To my twin sister,
Never, in my mere 19 years of existence, did I ever think that I would be writing you a thank you letter. I could not wait for us to go to different colleges. Now, I sit under the beautiful painting you sent me for my birthday, wrapped in a blanket, as I search for cheap flights so I can finally visit you. Yes, you are a pain. Yes, you eat all the snacks we buy from Trader Joes before we even get home and scream at me to turn off every light 0.2 seconds after I leave a room, but I wouldn’t want to have it any other way.
We spent 18 years of our lives less than 5 miles (at most) away from each other and now, being 368 miles away from you for the past year and a half, I have realized how much I rely on you. So thank you…
Thank you for your patience with me. You are the only person I know that can bear with me in the kitchen as I try crazy gluten-free recipes that never really turn out right. You never get mad at me when I add salt instead of sugar because they look the same to me when I am not wearing my glasses. You just laugh it off and start a new batch. You stay silent while I take 5 million years to parallel park our car and make a limited amount of comments all those mornings where I forced us to drive all the way home after we left to school because I forgot my coffee mug on the kitchen counter.
Thank you for always reminding me that I never have to go through anything alone. You are the only person I know that would walk all the way to Starbucks (because you are too scared to drive) to get me my favorite drink after my first break-up. You let me sit in your room and cry for hours when I thought that I was not going to get into any colleges. You literally did everything for me after my awful concussion and only made fun of me about it a few times. Thank you for repeating to me “все будет хорошо” (everything will be okay) when I feel like my world is falling apart. That phrase has now turned into a mantra for us.
And you never stopped being there for me after we left for different colleges. You sat on the phone with me for hours as I ranted about all the moronic things I did last year. And not once was there any judgement in your response (even when I deserved some); not even when I almost failed a math test because I could not find the “On” button to my calculator. You were my biggest support system when I spontaneously decided to change my major and when I got my first tattoo. And I know that whatever I will get myself into this year, you will help me find a way to laugh about it.
Lastly, thank you for just being an incredible person overall. Because you are such an extraordinary human being, you motivate me to work hard everyday so I can be just half as selfless, talented and brilliant as you are. I most definitely would not be the person I am today without you.
And even though after two days together I cannot stand you anymore, I am forever grateful for the meaning you have added and continue to add to my life. Our distance truly helped me to realize how thankful I am for you, my built-in best friend.
Your other half,
Eva