May 25, 2013

Danny,

You should know that I thought long and hard about who I should address my first letter to the practice to. Sending it to Betsy might lead her to believe that I'm reconsidering conversion, I feel like Morgan might mistake it as a romantic overture, Jeremy wouldn't care, and something tells me that I shouldn't bequeath Beverly with samples of my handwriting, so…you're the lucky winner, buddy! I encourage you to treat this like the honor it is.

Danny, it is so beautiful here. I never expected to develop an attachment to this place so quickly, but I've grown such a soft spot for this little village and I already feel like I'll be forever changed by it. The heat doesn't suffocate me here like it does back home. While I still think nothing compares to the Autumn in New York, the sun-painted trees of Haiti give the changing leaves of the city viable competition. And I watched a sunrise today! I know I've said a couple times that I would never feel compelled to get up early to watch the sun, but I did today and it was gorgeous. I never imagined that something so mundane could make me feel a part of something so great, like the Earth and I were in on the same secret. It was pretty neat.

And I know you're going to make fun of me when I tell you this, but I'm going to tell you anyway: you know that excitement I feel whenever we walk by that bakery close to our building and I can smell the bread from outside? Well, I feel the same excitement here, too, even though the air here doesn't smell exactly the same. Truth be told: the air here can get pretty foul… way worse than what we're used to at the transit station. But when we get to visit the market and the guy is avidly pushing his mangoes, the sweet smell embeds itself in my nose and stays with me until Casey and I get back to our hut. Sometimes the smell of spices and cooking meat overrides the stench of sewage and it reminds me of growing up and smelling my mother's cooking from my room (the spices, not the sewage, obviously). It's amazing how something so simple can awaken a part of us so aggressively, a part of us that we had forgotten about or simply had no clue existed.

I'm running out of room and I didn't even get to tell you about the people! They are so incredible, but I think I'll have to save that for my next letter (Oh yes, there will be more. Sorry, not sorry!). What's going on over there? Tell me everything, leave nothing out.

I miss you all…yes, Danny, that includes you.
Mindy

June 2, 2013

Mindy,

I'm happy to be the choice of your first letter home. Even if the list of other contenders is lacking and this honor is by default.

How are you? Your letter makes it sound like you're on a vacation in paradise (except for some of the foul smells). Tell me more about the village you're so taken with. Somehow the way you're describing it makes it sound really nice.

I have to say I'm impressed you're adapting so well. Thriving, even. I know when you set your mind to something there's no changing it, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I would have never pegged you for the kind to wake up expressly to watch the sunrise.

Tell me about the people and the work.

Let's see. . . what have you missed here? I think Morgan is secretly running an underground no-kill shelter out of his grandmother's house, but I can't prove it. Betsy and Beverly are, well, still Betsy and Beverly. No change there. Jeremy's dating the entirety of the Met's ballet dancers at once and it's starting to get - interesting. Let's just put it this way: if Jeremy owned a car someone would have keyed it by now. They all miss you and I'll read some of your letter aloud to them once I've finished writing this.

Good hearing from you.
Danny

June 12, 2013

Danny,

Getting your letter was honestly the highlight of my week! For some reason I thought any response from you would be written begrudgingly. I can't think of a time that I've ever been happier to be so wrong. I wouldn't advise you to get use to it, though. I'll resume my role as "the right one" soon enough.

Port-au-Prince is definitely not my typical vision of paradise - much of the city is still devastated from the earthquake years ago and there's a growing presence of slums - but we have the fortune of being situated in one of the more developed areas, a village that is slowly rebuilding. It's mostly comprised of tents and shacks with the market serving as the bustling center. Our hut is simple and is adorned with very little more than a clothing line and very basic furnishings, but we are among some of the lushest trees and a very modest garden, which is more than what most people have. I love it. I reminds me of hard work.

