Stories Based On Taylor Swift Songs

EVERMORE: 148. Closure

148. Closure (1/10/21)

Dear Vera,

It's been a long time, hasn't it? Every day I regret how everything ended with us. I wish we could see each other again, but I worry that you don't feel the same way I do. And I know sending a letter to you is strange, but I knew I couldn't express my true feelings to you in a text or email. And I remember how much you like receiving mail.

Anyway, I was thinking we could meet up sometime and talk. I'm hoping we can still be friends after what happened last summer.

-Tyrell

Vera stared at the letter so hard she thought her eyes would burn holes in the paper. She had been happy to find a letter sitting in her mailbox, but then she saw the name under the return address. Her whole body had started to cave in on itself, and despite her reluctance, she tore open the letter and scanned over the message with rapid speed.

"What the hell?" She screamed, even though she was alone in the apartment. Tyrell's words sounded stilted and performed. Since their breakup, she heard he was going to therapy. It had been her suggestion, and after two months, he was finally taking her advice. If Vera thought hard enough, she could picture Tyrell sitting down with his therapist and writing the letter out, going over every word and phrase. It made her sick to her stomach.

She was tempted to crumple up the page and throw it away. Why should she have to respond and make amends with Tyrell? He was the one who broke her heart last summer. He was the one who strayed and slept with that other girl. And now he was expecting some sort of closure?

Vera was all about ready to toss the letter in the trash, until she noticed something else in the envelope. It was a picture of her and Tyrell on their first date at a local amusement park. He had convinced her to go on the tallest, fastest rollercoaster, and she had made a mistake and agreed to it. In the picture, Tyrell was wearing a large grin and was waving his hands in the air. Vera's mouth was wide open in a scream, as if she inspired the painting "The Scream." A chuckle got lodged in her throat when she saw the picture, but she didn't let it fool her for a second. She knew what Tyrell was playing at. He wanted her back, or at least wanted her to think about it.

Vera stormed into her bedroom, lit a candle, and sat behind her desk. The letter and photo lay out in front of her. The scribbled words on the page were threatening, wondering what she would say in response. Before grabbing a pen and paper, Vera returned to the kitchen and snatched a beer out of the fridge. She didn't want to attempt to write this letter if she wasn't intoxicated.

Dear Tyrell,

I was surprised to find your letter in my mailbox, considering the fact that you haven't bothered to talk to me in over a year. I'm sure you feel guilty about what you've done

Vera stared at the page and knew she couldn't send that. If she admitted defeat or pointed out the guilt Tyrell was feeling, she knew she was giving up and accepting defeat. He would win, and the gap between them would be healed. So Vera threw the paper away and tried again.

Dear Tyrell,

I was surprised to find your letter in my mailbox, considering the fact that you haven't bothered to talk to me in over a year. I can tell you want to make amends and possibly apologize, but unfortunately, I'm not ready to forgive you. You've lost your chance. If you had sent this letter a year ago, right after you cheated on me, I might've thought it over. But instead, you waited until now. If you had waited much longer, I would've forgotten about the whole ordeal.

All this to say that I don't wish to see you ever again. I'm perfectly fine having a rift between us. I don't need your closure, or whatever your therapist tells you you need.

-Vera

Satisfied with her letter, Vera folded the paper and stuffed it in an envelope. She copied the return address from the first envelope before dropping her letter in the mailbox. It should reach Tyrell in a few days, and by then, he would know how she really felt.

"Tyrell, there's mail for you," his mother said, throwing the stack of magazine, bills, and letters on the kitchen counter. "It's on top there."

Tyrell walked into the kitchen, grabbed an apple from the fruit basket, and picked up the letter. He recognized the name in the corner of the envelope: Vera. His ex-girlfriend. He was surprised she had responded at all.

Taking a bite of his apple, he opened the letter and read over the words. Her cruel statements and words cut at his skin and heart. By the time he reached the end of the letter, his heart was in a million little pieces on the floor.

"Who was it, baby?" His mother asked, looking over at him. She was sitting in her easy chair, watching Jeopardy reruns.

Through tears, Tyrell tore up the letter and threw it in the trash with a simple, "No one" to his mother.