Rose
PS Enclosed is your present. It’s not much, but I had fun making it.
With gentle fingers, I withdrew an origami Santa Claus from the envelope. He was shaped like a star, made out of red and white paper, and fit into the palm of my hand. As I stared at him, my eyes watered.
Before she ran away, Rose and Mom got good at fighting. They practiced daily, and more often than not, I had to blast my music to drown out their angry words. It was always the same argument. Mom wanted Rose to go to college, but all my sister wanted was to see the world. She had no interest in school. By the time Rose left, I could recite their exchanges like I was an actress reading from a script. When one of them wasn’t home, the house fell quiet, and Icherished those moments of peace.
But not that Christmas.
I’d never forget how empty and cheerless the house felt without Rose—howlonelyit was. Mom bought me my first pair of wire cutters that year, which I’d begged her for, but I would have traded all the presents in the world to hear them fight again. Because that would have meant that Rose wasn’t gone.
Not wanting to squish Santa, I tucked him up on the dashboard where he wouldn’t get ruined before turning my attention back to the pile of mail. I wanted answers and figured the best way to understand what had happened four years ago was to start at the beginning. I shuffled through the stack until I found the first letter my sister had sent.
August 15th
Dear Felicity,
If you’re reading this, then it means you found my note. I also hope it means you’ve forgiven me or at least are on your way to doing so. I need you to know that I never wanted to leave, but I had to for my own sanity.
Mom has all these rules and expectations, but I can’t be the person she wants me to be. I don’t want to waste the next four years of my life getting a pointless degree so I can work a nine-to-five jobuntil I die. I want to have the kind of adventures I can tell my grandkids about when I’m old. I want to see the world. I want to learn by living, and Mom doesn’t get that.
If you’re worrying about me, please don’t. Things are going great. I bought a bus ticket to Phoenix. I have a friend who lives here, and I’m staying with him for the time being. The air is so dry and hot that I feel like I’m living inside a sauna, and the scenery is so different from in California. Everything is a varying shade of brown…that is, with the exception of sunset. That’s when the McDowell Mountain Range is painted in the reds and purples of dwindling daylight. It’s breathtaking, and I know you would love it!
I found a job working at a local café, but it’s not a forever type of career. I’ll probably stay long enough to save up money for a flight across the pond, and then I’ll backpack across Europe. Or maybe I’ll find a job working on a cruise ship and travel the seas! Other than that, there’s not much to tell, so I’ll write you again as soon as I have something to share. I heart you more than Starburst and salsa.
xoxo,
Rose
Something wasn’t right. Clearly, I was missing a piece of the puzzle. What note was Rose talking about? Had she written me a letter before this one? One that wasn’t hidden in the guitar case under my mom’s bed? Still unable to make sense of my sister’s departure, I moved on to the next letter. And the next. And the one after that until I’d read every letter. They were all the same—rambling descriptions of Rose’s day-to-day life. I let out a long, exasperated sigh.
Alec cleared his throat and turned down the music. “Are those your sister’s letters?”
I rubbed my temples. “Yeah.”
“Read something you didn’t want to know?”
“That’s the thing,” I responded. “I want toknowwhy Rose left and why she never came home. But there’s no explanation. Don’t get me wrong. It’s wonderful to hear about her life and know she’s doing well, but it’s so frustrating. It’s all meaningless chatter, just…sweet nothings.” I shook my head, trying to come up with the right words. “I need more.”
“Well,” Alec said after a moment of consideration. “It’s a good thing we’re on our way to San Francisco. We’ll get all your answers in person.”
“Thank you, Alec. For driving me and for—”
“Don’t thank me until we find your sister.”
I nodded in agreement. I could live with that.
“Good. Until then…” He paused and dug his phone out of his pocket. “I made a playlist last night. It’s short since I didn’t expect us to be in the car for so long, but…do you wanna listen?”
“You made a playlist for today?”
“Yeah, with songs and artists I thought you might like.”
“Yes, I’d love to hear it.”
With a shaky smile, Alec hit Play. It was as if he was both nervous and excited to share this with me, but he had nothing to worry about. That he’d taken the time to find music for me made whatever the result of his efforts perfect in my eyes. An upbeat melody filled the car, and I instantly recognized the song.
A grin split my face. “You listen to Ivy Corporation?”