The people are what make the city so beautiful. There is a constant, genuine sense of community here. Everyone talks, laughs, and fights like family and they help each other, even though they don't have much. There are these two sisters who have taken a liking to me, Fredeline and Saraphina. They are eight and ten and, thankfully, have no knowledge of how historically awful I am with children. We see each other in the market often and they follow me while I shop. Danny, they are so adorable, with all of their questions about city life and American schools. Saraphina is especially interested in me - she wants to become a doctor. Fredeline says that she wants to grow up to be the wife of Bruno Mars. I completely support both dreams with almost the same amount of intensity (obviously I'm rooting for the Saraphina's goals more, but...it's Bruno. I can't blame Freddie too much).

There are a few other volunteers here, including Samantha, a recent college grad from a small town in Kentucky who mainly works on housing, and a young doctor named Gavin. He's also from New York (Long Island, I think), he's serious, and it's very hard to rope him into idle chat. He is, however, an amazing doctor and very great with the kids. In some ways he reminds me of you when we first met.

This would probably be a good time to confess that I didn't actually wake up for the sunrise on my own accord. A supply truck backfired early one morning and startled me awake. Between the noise of the truck and Casey's snoring I found it impossible to go back to sleep. I decided to sit under one of my favorite trees (yes, I, Mindy Lahiri, have a favorite tree) until I felt tired again. When that time never came, I found myself staring into the horizon and in the company of the rising sun. It was a gorgeous sight...but you're right. Even after witnessing such beauty, I'm still not one to rise early and experience it on my own volition. That's why I didn't tell Casey. I just know that if I did, he'd be waking me up every other morning. Will I ever be one of those women who prefers the simple pleasure of a sunrise? I would like to think that it's possible.

Sitting under that tree I thought a lot about home and the work I'm doing in Port-au-Prince. I feel needed in an entirely different sense here, Danny. Back home, there are options. What we do is so important, obviously, but our patients can ultimately go somewhere else, for any reason. Here, the other volunteers and I are all this village has. I just feel like I'm making more of an impact here. Sometimes that weight of that impact can get to me, but overall it feels incredible.

I'm not entirely confident that I know what a no-kill shelter is, but I can still say with absolute certainty that yes, Morgan is running one of those. Nothing that you said about Jeremy surprises me one bit. How is Tamra working out?

And I believe I gave you very clear instructions to not leave anything out, and yet you conveniently left out any and all updates concerning you. How are you? What's new? What hasn't changed? Tell me everything (and I mean everything).

Miss you all,
Mindy

June 19, 2013

Dear Mindy,

I'm not surprised you've already made a ton of friends. The kids sound inquisitive and a lot like you. You're already a doctor and I'm sure you'd be happy to be that Bruno Mars's wife. Of course they like you. And this Gavin sounds clearly very smart and extremely good looking if he reminds you of me.

I've been reading up about Haiti, Port-au-Prince specifically, and how the recovery is going? I don't know a ton about it, but what area are you in? The situation there is astounding. Why are more people not still talking about this? You're doing a good thing. That's true what you said about people having options here and not there. I would imagine that could feel daunting sometimes. Does it make you want to look further into humanitarian work after this year is up? You are actually coming home. Right?

You garden now? I don't believe it. I mean, I believe it . . . but I'm going to need a picture of you with your hands in the dirt to prove it.

I knew you didn't get up early just to watch the sunrise! And so what? It doesn't mean you don't appreciate the simple things - just not that one in particular. You're living in a hut. That should be simple enough.

You know what a no-kill shelter is. I caught you crying a few months ago at the ASPCA commercial in the lounge, remember. Telling me you had hot sauce on your finger when you rubbed your eyes is an unbelievable lie. You had just come out of a delivery.

Tamra. She still sings. A lot. Loudly. And she spends a LOT of time talking to her boyfriend on the office phone. I do stand by my promise not to fire her without good reason while you're gone, though. She is actually a fairly good nurse when she's with patients.

Morgan is spearheading the collection of things to send you. I can't vouch for everything that's being sent, but at least some of it should appeal to you. I know you can't possibility be as excited as you'd like me to believe about all those fresh fruits and vegetables.

Honestly, it's weird here with you away. Morgan keeps trying to get me to go to lunch with him and I'm running out of polite ways to tell him no. He clearly doesn't know who to smother with affection now that you're gone.

