To him: I lied. This didn’t cheer me up at all. It went the total opposite of the way I wanted it to.

Saucy Troubles for Troubling Sauces

The Third Story

Your Name Starts With ‘L’

To Whom It May Concern:

I went by the store the other day and saw a million flowers. They were all bunched together, a wild gathering of sweet color, all whites, and reds, and oranges, and purples, and yellows all blended into a great expanse of beauty. They reminded me of you and the way you’re always so bright. You, like those flowers, are a gathering of millions of different colors and each of them make me happier than the last. I thought about buying you some flowers. They weren’t enough.

I was in the library the other day and saw a million books. They were all lined upon the shelves, dusty and old, yet holding so many words. I wanted to pick one up, open it, and discover all the knowledge and stories that they contain. They reminded me of you and the way you’re always so wise. You, like those books, are filled with knowledge and stories. I enjoy reading your words that are so beautiful. I thought about buying you some books. They weren’t enough.

I went to the park the other day and saw a million birds. They were all singing and chirping, bringing music to my ears that could not be created with any mechanical instrument. They reminded me of you and the way you never fail to make me happy. Your words, even when I can’t hear them, uplift my soul and make me want to dance in the streets. You, like those birds, are your own song and I want to play you over and over again. I thought about buying you some birds. They weren’t enough.

I went to my desk the other day and wrote a million words. They were all thought-out and printed in my obsessively neat handwriting, sitting on the pale blue lines of the thin paper. They were for you, trying to explain how important you were and how glad I was that I had gotten to know you. You, however, were not accurately represented with all those words. I thought about giving you those words. They weren’t enough.

I went to the bathroom the other day and saw a million reflections. They were all of me, shining up to my eyes from the broken shards of mirror. They reminded me that I could never be the one for you because you are in love with her and not me. You tell me how much you care for her and how beautiful and wonderful she is, but you don’t see how much it rips me apart like the petals of those flowers, the pages of those books, the feathers on those birds, or the paper that I threw in the garbage. The only thing you see in me is something you could never love. You, like those reflections, are something I can no longer stand to look at. I thought about giving you myself. I wasn’t enough.

Signed,

Me