1979: When someone sets you free, it's not because they love you.

Dear Jennifer,

Two and a half years is a long time for a relationship and I admit that first grade is kind of young for commitment. I thought we were doomed when both our mom's said you couldn't invite me to sleep-over for your birthday. Mom's ruin everything fun. We managed through that though.

I really liked walking to and from school with you through the park. I wasn't really protecting you from the other boys throwing pomegranates. They were shooting at me all along. And they did have pretty good aim. Swinging with you on the tire swing was the best. It felt kind of weird but it was my favorite part except when we had a magnifying glass to burn bark and stuff with.

I blame August for breaking us up. My mom said I couldn't invite myself over to your house  to swim EVERY day. Sometimes it was way too hot to play at the park. I forgot to invite you when Joey and Alejandro came over to build Lego stuff. We made a giant bridge once from my room to the rat cage in my sisters' room. Did you know if you hold a rat upside down it's tail spins like a helicopter?

Don't you remember our first date? I planned ahead and wrote down what I would order us to eat. I used the McDonald Dollars I got for Christmas. The tickets to the circus cost every penny I made from stuffing mailboxes with flyers for the real-estate guy. I had to steal some of my brothers' quarters too. I put like 50 flyers in your mailbox. You told me that was romantic.

I could hardly wait for school to start. I missed seeing you every day. I was going to tell you that but you hung up on me before I could say it. Alejandro said my Ronald McDonald voice was perfect. Joey laughed so hard he peed his pants when we were doing pretend voices. I was surprised you got so mad.

I built a cardboard glider in hopes of flying from my roof to your house to apologize.  When I tested it from the backyard fence I crashed. My mom said it wouldn't fly, but what does she know about airplanes? I had to try. Why I didn't just ride my bike over, or call you again, I don't know. You dumping me was a total over-reaction. Just like my sister anytime my dad tells her what to do.

My mom said that maybe because we were going to be in different classrooms you wanted a fresh start. She said that sometimes when you love someone you let them go and if they come after you it's true love. She said that when my dog Reepicheep ran away and I chased after her for a mile and got lost in the other neighborhood before I finally caught her, that that's how Reepicheep knew I loved her. I think Reepicheep just wanted to run away, but what do moms know?

Seeing you walk away from me and toward a different classroom the first day of school I thought would be the worst. It wasn't. The worst was today when all the kids in my class paraded around the classroom handing out Valentines'. The only ones I got from girls were totally generic and when I asked Kelly and Tonya if what they wrote to me was special, they both said no; that their moms' insisted they write one for everyone.

My brother said that the smart kids get separated from the dumb kids in 3rd grade and that is why we aren't in the same class anymore. I don't think your dumb, I just think it was dumb that you dumped me just for pretending I was Ronald McDonald when I called you. And it was dumb that you didn't even think I was Ronald McDonald, because my Ronald voice sounds just like his on t.v. Even my mom thought so.