I didn't really leave myself out of the last letter. There's not any news to share is all. I'm fine. Oh, I did go to the Jade Turtle the other night for dinner and a couple of the waiters told me to tell you hello.

Keep me updated on your young friends and everything else happening in your world.

Your Not So Begrudging Pen Pal,
Danny

June 29, 2013

Dear Danny,

My care package arrived just one day after your last letter! Please tell everyone I said thank you for their generosity...especially for the bras! I admit they threw me off at first, but they turned out to be an absolute Godsend. I'm a little - I won't say "disappointed" because I'm grateful for everything I got - surprised by the lack of peanut butter cups in the package, as Morgan and I had a very firm agreement in place before I left. And the Bit-O-Honey, which has Betsy written all over it...I feel bad, but I've just never liked them. I offered the box to Casey, the other volunteers, as well as the kids in the village and nobody wanted it. I literally can't give it away.

We are located in one of the tent cities closest to Marche de fer, or the Iron Market, as us simple Americans know it as. It is soul-crushing to see just how much still needs to be done. You know, it wasn't clear to me just how easy it was to forget about the aftermath of these tragedies when you're not directly faced with it. We heard about the earthquake, immediately took an interest in helping, and then as soon as we felt like we had done enough we moved on to the next thing. I know it was with the best of intentions in mind, but it's so hard to see people still actively searching for their loved ones years later. Even though I'm here and giving as much of me to the cause as I humanly can, there are times when I still feel like I'm not doing enough. Maybe that's why we don't hear anyone talking about it as much; talking about it puts us face to face with just how helpless we truly feel about all of it.

I wouldn't say that I have a ton of friends here, but the few people I've met have really made an impression. Samantha is so blindingly optimistic (which is a lot, coming from me) and wants to help so much. She talks a lot about her church at home and you can tell that she is the girl that volunteers for every little thing. I can imagine that it's one of those things that would annoy you at first until you realize how genuine she is, and then it's just endearing. Surprisingly, she's the only one that has managed to get more than ten words out of Gavin. I think I even saw him smile (or he might have been trying to get food out of his back teeth). Actually, I just recently learned that he had a pretty rough childhood, which included him and his family living out of a van for a period of time. You can see that struggle sometimes when he's with his patients, like his own life depends on their well-being. Gavin's such an inspiration that I purposefully dial back my usual obsessive tendencies to pressure him into friendship. I just let him do his thing; he doesn't need any distractions from me. I also fail to see how his good looks have any connection to you whatsoever, but I'm sure you'll educate me soon enough.

Please tell Wyatt and Desmond at the Jade Turtle that I said hi! And I could have sworn that you made fun of the Turtle not too long ago for being a place only fit for "desperate dates and shameless cougars", so which one are you? Did you have a hot date? And if I can get a little more than "yes" or "no," that would be great...because "I'm fine" does not count as an update. It's okay to talk about yourself, you know. Seriously, Danny, how are you these days?

Speaking of hot dates, you should really go to lunch with Morgan. He's intense, but he's fun. And you need someone there to bounce your ridiculous rants off of in a pinch with me over here. Plus, he knows a lot of really great places and is friends with 90% of the busboys in the city, so he gets insane discounts. Go. You might be surprised.

If I didn't know any better, I would think that Danny Castellano is worried that I might decide to never return home. That can't be the case, though, right? I'm sure you've fantasized about all the peace and quiet you'd finally be able to enjoy, all of the clients you'd absorb...oh, just think about all that good insurance...

I like to think that a little part of you misses me, though.

Talk to you soon,
Mindy

P.S. - I made sure to snap a picture of my dirty, garden smudged hands washing fresh bell peppers, which I happened to be very excited about, thank you very much. I'll show it to you when I do eventually return.

July 10, 2013

Dear Mindy,

You're welcome for the package. This may or may not lessen your gratitude when I tell you that the bras were from Morgan. He insisted. And weirdly, he knew your size...

