My Cousin

Everything went downhill the moment I saw the letter. The letter I had been waiting for for ten years. The letter I knew was going to change my life, I just didn’t know what way it was going to go. Would I be jumping up and down in glee or would I be hiding in terror? My cousin had a way of bringing out the very best and also the very worst of me. Prior to his disappearance, Tyler had been living with my mother and I off and on for several years. When he turned eighteen, he told my mother not to look for him and took off in the car he had just purchased. My mom wasn’t worried because he was prone to leaving for days on end so this time didn’t seem any different. I knew something was off solely due to the fact Tyler took his laptop with him. 

He usually had no contact with the outside world on his days long sojourns and hardly used his laptop anyway. Tyler always joked he was born in the wrong time period as he wanted to do everything by pen and paper and was adamant about not wanting to have a cell phone. Or really even a computer. I had convinced him to get a laptop solely so he could have some contact with others without feeling like he had to carry it around with him all the time. I had suspected he had abandoned his laptop shortly after leaving, but deep down inside I was hoping he would at least keep in touch with me. The letter arrived two days before my thirtieth birthday and on what would have been Tyler’s thirty second birthday. I debated on whether or not to open it before the surprise party my mom had told me about or if I should wait until after the smoke cleared 

I finally decided to open Tyler’s letter so it would not be hanging over my head for the next two days. When I eventually opened the envelope, I closed my eyes and held my breath while I slowly unfolded the letter. I almost giggled before I saw the warning and then quickly burst into tears. Tyler had only written six words. Six words for the rest of my life. 

IT’S NOW OR NEVER. 

SAVE YOURSELF.