. It was from January and February. I brought it inside and opened it the minute I received it. The letter wasn't long. January and February had written only telling me they missed me, they were happy in their new home, and they wished me all the joy in the world.
I finished reading it quickly, and read it again. And again. I clutched the letter to my chest and looked out my own window, just as I had done that previous New Years morning, when everything was normal, and everything had been perfect.
I watched the water fall from the sky, but this time it was not snow, but spring rain pouring against the glass. The rain wasn't nearly as heavy as the snow had been, but the occasional raindrop did stick to the glass. Unlike the snow, the water didn't stick, but instead dripped down the pane in long, thin streaks, crossing and dividing and merging with other streaks of water. My first thought was the water looked like tears, but I didn't like that. There had been a time for tears, but not anymore. Time had passed, not nearly enough, but enough for me to start looking forward again.
I tried to think of something else the water reminded me of. A forest. The streaks of water were like trunks towering above the wet ground, trunks thin by themselves but dense and thick when put together. A watery forest of mystery and promise.
I glanced down at the letter once again. At the bottom, after January and February signature was a short P.S. section. It contained only one simple request.
"Say hi to November for us. He was a good friend of ours. You would like him." It said, followed by an address.
I wasn't one to go out and make new friends on my own. I had left that up to January mostly, but a direct request from him and his sister was different. For them, I decided I would go out and do it, and I would do it right then, in case I changed my mind. The address was in walking distance, so I grabbed the letter and and umbrella and walked out the door.
****
I arrived on the front porch of the house addresses in my letter, nervous and regretful. I hated talking to new people. It always seemed awkward and forced. But January and February had asked me personally to do this, so I knew that I had to. I knocked only once before the door flew open.
An adorable boy stood there, one arm still on the door. He had opened the door so quickly, as though he had been waiting for me. He must have seen me walking up his driveway.
The first thing I noticed was his hair. This boy's hair was a mess, all tangles and curls. His shirt was riding up his torso, as if he had just pulled it on. He caught me staring and cleared his throat. I looked up at his eyes, my face flustered with embarrassment.
"Hi" he said, and almost as if on cue, The rain suddenly ceased. The boy looked up from me and out at the sky. The steady drum of water faded quickly, and the air became a lot quieter than it had been before. He turned back to me, a proud smile on his face. He was obviously pleased that his voice had stopped the weather.
"What are you doing here?" He asked me, not suspicious, but simply curious. Suddenly the strangeness of the situation caught up to me. Here I was, a stranger, walking up to this boy's house where I had no reason being. At least, no reason that he knew of.
"I-" I began, but didn't finish. I wasn't sure what to say, but something about his curious tone gave me a bit of courage. "I'm February's friend, she asked me to come say hello to November" I told him, holding up the letter as I said it.
The boy gave me a strange look, obviously trying to put a name to my face, but he quickly gave up. We had never met each other, yet that curious expression remained. "Well, that's me." The boy named November said, stepping down from the entryway and onto the porch. I had to step backward to give him space, and November came very close to knocking into me. He didn't seem to notice. I certainly did.
