With This Pen and Paper

10

I had poured everything I possibly could into that letter. Writing to him made it feel like he was close to me. Something felt different about Elijah. Elijah was different. I had only one letter from him but I could tell that there had been a change. He wasn't the same as he used to be. He no longer spoke in a manner that was of a high school boy, he spoke like a man now. Still kind and caring but more open and not so easily swayed he knew what he wanted to say and wouldn't back out of it.
Elijah was never one to openly express his feelings and he never would have told anyone that he missed them. At the same time as seeming so much more like a man there was still an element of youth in his letter. The way he recalled events was like they had just happened yesterday and the way he somewhat pleaded with me to write him made it feel like for a second he was that bit again.
Waiting for his letters to come was the hardest thing. It would sometimes be weeks before a letter come back other times it would merely be one week. I suppose it depended on where he was and how quickly my letter got to him.
I tried to busy my self as much as possible. Brooklyn had gotten a job at the library with me so we were together most of the day. We had started to go out and see around the campus and socialise. Mainly with each other.
We had gone to a dance on campus one night. I swear every bit there wanted to dance with Brooklyn. A few had asked me but I declined their offers. The dance reminded of homecoming and dancing with Elijah. I wish he could have been there, I would have loved to dance with him again.
When his next letter came in I had managed to control myself long enough to find a nice place to sit and read his letter. I sat in the courtyard under a tree in the sun and prepared myself for his letter.

My dearest, Josie.

Your letter bought such sunlight in my life. Thank you for giving me such a moment of peace. To say I enjoyed your letter would be an understatement.
I am curious to know what you put in your early letters but I fear that if you had sent them you wouldn't have liked the response you got. Actually I don't think you would have got one.
It's just like you to over think something as simple as a letter to me. I'm glad the thoughts and ideas you had left your mind when you wrote to me. The way you write reminds me of the way your mind thinks. You've got a million things running through it at the same time and you always end up telling other stories instead of the one you're trying to tell. I've always admired the way your mind works.
I agree that it is funny what something as simple as a letter can do to you. I find myself holding onto your letters in my pocket when I miss home or when I fear what might happen next. They somehow bring me home. Bring me to you.
There isn't anything in this world that would stop me from replying to your letters not even the devil himself.

Would it be a bad time to tell you that I had hoped we got sick in that storm. I saw the rain clouds over the way a little and then suggested to you that we go out into the field furthest from the house. I knew that if we had both gotten sick neither one of us would have to go to school and my mother would've made me stay with you. I felt bad when I saw just how sick you got but you are right it was a good week just getting to spend time with each other.

You shouldn't feel guilty about leaving Simon behind, he made his own choice no one told him to stay.
Being lonely has nothing to do with how far away from home you are or how may people are around you. I do understand what you mean by having people around you and still feeling lonely though. There are always dozens of people around me and we all feel lonely. Your letters make that feeling go away, for a little while at least.

Once again I can prove you to be incorrect. There is not a chance in hell that everyone preferred Adriana over you. Adriana was beautiful but you my dear Josie you are a masterpiece.
I know you're going to say "you haven't seen me in months you don't even know what I look like now I could have changed". Josie you have looked the same since we were 14 years old. You were perfect so you didn't need to change. Even the guys here agree that your a stunner. Before you get all "they've never even seen me" just know they have. I have to make a confession. I bought the picture of us at homecoming with me. We weren't supposed to bring personal items. One of the guys at enlistment told me to bring a picture of my family. I did but I didn't like the thought of not being able to look at you. And plus you are my family. Not in a sisterly way but in a way where I think of you as my family. The family I chose, the one I chose to love. But I don't think there was much choice in it.

I like that you think of me, I hope you don't think of me so often that it distracts you too much.
It however does not surprise me that you have a strategy to how you will tell me everything. But it is very logical so I shouldn't complain.
I'm definitely going to tell your grandmother you said that miss Alice was a better cook. She will be so mad when I do. Miss Alice sounds lovely I hope I get to meet her someday. The same with Brooklyn she sounds like a fun girl to be friends with. From what you described she reminds me of you but then again you and I have quite a few similarities.
And for your information I don't like telling my dreams because if I do they won't come true. If you want to know my dreams all you have to do is ask me.

Life over here is what can be expected. The guys I'm with are pretty cool and we've become good friends some of them feel more like brothers. We haven't seen much action in the last couple of weeks which is good we've mainly just been running surveillance and clearing the land. Another unit will be joining us a week or so I'm eager to see if Jonathan and Alexander are in it. A few of the guys remind me of Jonathon and Alexander. It would be nice to see them again. Honestly it would be nice to see anyone from home, especially you.
A couple of the guys I share my quarters with have become quite invested in our letters as well. Bass came running in with the letter for me about midday today. Bass is from Texas. He's the same age as me and had a girl back home too. I'm not saying that you're my girl back home but we both have girls who are important to us that we write too. Andy, another guy in my unit wanted to hear what you had to say but they let me read it to myself before hand just to make sure there wasn't anything they shouldn't hear in it. I feel like the letters make all of us focus on something other than what's happening outside and it's a nice feeling.
The boys wanted me to tell you that you need to keep writing us, the emphasised us but I'll be happy if you just write to me.
I know what I say next may be too much to ask but I feel as though you might be the only person to get it done. Andy's birthday is a couple of weeks out. I was wondering if you could send something small over for his birthday. Maybe a card. I don't know I just thought it might be nice for him to have something but there isn't really much option for us to go shopping over here.

Im sad to say that I have to end this here. Nights approaching us fast and we've got work to do.
Don't worry about me after all I promised you I would be careful and I've never broken a promise to you.

Love, Your dearest soldier, Elijah xx
Ps I don't find it that hard to believe that you look better in my jacket but I will still need to see that to believe it.