The Lies That Bind(24)

     JUNE 30



OMG!!! BEYOND BRUTAL! LIFE IS SO UNFAIR! I think you wrote the right thing; what else can you really say? It’s actually incredible that he’s sharing all of this with you. If the tables were turned, I can’t imagine you keeping in touch with some guy you just met like this. He must be head over heels. Either that, or he’s totally lying and making this whole Lou Gehrig’s thing up, and he’s really in London with another woman. Okay, sorry. That was in really poor taste. But it popped into my head and you know I can’t filter. Calm down. And don’t get all paranoid, either. I don’t actually think that’s a possibility. Thinking of you and LYLAS, Scotté P.S. Come home soon!! Wisconsin for the Fourth?

JUNE 30



Wait. I just got a better idea. Let’s go to London! Didn’t you say Grant invited you there at one point? You can tell him you know he’s busy with his brother and that we don’t want to intrude and will be doing our own thing. But I really think I need to meet this guy. Also, and I know this is morbid, but you need to meet his brother ASAP. If you get my drift. What if Grant is “the One” and you never meet his twin brother?? You’d both regret that forever. Anyway, let’s do it! What do you say? Am I being selfish? More selfish than usual? Call me to discuss! LYLAS, Scotté JULY 1



Ha-ha-ha. You’re being an insensitive rube, as always. But thanks for making me smile. I needed that. I’ll call you in a little bit to plan a visit. (Home, not to London!) LYLAB, C

     JULY 1



Cecily,

Thank you for your last email. I can’t tell you how much better you made me feel. There are just so many ups and downs. But in the past couple days, it feels like things are going in the right direction. It’s too early to know if the treatment is working, but Byron seems a little less fatigued. I know it’s possible that it’s just a placebo effect, but I’m hopeful that it’s more than that. I’m also hopeful that you’ve given some thought to a visit? I looked at ticket prices and they aren’t too bad. I would love to buy you one. For your birthday. July 17th, right? I need to see you. I miss you so much.

Love,

Grant

JULY 1



Grant,

I would love to visit you, and can think of no better way to spend my birthday. But I would not let you buy me a plane ticket. Maybe dinner, though? :) What if I came with my friend Scottie? That way you wouldn’t be under any pressure to entertain me, depending on what was going on with your brother, and I wouldn’t be worried about being a burden on you. We could still spend as much free time as you had together, and if we wanted to be alone, that would be cool with Scottie. He’s very independent. Let me know what you think.

XO,

Cecily

JULY 1



I think you should definitely come. I’d love to meet Scottie. But I’d want us to be alone some, too. Please tell me you’re serious about this. I’m getting my hopes up. Love, Grant

     JULY 2



I’m serious. I’ll look at flights now…XO, C

JULY 3



Grant! I’m all booked! See below:

Flight details:

Depart JFK Wednesday July 18 6:55 pm

Land Heathrow Thursday July 19 5:40 am

Depart Heathrow Sunday July 22 10:30 am

Love, C

JULY 4



This makes me so happy. You have no idea. Can you see the smile on my face from NYC? Happy Fourth of July. How are you spending the holiday? Love, G.

JULY 4



You’re going to be so jealous. I spent the day in Coney Island covering the Hot Dog Eating Contest. In case you missed the results, twenty-three-year-old Japanese business student Takeru “The Tsunami” Kobayashi won the honors, downing a record number fifty hot dogs in twelve minutes. Best quote of the day was from a Brooklyn postal worker who said: “Kobayashi is the greatest athlete I’ve ever seen.” Yes, he actually said athlete. Bizarre subculture. How are things there?? How’s your brother? Fifteen more days!

JULY 7



Hello from Paris! My brother and I got cheap last-minute flights and decided to come for a few days. Today we’re doing a cruise on the Seine and visiting the Louvre. Tomorrow we do Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. Monday we go to Normandy since Byron’s a huge history buff. Not sure we’ll be able to navigate the actual beaches, but we will definitely hit the American and British cemeteries. France is no Coney Island hot dog eating contest—ha-ha—but should be fun. I miss you and can’t wait to see you.

     Love,

Grant

JULY 7



Enjoy France! I’ll be thinking of you, as always. XO, C

JULY 9



Are you back yet? How was the rest of your trip? Not much going on here. Working on a story about one of the Backstreet Boys going to rehab for depression and alcohol abuse, hence postponing the rest of their North American tour. The other members of the band announced the news live on MTV. So that’s really all I got. Talk soon, I hope. Love, Cecily JULY 11



Cecily, yes, we are back in London. The trip was good, though in hindsight Normandy may not have been the best idea. Too many graves. Too many lives lost. Even the German cemetery was gut-wrenching. We think of them as the enemy—and they were, of course. But how many of those young people actually believed in what they were doing, and how many simply had no choice? They lost their lives just like the Americans, the British, the French. But our men are heroes…martyrs with white crosses laid to rest on a gorgeous bluff overlooking the sea. Their legacy is only darkness. Maybe in the end it doesn’t matter. All I know for sure is that life is tragic. For everyone. We are all living in a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions while pretending we don’t know the inevitable ending….