The Bit-O-Honey was indeed from Betsy. Good eye. You will be happy to know that we convinced her the box was already too full for her to add the Necco Wafers. Be warned though that she has intentions of making sure they're first in the next box. And I will personally ensure there are at least enough Reese Cups in the next box to send you into a diabetic coma.

I read up on the Marche de fer. It sounds intense. There was an article on one site that said sometimes the market is hard to walk through because of desperate people accosting the public trying to sell their wares? Is this something you have experienced? And if so, is it any worse than some of those sample sales that you've told me about? I hope you feel safe there and your pastor is looking out for you. He seems like a nice guy, but maybe more of a lover than a fighter.

You're a good person, Mindy. Have I ever told you that? I give you a lot of grief but what you're doing there is important and a huge sacrifice. You should be really proud of the work you're doing there. I make sure and give updates about what you're doing to all of your patients when I see them. I was talking to Mrs. Rodriguez about it today and she sends her regards. She said she's praying for you and when you get back she's going to make you a welcome home flan.

Mindy Lahiri, dialing back her obsessive tenancies to force people to be her friend? Never. You must really think a lot of this guy. And it sounds like to me you've got your very own little soap opera brewing. I don't know if it's actually happening or if it's just the way you're telling it, but it sounds like to me this Gavin is into Samantha. Anything happen since you sent your last letter? Jeez. Somehow you got me invested in this!

Yeah, I caved and went to lunch with Morgan last week. He promised he was buying and that we were going to Chipotle. Turns out it was some guy whose name is Dewayne Chipotle and serves burritos out of his trunk. It was pretty good actually. We're going back next week.

Of course I've fantasized about all the peace and quiet with you out of the picture for good! I'm already storing my bike in your office again. And Mrs. Rodriguez may have said she would make you a welcome home flan, but she told me that she's making me churros for my birthday. And you know that Mrs. Rodriguez has full medical coverage through her job.

I'm good. Honestly. And I was there at the Jade Turtle on a date. I guess they're still dates even if you've been married and divorced once already? Christina and I went. I kind of figured you assumed we were still together. I know I told you we were going to take things slower, but why wait, right? There's a place in Jersey that she found that she really likes. It's in an artsy neighborhood, a lot of farmers markets and the like, but there's a nice yard. And if traffic's okay it's less than an hour commute into the city. We put in an offer on it Thursday. I'll let you know how it goes.

Take care of yourself,
Danny

P.S. One of those Housewife shows of yours was on the other night in the lounge while I was in there reading my paper. Doris came in to clean and thought I was watching it even though clearly I wasn't. I wished you'd been there to blame it on. So I guess I missed you that day.

July 21, 2013

Dear Danny,

Wow, I did not make the connection that you were still with Christina at all, for some reason! I kind of assumed that you would slow things down to a stop. That was my mistake. I'm happy to hear that you're feeling comfortable enough to move things forward. Not gonna lie, I'm not happy to hear your plans to move out of the city. Truth be told, I do look forward to our commute. Arguing with you over the validity of televised talent competitions tends to make the time go by a lot faster. Still, I hope things work out with the house, despite those menacing farmer's markets. If you're happy, then I'm happy.

The market can get a little intense, but I have the added benefits of being accompanied by my well-known "pastor" (a strange way for you to refer to my boyfriend, but whatever) and having the ability to blend in a little better than most of the volunteers. I don't get hassled as much as I could. There have been a couple of times when tensions ran high and violence broke out, but Casey got me out of there pretty swiftly. I've also gotten a lot better at spotting the signs of incoming trouble and leaving before anything gets out of hand, which is a skill I'll be taking back to the city. So yes, Casey does a good job of looking out for me, but I'm definitely capable of looking out for myself.

Somehow I'm not shocked that Morgan was responsible for the undergarments. He's hella intuitive about those things. I may be going crazy, but I have a growing suspicion that he's tracking my cycles. He tends to tread lightly around me on the 11th of each month and pushes the suggestion of Greek food pretty insistently during that time, which tends to be my go-to craving. And I'm glad Morgan took you to Dewayne's! As sketchy as it is, those burritos are pretty amazing.

