To: Michael Carmichael
From: Mandy Winchester
Subject: Settling In
Hey Mikey,
LOL, yeah, I know you hate being called that, but I couldn’t resist. I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t do it at least once, right? Anyway, bet you’re dying to know how things have been going since I moved to the middle of nowhere, right? Well, settle in – curiosity’s about to be satisfied.
First day I got here I went to the university to get the stuff I didn’t already have, and check out campus. Met a girl there by the name of Ilyana, and we’ve been getting along great. She’s got a fun sense of humor, though she is pushing a little too hard for her brother and I to date. Just why is beyond me, but he is cute, and I do like him. I’ll attach pics to this email, don’t worry.
I suppose I should go into detail about each of the people I’ve met so far. There have been several, so bear with me, k?
Ilyana – moved to town recently from Salem, Mass. to attend uni to accentuate her art. She already possesses an art degree from Yale (!), but decided to take some classes for fun, like Drama, to make her little comics she does more human like.
Timur – Ilyana’s older brother. He works as a bodyguard along with his friend, who I’ll get to in a moment. He’s fun, a good dancer, and has an awesome accent he can conjure up at will. Did I mention he’s Russian? Dad hasn’t pulled a gun on him once so far.
Sergei – Timur’s best friend, and a man of few words. Socially, he seems awkward, but I bet he’s good at his job. When they came over for dinner one night, Dad did more grilling of him than of Timur.
Trish – She’s a sweetheart. She used to be in the goth scene, same as me but now finders herself in a family way, and is trying to establish her life around that while juggling school. She’s studying Interior Design (yes, another artist!), and has already done one major design project in the form of a popular nightclub here in town.
Chance – Trish’s boyfriend. Seems like a nice guy as far as I know him. Photographer, so I’m told, though he has trouble getting around. Presently he’s on crutches, and I guess he was in a wheelchair for a while. Right now he works over at an outreach center helping with day-to-day operations.
Jacqueline – Dad met her at the grocery store. She’s Dad’s age or thereabouts, so I’m guessing, and she seems to like Dad. I’ve been pushing Dad to make some friends, and it seems like she’s going to be the first. They went out on a tour of the city together, and had dinner tonight. I’m hoping things work out – maybe even evolve into dating. I know Dad says he isn’t ready, but I think having someone in his life might help his loneliness, if nothing else.
I met some others, but only briefly. Dad is going to have a housewarming thing this weekend, and Jacqueline offered to bring over some people she knows for Dad to meet and get to know. I am worried about him. Whenever it comes time for me to bug out and be on my own, I think he’s going to be very lonely and that’s why I want him to have company.
So how about you? how’re things going? I miss you – no one could ever replace you – you’re too awesome 🙂 Get back to me when you can. Love ya, miss ya, ttyl.