Mandy,

I’m sorry our lives have gone on so long, apart from one another. I grieve a dream I once held onto that involved family. I was quite naive and immature. I value the brief time, in our youth, when we were together. It is now so very long ago.

I could never have imagined the struggle you were in the midst of while we knew one another. I was not prepared, in any way, to deal with what our relationship became. Since we last spoke, I have become more capable of managing ambiguity in life and love. I really wish I would have responded better to your needs. For my deficits, I am truly sorrowful.

I remember the first time I saw you. You were in the front hall of the school, alone. I will still sit and talk with people like that, even today. I wondered why you felt lonely and I wanted to alleviate the burden of your solitude at that moment. I also remember how scared I was to let go of your hand when I finally got the courage up to hold it in the first place. I place value in the memory of our shared, innocent love.

That was a long time ago and you are a much different person. I grieve the loss of our adult relationship. I think you would have admired my books and appreciated my education. If there is any love left, it belongs to me. I accept everything as it is, without condition.

-Max