My (almost) Pen Pal
Back when WhatsApp was a faraway dream and friendship bloomed through postage stamps, I found a pen pal through a children’s magazine. I was 7 or 8, armed with big hopes and small handwriting. With help from my cousin—just a year older and a self-declared letter-writing expert—we crafted a beautiful note, full of cheerful chatter and, of course, our return address.
A week later, magic! A reply arrived, addressed to me! But since my cousin had penned the original letter, it only seemed right she read the reply aloud too. We sat together, hearts bouncing with excitement.
The letter began warmly—but then came the unexpected twist: our pen pal gently suggested we (ahem, my cousin) improve our handwriting. I smiled. Isn’t that what friends do? Encourage each other?
My cousin, however, didn’t see it that way.
Her face twisted slowly from confusion to horror to full-blown fury. How dare this stranger critique her handwriting?! Her cheeks flushed, her eyes sparked, and in one swift motion, she ripped the letter to dramatic shreds, launching pieces of my international friendship across the room like confetti at a heartbreak parade.
As the letter fluttered to the ground in pieces, I just sat there wondering what other treasures that envelope had held. But I knew better than to argue. After all, my pen pal might’ve been a thousand miles away—but my cousin, well… she was right there. And looking very much like a lioness who’d missed lunch.
And just like that, my first long-distance friendship ended… halfway through its first letter.
A week later, magic! A reply arrived, addressed to me! But since my cousin had penned the original letter, it only seemed right she read the reply aloud too. We sat together, hearts bouncing with excitement.
The letter began warmly—but then came the unexpected twist: our pen pal gently suggested we (ahem, my cousin) improve our handwriting. I smiled. Isn’t that what friends do? Encourage each other?
My cousin, however, didn’t see it that way.
Her face twisted slowly from confusion to horror to full-blown fury. How dare this stranger critique her handwriting?! Her cheeks flushed, her eyes sparked, and in one swift motion, she ripped the letter to dramatic shreds, launching pieces of my international friendship across the room like confetti at a heartbreak parade.
As the letter fluttered to the ground in pieces, I just sat there wondering what other treasures that envelope had held. But I knew better than to argue. After all, my pen pal might’ve been a thousand miles away—but my cousin, well… she was right there. And looking very much like a lioness who’d missed lunch.
And just like that, my first long-distance friendship ended… halfway through its first letter.
