Dear Kitty,

This is the first and only time I’m going to address you directly. I’m not mad at you or anything. I’m just not who I used to be. And I know people say that often. But there’s no other way of putting it. Anyway, I still want to keep you up to speed with all that is happening in my life.

I noticed the shift when I stopped writing about love like I used to. It was no longer about  romance or meet-cutes or all those other platitudes that we enjoyed on the Q.T. Now my writings about love entail adultery, unrequited love, and stupid psychological games. I won’t lie to you. Jose had a lot to do with my sudden half-full-to-half-empty mental switch. I’m obviously not with him anymore. I got mad at him for wanting to be with a transgender women not unlike myself instead of a woman that could continue to add to his family tree. That wasn’t the only incident that led to our departure. But I’ll spare you the boring details all at once; instead I’ll sprinkle them across different writing pieces the way we used to sprinkle Tajin on our diced watermelon.

“I’m still learning to be kinder to myself, but you know, it’s all a process and all that hooey. I don’t actually believe things get better. We just learn to tolerate circumstance.”

A lot has happened since we last hung out. I have new breasts, and I go out more often. I like to think I’m not as depressed as I used to be. I’m still learning to be kinder to myself, but you know, it’s all a process and all that hooey. I don’t actually believe things get better. We just learn to tolerate circumstance.

I won’t write you letters anymore after this one. They’re much too childish for me now. Life has turned me into an overly-serious, depressed adult. Keep an eye out for my writing. Even though they won’t be addressed to you–they’re meant to keep you in the loop. 

Yours Truly,

Athena Vasquez