Page 75 of Meet the Teacher
“You better,” I say. A couple of sea turtles swim past us so we both put our goggles and snorkels back on to keep swimming with them.
After another hour of swimming with the turtles, followed by dinner at a restaurant in the resort, we finally make our way back into the room—both of us too full to move.
“That sushi was so freaking good,” I say, plopping my body down onto the bed.
“Hey, you knocked over the towel animal,” Zayn says jumping and landing next to me. He grunts. “Full is an understatement right now. Also, I love how I was the first one to see you try sushi and now it’s one of your favorites.”
“Yeah, yeah.” My hand rests on my stomach and I close my eyes. “This year was the best year of my life.”
“That’s because we’ve kept to the WOLO motto.” Zayn gets up from the bed and pulls out a piece of paper. “Speaking of WOLO, I’m crossing sea turtles off our list. Only one thing remains.”
“Which one?” I ask.
“Sex while turtles watch,” he deadpans.
“Wait—what?” I bend my neck to look at his face. I see a smirk go across it. “Ha ha, very funny,” I say, tossing a pillow at him.
He grabs the pillow and throws it back on the bed. “Are we gonna pillow fight?”
My eyes widen. “I just might have enough energy to do it, so yes!”
“Wait!” he tells me. “Perfect, because that’s the last item on this year’s list.”
I grab a pillow and jump up on the bed, ready to win this fight with my fiancé.
* * *
Dear Summer,
I can’t believe it’s been one year since my last birthday when I read your final letter. I know you’ll never read this, but maybe there is some type of messaging system in Heaven, alerting you that I’m writing this to you now. I miss you every day. Life without you feels strange, but just as Mom and Dad do, I believe you’re always with me.
I thought it’d be fun to update you on my life now. A lot has changed. That’s right . . . I said change. I still get a little uncomfortable with the idea of change, but I am embracing it more than ever now.
So, first things first. You’d love to hear that I took your advice. I allow myself to follow my heart, even though I’m still terrified to do so. And I’ve been practicing lots of self-care and not feeling the slightest bit selfish. See? I listen. Well, sometimes anyway.
A big update is that Zayn and I have been together for a year now, and WE’RE ENGAGED! After months of him begging (kidding), I finally said yes. We are currently vacationing in the Grand Cayman Islands, celebrating our first anniversary.
Oh, and what you’ll be most excited to learn is that we now create our own WOLO adventure list every year. It’s kept things really exciting. I’ve done a lot of things I never anticipated, like eating snake, shark fishing, and riding an elephant. We’re planning our next list as we speak.
All in all, life is good. I’m still teaching, but instead of holding onto the mindset that I have to stick to it since it’s the career I originally chose, I’m okay with the possibility of doing something else in the future. As for now, I’m still at Lake View Elementary, teaching with Mason. He misses you too, by the way.
PS. Zayn and I plan to get married right on the beach back at home. An intimate wedding with just family and close friends. And as crazy as it sounds, we’re doing it in the middle of next summer, in honor of you—my Summer, my wildflower, my friend, and my sister.
That’s it for now. As seasons change, so do I. I’ll write to you again soon.
See you where the wildflowers grow.
Love forever and always,
Autumn
* * *
