[18]

Dear Harmony,

   Happy birthday! You're twenty now, aren't you? Getting old, girl. Getting old. If you come home right now, maybe they won't call you a spinster.

   That's an archaic joke.

   Instead of a present, I have some sad news.

   Your grandmother died today. And you weren't there for her last moments. In your place, I was. I held her hand. Told her I loved her, that she was the best grandma in the world. She told me to chase you no matter how long it took or how far I had to go. She promised to pray for me. For you. For us. For our future. And I know she will, because she has always been the world's greatest grandma. Even if she biologically was not my grandma, she was still a grandmother to me. I still loved her with all my heart.

   I stayed with her until the very end, Harmony. I was there when the priest came to give her the last rites and hear her final confession. She wanted me to stay. And oh, how she wanted you to be there.

   When she died and I was forced to leave the room, I became very angry. I shut myself up in your bedroom and glared at your picture. The one where you looked so silly and happy. Your nineteenth birthday, when your brother pushed your face into the cake and I licked the frosting off your nose just to get on your nerves. But you loved every moment of it. Your grandma took that picture—she was the family photographer, after all. She bought you your first camera, remember? You were so proud when you took your first picture, and she was even prouder. You two were joined at the hip, just like you and I were. We were often a threesome taking long hikes and adventuring along the shore, taking pictures and exploring. Your grandma was a mentor to us in many ways. Wise, loving, devoted.

   You know, you remind me of her. But she didn't choose to die. She didn't choose to leave. It was simply her time. But you? You had a choice. You still have a choice. You chose to abandon this beautiful life and wreak havoc on the hearts of those closest to you. Or did you not realize what turmoil you'd create? Are you lost?

   Have you ever been found?

   Did we never know you?

   Harmony, I burned that picture of you. Don't worry, I kept the original. Your grandma was smart and always printed more than was necessary.

   Tomorrow I'm going to search her studio for clues. I know you two spent a lot of time in there. It's my studio now.

   She left it to me in your absence.