Dreaming of His Pen Pal's Kiss - Jessie Gussman Page 0,18

want to settle with just one. There were too many that looked interesting to me.

I know, that’s probably hard for someone like you to understand. Someone that’s really happy with just one guy. At least you sounded like you were happy with him.

I don’t know. Maybe it’s also a prestige thing.

To some extent, the girl on my arm gave me a certain feeling. Maybe the way a fancy car or fancy watch or an expensive suit might. It all makes you feel like you’ve arrived. It doesn’t make me look good, but I guess girls were objects.

That really makes me seem shallow to admit that, but that’s not uncommon. Not among men anyway. You look at the girl beside you, and you judge how people are looking at you based on how she looks.

It has nothing to do with her personality or who she is. But everything to do with what she looks like, and maybe a little about what she’s achieved.

If she’s a big-name actress or someone on social media that everybody recognizes, people might look at me and think I must really be something, to have a car like that and a watch like that and a suit like that and a girl like that.

Man, I’m embarrassed to explain it. That’s the way almost every guy I know thinks.

The guys around me aren’t really normal though.

And just for the record, I don’t think like that anymore. I guess it’s been kind of a while since I felt like that, but I knew I needed to be like that.

Peer pressure for sure.

I know. I was a little too honest. Honestly, I’d rather talk about bees and spinach.

And my app. It’s almost ready to launch.

I hope you write back soon, maybe sooner than you usually do? I’m kind of nervous to mail this thinking you probably aren’t going to talk to me again.

Anxious,

Computer Geek

DEAR COMPUTER GEEK,

I wrote the same day I received your letter. Normally I don’t, but I wanted to assure you that the way you treat your girlfriends doesn’t affect how much I like you and whether or not we’re friends.

Maybe that seems odd, and I can’t say that I approve of what you explained, but so far at least, you haven’t treated me like that. And I suppose, even if you do, I might not be successful, but I would try to live out the principle that you don’t treat others the way they treat you, you treat them the way you want to be treated.

Now, I’ll be the first person to admit it’s a lot easier to live that out when people are being nice to you.

It’s a real struggle, and I’m not very successful, when people are being unkind.

In fact, there’s actually prevalent teaching even in the church today that says you have to distance yourself from toxic relationships.

And that you’re a doormat if you allow people to be unkind to you.

I guess Jesus was the great doormat. After all, Calvary is the epitome of allowing people to be unkind to you, isn’t it?

That thought always reminds me of the song about how he could have called ten thousand angels, not just to get him off the cross but to strike everyone dead who wanted him there.

I suppose that would have been modern psychology in action.

I’m pretty happy Jesus doesn’t subscribe to modern psychology.

He’s supposed to be our example.

Sorry, you hit a nerve. Obviously.

Anyway, I guess I don’t need to beat that horse to death anymore.

I think this is the last letter you’ll get before you leave on your trip.

You never said whether or not you mind if I write even though you can answer me.

I told you I don’t have any trouble answering myself. I have whole conversations with myself in my head.

Now, I’m going to be worried as to whether or not we’re still friends.

That’s not really something I could admit to normal people.

There, you wanted me to tell you what makes me unique.

Is unique synonymous with crazy?

In uniqueness (craziness),

The Healing Pen

DEAR HEALING PEN,

Unique is not synonymous with crazy.

I’ve heard people say it’s okay to talk to yourself as long as you don’t answer yourself, but I don’t see any reason why you can’t answer yourself. What’s the point if you don’t?

I’ve never actually tried that. I don’t usually talk to myself. I could see me talking to a dog, though.

I’ve thought about getting one. Do you have a dog?

They don’t eat vegetables, so I wouldn’t have competition there. Although, I have to