The one, the only -- MATT FOSTER

My cousin recently went through some boxes of old things in her house and came across a letter I'd written to her and her sister when I was 14. My cousins lived in a nearby state so we only saw each other a couple of times a year, but we were very close, often spending weeks together during the summers. At a family wedding last night, my cousin gave me the letter, which was written a couple of monhts after my dad learned he had cancer, and a couple of months before he died. It has plenty of cringe-worthy teenage expressions and my views on some things in it have certainly changed, so part of me is reluctant to share it. But it was really prescient when it came to my relationship with Matthew ("Matt" as I and all of his friends called him in high school) and I thought was worth swallowing my pride to put (an edited version) out there.

"Have I got some news for you guys. Move over, Melissa -- I am going out with Matt Foster. Take a deep breath, Liss -- you heard me right, folks -- the one, the only -- MATT FOSTER.

"I guess you're wondering how this happened. It's a long story. Basically I kind of -- fell in love -- in four days...

"Since Daddy was in the hospital, Rachael and I stayed at the Fosters' for almost a week. It was cool -- Sarah and I had a lot of fun together. But the very cool part was that Matt and I got to be better friends. The best thing I ever did for both of us was when I stopped liking him a couple of months ago. That way, this time we got to be friends before anything happened between us. I really didn't like him -- romantically -- I was all set to go out with ___ when you guys were here, remember? But something happened. We spent so much time together -- we're in choir at church together, I sing for the band now -- not to mention the fact that we were living in the same house for a week. We got to know each other, and we found out we have so much in common. And he was really there for me in dealing with Daddy -- he can tell when I'm uptight, and he would just be there and let me pour it all out to him.

"Things didn't really get romantic, though, until I went with his family to their grandparents in New Orleans for New Year's. Sarah was really sick, and she slept most of the time. I'm certainly not saying I wanted her to be sick, but...it did give me and Matt some time alone...time enough for me to get my first kiss!

"I don't want to sound slutty -- but we kind of, okay, we did make out for a long time. We were in his grandparents TV room, and it just kind of happened. (By the way, it was wonderful. :-) ). Our little sisters and his Mom walked in on us. That was not cool. His Mom is actually happy that we're going out, but she still went and told everyone in his family that we had been making out -- including his dad. It was not fun.

"But we got through it, and now we're going out -- tomorrow will be our one-week-aversary. I am very happy. Things are cool at school, even though he's a sophomore and I'm only a freshman. The band is going to play at a party Friday night -- my first performance. I am so nervous!

"One of my friends told me that I was so lucky, that I had a perfect life. I couldn't believe she said that -- how can I have a perfect life when my dad may not be around for my next Christmas? Sometimes, I deal with it okay. I have a strong faith, and I know God is doing this for a reason. But it still hurts. Yes, I do have a boyfriend and I am pretty happy. But no, my life isn't perfect -- who's is?

"...I can't wait to see you again soon -- I'll try and introduce you to the guys in the band. Write soon! Peace and love, Mandy."