Between watching Real Housewives of Miami (which you were) and being very invested in the gossip of the Caribbean (which you totally are), I would guess that you miss me more than you care to admit. I can admit that I missed you when I ate my last candy bar (I could almost hear you yelling at me to "read the ingredients in that crap")!

To be honest, I never really looked at Samantha and Gavin as anything serious until you mentioned it. The day after I got your letter, Samantha approached us about rebuilding a hospital in one of the neighboring tent cities. Before any of us could say anything, Gavin immediately jumped in and was like "Whatever you need, Sam!" I wasn't as taken back his eagerness to help as I was about him referring to her as "Sam," which was crazy informal for him. We spend most of our day together and he still calls me Dr. Lahiri! She was happy to hear the rest of us agree to help, but she seemed almost relieved to see Gavin so willing. I don't know, there might be something there! I just figured they were friendly.

Thank you for saying what you said. I really needed to read that, honestly. To be honest, the past few days have been a little rough. I keep having this reoccurring dream where I'm shopping in a department store and I'm carrying a ton of bags on both arms. I can tell by the sight of my hair and my outfit that I look how I normally do when I'm in the city (or did look, prior to chopping off my hair), but as soon as I reach a mirror, the reflection looks more like how I look now, in my dirty jeans, no make-up, and I'm almost bald. The reflection looks so disgusted with me just before it punches out the mirror, and there's glass everywhere and it cuts my arms and legs so badly. Of course, I can't outrun it because I can never seem to run in my dreams whenever it's vital. It scares the absolute crap out of me. Danny, what if I go back home and manage to take none of the lessons I've learned here with me? What if I just go back to my regular life and over time I forget about all of this? I know it's pretty normal to worry about losing sight of who we are outside of all this volunteer work...but what if the person I am when I'm home is just not that great? I've literally been losing sleep over all this.

You know what would make me feel better? Telling me about a typical day. Just describe your day to me. I know there's a stand-in OB helping out. How is he/she? Who's the craziest patient now that Mrs. Tipley gave birth? Just walk me through life without Mindy (and spare me the details regarding how quiet it is).

At the risk of getting way too sappy...you're a good person, too. If you don't hear it from me, I hope you're at least hearing it from somebody.

Until I hear from you again,
Mindy

August 2, 2013

Dear Mindy,

For some reason it didn't occur to me that you would assume Christina and I weren't still together. I did say that about slowing things down, though. And they were slow, for a while. I'm happy. This is a second chance. It's my opportunity to get things right. Most people don't get those and it feels ungrateful to squander it. Relationships are all about compromises, right? You know this. You're in Haiti right now. Sometimes you have to do hard things that turn out to be good for you for the sake of your partner. Honestly, do I want to live in some swanky neighborhood full of young hippies that's adding an extra hour to my commute every day? Not really, no. But it's what Christina wants. It's what she needs to be happy. And I get that, I guess. I can make that compromise for her.

Yeah, it'll be weird not seeing you on the commute, but we'll still find plenty of time to argue about those stupid TV programs you watch.

Of course you can take care of yourself. What was I thinking? That was pretty dumb, huh? You're the woman who single-handedly threw a man twice your size to the ground because he was on fire. I believe that you can handle yourself if things get a little dicey. Which is good, because at the risk of sounding like an ass, I've seen your boyfriend fight. He isn't very good.

Morgan says we aren't going to Dewaye's anymore. Something to do with a falling out over rescue animals. I think maybe he didn't take great care of a potbellied pig Morgan let him adopt. At least I hope that's what it's about. Due to the dubious nature of Big Dewayne's "Chipotle" Burrito Trunk I was a little afraid to ask the nature of a dispute involving the trade of animals.

Any news regarding your fellow volunteers?

