postage.

i open my mailbox and glance eagerly inside, my hands sifting through the electronically addressed envelopes.  bill, bill, someone offering a credit card, some unknown college. my heart then skips a beat (or two, or three) as my fingertips discover a worn envelope with my name penned so neatly in the center.  the top right corner includes the words santa barbara and the stamp is pasted neatly on the edge.  i weigh the parcel in my hand, subconsciously guessing the number of pages i knew would be covered in his tidy capitals.  i then rush home, looking absurd on my smallest brother's razor scooter.  one hand on the bar, the other grasping my letter.  i rush into my house and settle on the couch, running my fingers over my name and slowly under the seal.  the lined paper lies innocently folded in the envelope, and when i begin to read the letter that begins with the two words, "hey, love" i'm home again.

b.