Dear Marvin,

This time tomorrow, you will be on a plane, on your way to a place that is approximately 7,295 miles away, and on your way to the possibility of a future that you were probably meant to live out. The past few months have been insane, and a part of it, I really have you to thank for. You used to just be this strange kid (freshman year, when we were all strange) who was a friend of a few friends. Then, you became this person I’d sometimes talk to whenever the AMP recital rolled around. Then, you were my Philo seatmate who never took down notes, and always said what you were thinking, regardless of what Mr. de Jesus (Miguel, now, I guess) or the rest of the class thought. Then, weirdly enough, you became one of the best people that I know.

I don’t even know how that happened, but I’m really, awfully glad that it did.

It seems unfair to me now that you are leaving so soon. It will be hundreds of days (weeks?) before I will even get to see you again, if I see you at all. I hope not. And another thing that I hope will never happen is that we stop talking, or become uncomfortable with each other that we forget how to. I hope we never reach that point when we just fade into people that we both used to know.

It gives me heavy boots (!) that you are going away, but I know it’s just something that you have to do for yourself and for your dreams. You’ve always dreamt big; thanks for teaching me that that’s okay. Thank you for teaching me that it’s okay to take big steps and giant leaps. That doing something you’re afraid of doing is hard, but rewarding, fulfilling and often essential. That it’s okay to be myself, and laugh at myself and make mistakes. That it’s okay to hope.

You’ve been so kind and non-judgmental, and patient. And you’ve always been there to listen to me, even though you’ve probably been tired most of the time (on account of you don’t really sleep), or have already heard my well-worn tirades on life, love and how much I hated working, countless times. You really have been one of the truest friends that I have ever been blessed with. Thank you so much, for everything. For courage, for understanding, for being a good friend to me (one of the best!) and for believing in me. We are going to miss you, so much, but we know that you’re going to go on and do great things. That’s just really what you were born to do.

God bless you, and I hope to see you, really, really soon.

Love,
Carina

P.S. LOLOLO.
P.P.S. We don’t have pictures together because I look like crap in all of them, but I’m sure you can still remember what I look like.
P.P.P.S. What about a teakettle?