That's rough that you're having those dreams. Is it affecting your sleep? You know how important that is, and if I had to imagine you're probably throwing yourself so hard into your work right now in a misguided effort to prove how selfless your really are that you are neglecting your rest. Am I right? That could be part of it. Quit stressing out so much and dial back the self-imposed pressure. You're not going to forget about your time there or the way this experience is changing you. But, and I want to make this pretty clear here, there was nothing wrong with the Mindy Lahiri who left here to go to Haiti. Do you think I don't know what you do around here? You think you're so stealth that I don't notice the patients you take on knowing full well they don't have insurance? Haiti isn't making you a good person. It's just illuminating that you already are. So don't be an idiot and try and get more rest.

A typical day... I'm drawing a blank here, Min. I don't know. I come in at my regular time, go over the schedule and review the charts of patients coming in with anything other than routine appointments. I answer emails. Then start seeing patients. Are you seriously interested in this? Because I'm boring myself here. Then there's lunch, I guess. Which is interesting only when I allow Morgan to force me to eat with him. Most of the time I just eat something alone on the fly in the break room. Which you already know. Then whatever time Betsy has left open for me in the afternoon I go to the gym. Then back, see a few more patients, then home. Did you ask me to write this out as a reminder as to how dull my days are compared to yours? Because it's working even if that wasn't your intention.

Or maybe you wanted to hear details about this day in particular. Which that reads almost exactly like what I already wrote. Except I went to the gym before lunch and grabbed a sandwich from that place you like on 18th Street. And when I got back just a few minutes ago the mail had come, and with it your letter. Now here I am.

You remember Jeremy's patient, Mary Anne Collins? Without going into great detail, she got into a verbal altercation with the new ultrasound tech, Amber, and in a fit of hormonal rage squirted an entire tube of ultrasound gel in her face. After her eyes were flushed thoroughly, Amber quit. (Apparently ultrasound gel in the eyes is very painful.) Mrs. Collins has seemed perfectly happy ever since this happened. She's having twin boys, by the way.

There is a new doctor filling in. His name is Paul Leotard and he seems like an okay guy. He's using your office. I had to move my bike.

I appreciated what you said. I want you to be happy, too.

All my best,
Danny

P. S. Sorry about all the tape. This was already in the stack of outgoing mail and I had to reopen it - but I wanted you to know. After a lot of negotiations the offer on the house was finally accepted. The closing is scheduled for the middle of next week. By the time you get this I'll own a house in Cliffside Park, New Jersey.

August 13, 2013

Dear Danny,

Congratulations to you and Christina on becoming homeowners! I'm sure she was thrilled to get her house. You are right about relationships and compromise. My only hope is that you feel like you're truly being met in the middle. You're settling into Christina's house and Christina's type of neighborhood in Christina's town...I just want to know that you're getting something out of all of this, too, other than the chance to be with her again (unless that's enough, in which case...great!). I won't worry too much about it, though. You always seem to know what you're doing, so this shouldn't be any different.

I got another care package today! Thank you all so much being so sweet. And thank you, specifically, for the noticeable increase in peanut butter cups! They completely turned my day around. Interesting, though...one of the cupcakes in the Hostess box had a razor blade meticulously hidden in the middle and there's only one person in the office who brags about that particular skill set. Does Beverly think I'm in prison?

I should be very upset with you for at least two reasons. The first is for ever planting the idea of Sam and Gavin in my head. You know I can't resist a budding love story, especially if it's occurring just feet away from me. While we were working on the hospital I asked one of the other volunteers about them. I found out that Samantha is happily married and Gavin plans on proposing to his girlfriend of five years once he returns to the States. How awful is that?

The second thing I should be positively livid with you about is your inability to refrain from psychoanalyzing me from 1500 miles away. If I've been burning the candle at both ends lately, it's because of a recent influenza outbreak and the hospital rebuilding...and maybe a little bit of what you said. I don't know, a part of me knows deep down that I'm a decent person, but lately I've felt this need to test myself and make sure that's true. Thank you for being so supportive...even if you did turn around and call me an idiot seconds later. I wish you were here to talk some sense into me from time to time.

