Nice To Meet Ya

                                    

                                          
Shawn slouched back on his couch and sighed as the ending credits of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban scrolled on his TV screen. While living alone at such a young age did make him feel independent and accomplished, it also often came with overwhelming feelings of loneliness. Sure, he had friends; but he craved a different kind of connection. He wanted someone he could tell his deepest secrets to without fear of judgement. He wanted someone he could talk to about absolutely nothing and absolutely everything all at once. Someone he could tell his confess his thoughts to without anything to lose. It didn't even necessarily have to be a romantic relationship, he just wanted someone - anyone.
                          
He thought he had come up with the perfect plan - a pen pal. He quickly laughed at his own idea; a pen pal? Maybe this is what people meant when they called him an old soul. It's 2020, surely nobody under the age of 85 is still interested in having a pen pal...though maybe someone who had lived a full life is exactly who he needed to guide him through his confusing young life.
                          
Deciding to look into it, he grabbed his laptop which had been sitting next to him on the couch and pulled up Google, typing the simple term 'pen pal finder' into the search bar. After browsing a few different sites, he found one that intrigued him. It was simple; all he had to do was put in some of his information - including his age, name, gender, and address - and the site would match him with someone to write to. He typed in his information and hovered his mouse over the 'submit' button before finally throwing caution to the wind and clicking the button. A spinning wheel popped up onto the screen, indicating that the site was working to match him with someone. Finally, he got his answer. To protect the identity of the people who use the site, they only provided the address of the person he was matched with. While he understood why they took those precautions, he still found it kind of annoying that he knew absolutely nothing about the person he was writing to - aside from the fact that they were apparently located in Miami, Florida. Having grown up in Canada, just the idea of talking to someone who lived in a more tropical climate intrigued him. He grabbed his phone and typed out the address into his notes app for future reference.
                          
Excited to write to his new pen pal, he put on his shoes and grabbed his wallet before heading to a small convenience store across the street. He walked into the store and headed straight for the office supplies section - grabbing a fresh notebook, pens, some envelopes, and some stamps. He paid for his items and quickly made his way back to his condo, anxious to write to this mystery person for the first time. He sat down on one of the stools at his kitchen counter, pulling out his new notebook and pens and staring at it blankly, unsure how to even start the letter. What are you supposed to say to someone you don't know anything about - not even a name? He took a deep breath and put the pen to paper.
                          
Hi,
To be completely honest with you, I'm not quite sure how to start this letter. When I first decided I wanted a pen pal I guess I assumed I would have a ton to say...but now that I'm actually writing a letter to you I realize that I'm not quite sure what to say. I'm sure once we start talking more and I get to know more about you the conversation will start to flow more easily, but right now I just feel like an awkward teenage boy stumbling through his words. I mean, I guess in some ways that's exactly what I am...though I'm not a teenager. Don't worry, I promise I'm not some little kid who's decided to send a letter to a complete stranger. I know most of the time the first letter of a pen pal relationship usually contains information about who I am, but to be completely honest with you I've never really done something like this and right now I feel kind of weird about divulging personal information about myself. Maybe later I will, when I determine that you're not a serial killer, or at least not one that will come after me. Speaking of, if you are a serial killer I'd appreciate if you'd let me know so I can promptly cut off our communication and move to a different place considering you now have my address. I don't know what else to say. Hopefully I haven't scared you away already. I look forward to hearing from you.
                          
Nice to meet ya,
S
                          
He considered signing his full name, but decided that was too much information and he didn't quite feel comfortable enough for that yet. He read over the letter nearly ten times before folding it up and putting it into the envelope, sealing it and writing the address he had been provided on the front. He stuck one of the stamps onto the paper envelope and set it on the counter.
                          
The letter must've stayed on his kitchen counter for a full month. He could've sent it any day, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Something about the situation made him feel uneasy. Though his serial killer comment in the letter was a joke, he also knew that it wasn't entirely out of the question that this could be a bad idea. As much as he originally loved the idea of a pen pal to connect with, his fear and anxiety eventually got the best of him and he decided he couldn't go through with it. He walked into his kitchen to get the letter and throw it into the trash, but the letter was gone. He immediately started to panic - his mind trying to recount the last time he saw the letter and replaying everything he had done since then.
                          
That's when it hit him.
                          
The stack of mail he did need to send out had been haphazardly tossed onto the same counter by him for the next time he went down to his mailbox, which had been earlier that morning. He must've accidentally grabbed the letter with that mail and sent it out. In a panic, he ran downstairs in hopes that the mail hadn't been picked up yet and he could still intercept the letter from reaching its destination. Much to his horror, the mail had been picked up and his mailbox was now empty.
                          
"No turning back now, Mendes..." he groaned to himself.