Very Sincerely Yours

by Kerry Winfrey

Teddy didn’t believe in guilty pleasures as a concept. She figured if you liked something, whether it was the Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme or the music of boy bands from the late nineties (okay, so those were both examples from Teddy’s life), why feel guilty about it? The world was a tough, cruel place. Why not find joy wherever you could, grab that joy by the metaphorical joy reins, and hold on tight?

Sometimes it helps to think back to what made us happy when we were young, before we met people who told us our dreams were silly or unrealistic. What lit up your heart when you were a kid? Maybe that’s your thing.

“Ghost of Eleanor Roosevelt, give me strength,”

“Celebratory Crunchwrap Supremes!” Eleanor cheered. “The perfect drunchies!” Teddy wrinkled her nose. “What’s a drunchie?” “You sweet, innocent child,” Kirsten said with a headshake. “Drunk munchies. Drunchies. Something to shove down the ol’ gullet and soak up all the alcohol and questionable decisions. And trust me, the Taco Bell menu is scientifically designed to be perfect drunchies.”

I want to let this Cheesy Gordita Crunch cure my ills.” “Seriously, you bought so much Taco Bell,” Eleanor said. “This is, like, the entire menu.” “Soft tacos will fill the void,” Teddy said with her mouth full.

When it’s really love, you don’t have to lose yourself. Falling in love should make you more yourself.”

“Oh, shut up and listen,” Josie said. “I was so lucky to meet John, and you know we never had children.” Teddy nodded. Josie had had such a packed-full schedule that Teddy always assumed she’d never wanted kids, that taking care of someone else would have slowed her down. “We tried. For a long time. And when it became clear that it wasn’t gonna happen for us . . . well, I figured maybe it wasn’t meant to be. John and I always loved spending time together, just the two of us, and we thought it might be for the best. We could be together, uninterrupted. We could travel.” Josie sighed. “But of course, we didn’t travel. John opened the store, and that was that. We spent all our time working. And after he passed away, I guess part of me wondered . . . well, if maybe I’d made a mistake. If I should’ve figured out why we couldn’t get pregnant, seen if doctors could’ve helped us. Or looked into adoption. Had a family another way.” “Oh, Josie,” Teddy murmured, squeezing her hands. “I didn’t know. . . .” Josie shook her head quickly. “This isn’t a sob story, sweetie. That’s just what life is. Even if you’re happy with the path you went down, part of you always wonders what was on that other road you passed a few miles back. That doesn’t mean it’s some grand tragedy. But it’s a loss all the same.” Teddy pressed her lips together. “But then.” Josie smiled. “I met you. And from the moment you walked in the store, with that shy smile and your bright eyes, I thought, ‘Oh, this is my daug...

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’ve gotta have a conversation. Tell him everything about how you feel and give him a chance to tell you what he’s feeling. Don’t run away when it gets hard, because let me tell you—if you’re with someone for their whole life, things are gonna get hard. They’re gonna get hard in ways you can’t even imagine. The only chance you have of making it work is by opening up your mouth and saying what you’re feeling.”

“Love doesn’t conquer all. But when it’s real, when both of you feel it, it can conquer a whole hell of a lot.”

that was what life was all about, right? Trying new things, discovering what you loved and hated, exploring all of your major and minor passions? Maybe she wouldn’t ever find one big thing that lit her up; maybe it was enough to be constantly discovering a million little things that made life worth living.