We Belong: Chapter 20

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SNAIL MAIL

(Jesse)

Being home again is such a relief.  Even though I still think of it as the new house, it is so much better to be there than at the hospital.  I get to share the room I usually share with Seth with Lexie.  She is a much better roommate, even if she mostly sleeps and doesn’t have much energy to play.

I missed my bed, which feels the same, and smells the same, and all that good stuff.  The only thing different is I have to wear this thing on my leg to keep it straight all the time.  It’s called an immobilizer.  (That’s just a fancy word that means it makes my leg stay stretched out and not bent.  I’m very good at vocabulary.)  I’m not very good at wearing the immobilizer.  It’s annoying.  Taking it off for a little bit when I’m allowed is my favorite part of the day.

When we have been home awhile, the snail mail starts coming.  Usually, we never get snail mail, except if it’s our birthday and that already happened.  Getting something that says my whole name on it feels official.  Like I’m a grown up.  Mom and Dad are the only ones who usually get mail and usually it’s stuff they don’t want, like bills.

Lucky for us, cards are a lot better than bills.  Sometimes, Lexie and I have to share cards, but we don’t mind because we share everything already.  We mind sharing chocolate, and our toys sometimes, but that’s it.  Everything else we are okay sharing.

My favorite card so far is from Shane.  He’s really creative and draws the best stuff.  His card is gigantic-sized and has a picture of a flying dragon with fire and reddish purple wings.  The letters on the front look smokey.  Inside the card, he wrote about what he and Connor have been doing.  It sounds a lot more fun than recovering from surgery.

[Image: A purple dragon in the sky above some trees]

Dear Jesse,

How are you?  I am fine.  I want to tell you everything you are missing, but don’t feel bad, OK?  I went swimming.  I wish you and Lexie could come, too, but Mom said if your cast got wet, it would be bad for your leg.  Are you getting fun things on your cast?  My friend at school got a green one when he needed a cast.  I think you should get a purple one.  That would be magic.  Connor wants to say hi.  Bye.  Love, Shane

Hi.  Connor.

Shane is so nice, he makes Lexie and me each our own cards.  Not everyone does it that way.  We don’t mind, like I said.  But when somebody takes time to make each of us one, it’s good.  

It means he is friends with each of us, by ourselves and both of us together.  

He doesn’t just think of us as “the twins.” 

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Questions for Discussion:

Do you like getting snail mail like Jesse?

What is the best card or letter you've ever gotten?  What makes it special?

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