Neighborhood Music

Summertime in the LBC Pt. 1

Cesar thought about Monse every single day. Every time he hung out with Jamal and Ruby, he couldn't help but miss the feeling of bumping up against Monse when they were all walking together, or the sound of her laugh.

His saving grace was that Monse kept her word and wrote him letters. There were texts of course, and a couple of phone calls, but like clockwork each week, he received a letter in the mail. Letty started making fun of him for sitting on the porch everyday around noon to see if the mail man stopped, but Cesar couldn't be fucked to care.

The first letter was short, mostly about her missing home, but he still read it 4 times just to miss her less.

Dear Cesar,

This feels really stupid. I don't know why you want me to write to you, but you said to so here goes. It's really different here. Lots of white kids who have never had to do their own laundry, or share a bedroom. They are constantly tagging on the bed sheets and stuff but honestly, this place is pretty nice. It's be a lot cooler of you guys were here with me, but still, it's not too bad.

I miss seeing brown people. I'm like literally the only one here. I mean, I'm not an idiot, I know that white people are the majority, but damn! It's like me and this one other Dominican chick, and that's it. People are nice though, so I guess I shouldn't complain too much.

I really miss you. 

Monse. 

Cesar would never admit it to anyone, but reading that she missed him made his heart race. 

Monse's next letter to him came on a Tuesday, Cesar had it stashed under his pillow now because it was his favorite to read. 

Dear Cesar, 

Camp is amazing. I love it! I miss home, I miss you, and the guys of course, but I really feel like I'm learning something. The teachers all seem to think I have potential, and one of them is really into ScFi novels like me, so she's given me some cool things to read. 

I fit in pretty well. I was totally right by the way, when I said this was a camp for nerds, it is. I wish you were here though. You would love it. There's a pool, and during the day when we aren't work shopping we can go out on the lake. I wasn't a fan at first, but it's grown on me.

The only rub is this kid Danny who won't leave me the hell alone. My roommate's name is Morgan, and he apparently asked her if I'm single. He haunts our cabin before dawn so that he can walk with us up to the cafeteria, if he wasn't likely to sue me I'd kick his ass. Honestly, a few times I've come close to showing him your picture and telling him that you'll come down and kick his ass for me. 

It's weird, but I think this is the longest I've gone without seeing you since the 3rd grade. I really miss having you around. 

Soon!

Monse

Every time Cesar read it, he smiled. It was so like Monse to cluelessly attract the attention of every guy in the room. He wondered if she knew that in middle school, both Ruby and Jamal had enormous crushes on her. More importantly, he wondered if she knew that he'd had a crush on her since they were 10. It was so classically Monse, that he found himself missing her just a little less when he read it, so every night he took it out and gave it a look. 

Her third letter came with a stack of pictures, Cesar admittedly didn't read the letter before he looked at them. They were of Monse, and her new gringo friends. Some in a library, others by some big statue, but the one that really caught his attention was of her and a girl who he assumed was her roommate sitting on lounge chairs next to the pool. He had to take a second and control himself when he first got a look at her, he didn't know if he could live with himself if he acted like a complete perv to her picture.