Day 5: A Letter to Your Crush*

Dear Joe:
Sorry I was so obsessed with you for so long. It seems like if you ask a girl to dance once, you shouldn't be subjected to a year of her staring you down all the time. But then, that's the sort of risk you run in junior high. In the end, I'm glad we became friends, and just friends. The only thing we had in common was that one dance anyway. I probably loved the song we danced to every bit as much as I thought I loved you.
All the best,
Melanie

Dear Greg:
I'm so glad I summoned all of my courage and asked you on a date. It was truly an empowering experience. You were very nice to go with me. And just as nice about not ever reciprocating my devotion. But I will always remember you as the one I did something about. And for that I'm glad.
All the best,
Melanie

Dear Dustin:
When we met, I was a mere freshman and you were a newly returned missionary. And you were older than my brother. I'd never gone out with anyone older than my brother before. I'm pretty sure 75 percent of the girls on our floor were in love with you. Possibly more. And I was one of those girls. But they were my friends, so I couldn't just go pursuing you. And I was a lowly freshman, so I certainly didn't have the confidence to come after you anyway. So, instead, for months you would flirt with me and I would flirt with you. But all the other girls would flirt with you too, and I never did like competing. And I didn't want to hurt my friends. And, after all, you never did ask me out. And that just doesn't make a girl feel wanted.

Then the year ended, we all moved home, and you only called me once all summer. Was it a date we had? I guess now I know it was, but I didn't know then. And when we all moved back to school, there I was the only girl in the building who knew you. No competition. And you came to see me, but you never told me you were coming so I was never home. And you gave me rides home on the weekends, but you never took me anywhere else, so I figured you were just being nice. And you called me once for a date, but I couldn't go. Then you called back and asked my best friend to go instead. That just doesn't make a girl feel wanted. So I waited for you to call again, but you never did.

All year, I kept waiting. You wanted me to edit your papers, but while I was editing them you flirted with my roommates. That just doesn't make a girl feel wanted. So, maybe I never put myself out there enough, but neither did you. And after two years of angst, you moved on. While I was waiting for my mission call, you got engaged. And I have to admit that I cried and I wondered. But I also think that by then we had drifted into two very different people, and it's a good thing we're living very different lives now.

I guess it might have worked, but you'd have had to take me on a date to find out.
All the best,
Melanie

Dear Doug:
We sure had a lot of fun together, didn't we? Maybe you're the reason I did so much better in physics in college than High School. It was a lot more fun to study the second time around. I have to admit that I was shocked when you started flirting shamelessly on that long car ride back to Logan. After all, my roommate was completely in love with you. But you probably didn't know that, and she wasn't there. Thank you for supporting me as I prepared and left on my mission. I guess I never knew whether you wanted me to stay or not, but the important thing is that I wanted to go more than anything else. And I was nothing but happy to receive your announcement during my first transfer in Italy.
All the best,
Melanie

Dear Chase:
You were irresistible. Too bad a lot of other girls couldn't resist you either. Too bad you were more concerned with dating three Ashleys than dating anyone seriously. But what a dancer! I'm glad your missionary came home and you married her. You were probably too much of a cowboy for me, and I wasn't enough of a cowboy's wife.
All the best,
Melanie

Dear Tristan:
Knowing you was certainly exciting. But I never did know whether I could trust you completely. And that's not a great foundation for a long term relationship, is it? So it's probably better that things didn't work out between us. I hope you'll find someone who you need desperately as you never did need me. Some things just aren't meant to be.
All the best,
Melanie

Dear Mike:
You never were very good to me, or very good for me. At least your stay in my heart was a brief one.
All the best,
Melanie

*with thanks to Alannis Morissette for inspiring this interpretation of the assignment.