Letters To Nicole

January 3, 1970

I sit at the breakfast table, drinking my morning tea and eating momma's fresh pancakes with our homemade jam smothered on top. Momma throws open the curtains and the morning sunlight shines bright on me. I wince at the sudden light, but momma's back is turned, she doesn't see. I take another bite and open my textbook, my professor assigned my class extensive reading on the history of female authors. Momma goes out to grab the news paper, and the mail. I'm surprised when she slips a letter onto my book. I look up at her. She shrugs. I look back down to the letter. It's addressed to me alright, but I don't recognize the return address. I slice the envelope open anyways and pull out the letter. It reads:

Dear Nicole,
Salutations! It's been a while since we've spoke, graduation last I recall. I suppose I should mention who I am, it's Lewis Pennington from high school! I write to you to bring you news. I have been drafted to serve in the Vietnam war, and currently I'm training at one of the US military camps. It's quite funny, being the scrawny little nerd (as the bullies called me) and now I'm training to fight in a war. You may wonder why I chose to write to you specifically. Well, all my family knows, they were with me when I was drafted, and I've long lost contact with many of our friends. Oh, and guess what, you remember Scott from algebra in ninth grade? He's here too! Anywho, I'm getting of subject. What I mean to say is, it's been a long time since we've talked, and I hope to come visit you after this war.
Sincerely,
Lewis H. Pennington

I laugh to myself. How strange he write to me. We had been close friends in school but nothing more. Our friend group did slowly separate as life went on after graduation. Bobby and Andrew went off to Harvard, Anita had moved to Australia with her grandparents, and Robin went to California to become an actress. For sometime, it was just me, Dawn, and Lewis in our little town. I know Dawn and Lewis had a close relationship, had he also written a letter to her? In any case, it was indeed nice to hear from some one again. Part way through my first semester at University of Pennsylvania I had begun to isolate myself to spend more time studying. Rarely ever did I hear from a friend, maybe a call on the weekend, but not much besides that. I smiled and decided to write back to Lewis, after class, of course.