COMIC: Sunshine, Lollipops, Rainbows

Addendum: After I wrote this comic, but before I drew the artwork, I found two things in a box at my parents' house.

The first was the journalism conference award I mentioned. The certificate had the date written on the front (June 27, 2001). Included with the certificate were some photos that my journalism teacher absolutely insisted that I pose for. When it came time to do the art for this comic, I drew myself wearing the shirt I wore that day, and I included the correct date. Believe me, my memory is not that accurate, and I would have been incorrect otherwise.

The second, and I think most significant, thing I found was the solitary letter I received from the girl in this story, still in an envelope postmarked July 2001. And right next to it was the scrap of notebook paper that she'd written her home address on when we traded addresses.

I was astounded. I didn't think these items still existed.

It was a tad melancholic for me to reread her letter. She gushed about her summer, and asked me about mine. She sounded so damn hopeful. Then she ended the letter with a curious apology about her fickleness in sixth grade.

And in what was perhaps the saddest bit of all, she expressed her regret at not getting to know me in sixth grade. Instead, she wrote, she really wanted to get to know me better through letter correspondence. Which, as I said in the comic, never happened past that first letter.

It's a shame, too. She seemed quite articulate, and it would have been a joy to write to her on a regular basis. I'd like to imagine that the two of us would have gotten along famously as friends in college.

With that in mind, I must admit my hesitance to locate her on Facebook. At least right now, anyway. Too much water under the bridge...