So, it was the Fourth of July, which is a bigger deal on Nantucket than even those times we went to the Hatch Shell. People take the 4th wicked seriously on island. And so my family biked into town for the festivities. We did a sandwich grab at Something Natural—the greatest sandwiches in the world—and then we were off to the boats. Most of the roads there are cobblestone, so biking at first was wicked challenging, but when you get the hang of it it’s awesome!
And you know me when I’m sad. Well, you totally do because you used to be the only person on the planet who could make me NOT SAD!
So I’m, like, feeling super lonely on island and it’s the 4th, which I always spend with you, and then I ran into, literally, Stacey Simon! My sandwich flew out of my bike basket, and I flew into a tree, and my bike landed on top of Stacey!
All I could think to myself was, “I hate Nantucket. Of all the people in the world to run over, it had to be the biggest bitch in our entire school!”
I was dying. My whole family stopped and peeled me off the tree, and then we all went over to help Stacey. Her knees were wicked cut up, and I thought she was gonna kill me. But she didn’t. I was like, “I am SO SORRY!” And the first thing she said was, “Stef Campbell?” I was like, “Umm, yeah.” And she was like, “I didn’t know you come to Nantucket.” And I told her it was our first summer there, and she told me her family has had a house there since ’85, which I knew, obviously, because everyone in our town knows everything about Stacey Simon, right? But I played dumb, and I was like, “You have a house here, too? Wow!” And my family helped her up, and we were all apologizing so much, and I offered my T-shirt to her so she could stop her bleeding—I had my bathing suit under it—and she was like, “Oh my god, no, it’s okay.” And she took the bandana out of her hair and used that to, like, stop her knees from bleeding out.
Anyway, she invited me over to her house, which was totally surreal. I thought she hated us! But I was like, “I’m on island. I don’t know anyone here. Sure.” So, I biked over, like, the next day. Oh my god, their house is on the ocean, and it is so incredible! And she has a sewing machine in her bedroom there, and she collects all these great Nantucket fabrics and makes her own blankets. I was like, “Stacey Simon sews?!” And she taught me. So now I sew.
I can teach you! We should for sure make something out of your old hearts-and-stars sheets . . . if you didn’t throw them out.
I am so excited for this year, Tar! Let’s definitely make a plan to hang out and make a list of who I might date. Hmmm . . . so many possibilities, right?
And who else could play Sandy in Grease? NO ONE! You truly are SANDY!
Triple L for Life!
Love you Muchly and Moreso,
Soup
Oh, and definitely write Chris’s neighbor a note. You’re, like, the theater superstar here, so that would be so nice of you!
To Adam, I mean Greg, I mean Matt,
Matt. It’s been such a long time since I’ve had to remember a Freshman’s name, Pete. Ughhhhh. Sat. Cat. Matt. I will get it one of these days. I pinky promise.
Anyway, Matt . . . I thought I’d write you a folded note to welcome you to South High. My boyfriend slash your across-the-street neighbor, Christopher Caparelli, has told me lots about you. Well, I guess not lots. Just that you’re named Matt (a name that’s incredibly challenging to register) and that you like theater.
I hope to see you later at auditions. I’ll be the girl with long blond hair (it’s, like, down to my butt ’cuz I grew it out over the summer), and I will be singing “On My Own” from Les Misérables, and for my dance routine, well, let’s just say I’ll be doing a couple of splits, soooooooooo . . .
What are you gonna sing, Freshman Guy? Do you dance, too? What part do you want? Don’t be bummed out if you only get chorus ’cuz it’s beyond rare for a Freshman to get lead parts or even supporting. I’m gonna play Sandy. It’s been a lifelong dream of mine. And there’s no better way to start my Senior year than by getting one of the great roles in American theater, Derek.
Cat. Sat. Matt. Ughhh. I WILL REMEMBER YOUR NAME AT SOME POINT!!!!!!
Anyway, Matt . . . best of luck to you at auditions. Just be confident, know what I mean? Do you? Do you know what I mean?
Take care,
Tara Maureen Murphy
Dear Tara,
Thanks for writing me a note. Pretty awesome to get one from a Senior. Chris is an awesome guy. He even drove me to school this morning. That was pretty awesome because most of my friends took the bus except for people with older siblings at South. My brother is at Syracuse University this year, otherwise he would have driven me. Did you ever meet my brother? David Bloom? Heather Gould offered me a ride to school, too, but