I like that your day was dull. I've learned to appreciate consistency while here. It feels weird to hear that there's some guy in my office, replacing me and such. I hope he's nice! And it's a shame to hear about Amber! I only met her a few days before my trip, but she seemed like a fun girl. Mrs. Collins is a completely different person when she's pregnant. Remember the last time when she tugged my hair because the forceps were too cold? After she had her daughter she made me the best rice krispy treats I've ever had as an apology. I don't know how Jeremy manages her. I guess an accent can do wonders.

Morgan goes through this with Dewayne a lot and don't worry, it's not nearly as bad as you think. He'll be on good terms with him again by next week and will take you over there for a burrito to celebrate. Speaking of Morgan, either him or Betsy were responsible for slipping in a practice-wide group picture in my care package, which I adored! I put it up in my station in the medical tent. I had to administer medicine to Fredeline (Bruno Mars's future wife) and when she saw the photo she immediately pointed you out and asked a million questions about you. I think you have a new admirer in the form of a tiny 8-year-old Haitian beauty. I told her you were in a committed relationship, but she didn't seem terribly phased by it.

I've started making a list of all the things I'm going to enjoy first when I get back to the city. While I love it here, there are a few things I miss, like bear claws and expensive cocktails. Actually, I miss alcohol in general. Going on a mission trip with your super Christian boyfriend doesn't lead to many drinking opportunities, shockingly. I'd even take a beer, and we both know I'm not that big of a beer enthusiast.

While I'm sure there's stuff that I'm leaving out, I'm going to end this letter a little early. A very frank, mildly concerned friend of mine made a suggestion that I should get more rest. He might have been a little right about that, but I would never be crazy enough to tell him that. He's a great guy, but that's the last thing his ego needs.

Miss you,
Min

P.S. - It's the next day and I thought you might like to know that last night was the first dreamless night I've had in a while.

August 23, 2013

Dear Mindy,

I had forgotten about the hair pulling incident. I'll keep that information about Mrs. Collins in mind the next time Jeremy asks me to cover his patients for him.

I actually kind of understand how you feel about it being weird having someone in your place. Paul (who is proving to be a good doctor, maybe a little unorthodox and good guy) is subletting my furnished apartment now that Christina and I are in Jersey. The house is nice, by the way. It's a lot of space. Anyway, it was my idea for him to move in and I'm happy to have the extra income. Just - that place still feels like home and it's weird someone I know living there. And it's strange there being someone other than you in your office.

I don't know what to say in response to your comments regarding me only bending to what Christina wants. Thanks for looking out for me, I guess. Technically, you're not wrong. It feels like an overstatement, though. I understand why you're concerned, but what would you do in this situation? Wouldn't you do everything you could to make it work with someone you vowed to love forever?

I'm going to have to have to talk with Beverly about hiding razors in things. If you weren't weird about picking your food apart you could have really gotten hurt. You're welcome about the peanut butter cups. It didn't seem like there were as many in the box as I bought the other day. I think someone in the office may be eating them. Next time I'm going to lock them in my desk until we send another package.

Don't say that about your volunteer friends - It's nice that they're both happy. Even if it didn't work out the theatrical way you were hoping. It would have made a good story, though.

At the risk of overstepping, I feel like this self doubt you're feeling towards being a good person is coming from somewhere else. It doesn't sound like you. Is someone making you feel this way? I mean, I honestly expected these letters from you to be a little unbearable in the amount of times you'd compare yourself to Mother Teresa. I did not anticipate you doubting your goodness. Where is this coming from, Mindy?

This friend of yours sounds smart. And handsome. But don't let it go to his head. I'm glad you got a good nights sleep.

I have an admirer, huh? Kid's got good taste. Tell Fredeline I said hi and give her a wink from me. That should give me the edge over the other guy, right? I'll give that Mars guy a run for his money.

You said there's been an outbreak of flu? How's that going? I know you've had your shot, right? So you're okay. I don't want to hear about you getting sick because you're not being careful. Plus, you're a terrible patient.

How's the progress on the hospital you're building?

Tell you what, when you get back home I'll buy you a drink. A big one. Maybe even more than one. Add that to your list.

Fine. I miss you, too.
Danny