The Unfortunate Curse of Being Considerate in the Time of Text Messaging

This old geezer is stuck in the 80s. Help!

Good ‘ol days of letter writing. Photo by Ranurte on Unsplash

I n the summer of 1987, my best friend from high school went back to visit her hometown of then Yugoslavia. I missed her immensely.

I scribbled my feelings on a stationery paper, in cursive and all.

I picked out the purple hydrangea from our garden and inserted them into the envelope.

I decorated the stationery with scratch-and-smell vanilla cupcake stickers. The last touch — applying my mom’s reddest lipstick and kissing the envelope.

I cycled to the post office, half an hour away from our house, licked the stamp and away it flew.

Actual letters from my best friend sent from Yugoslavia in the 80s.

Every evening, giddy with anticipation, I opened the mailbox, shifting through junk mail.

When the letter arrived, I ripped the envelope, glitter spilling, me giggling, feeling warm and fuzzy.

Forward to 2022.

I message my friend on WhatsApp. No response for a day. Then: