To My Friend Ben
Dear Ben:
I'm sorry you're dead. I heard you ran head on into a truck and that can't be good. I haven't started the book you gave me yet. I know I said that I'd tell you what I thought when I'd finished it. I'm sorry I won't get to now. Maybe I can write you another letter. My instructor says that there's on three places in Canberra where you can be burried so I'm going to hit them all. Someone said you'd been cremated, I want to find your plaque. I'm sorry I missed your funeral. I would have gone, but no-one told me that you had died. I never thought that I'd miss a friend's funeral. I always knew the odds were I would lose a friend. I thought about how I would feel if I did, I thought about what I'd do. I never thought that I wouldn't know about it. I didn't think I would look for them in the lecture theatre and not find them, promising myself to try again the next week. I found out when I was driving down to Victoria. I never thought it especially important to be friends with your friends' friends. Everyone knew we were friends and so no-one told me you'd died. I read about your accident in the paper after I knew it was you. They called you a 22 year old man, which I suppose was right. But you were always "Big Red Jumper Ben" to me. I think you were wearing that jumper the last time I saw you. I'm sorry I didn't say hello, I was in a rush but I don't think you saw me. I know you were going through some stuff. I hope that things were maybe a bit better than last time we spoke. I don't know exactly what was wrong, but you were stressed and I wished I knew how to help you. You seemed worried about what people would think of you. I tried to tell you not to worry. Your king costume was great by the way. That was because of what I think about you. You were a nice person, you tried to do what you thought was right. We had a fight once about the uni marking system and I got angry at you and thought you were being stupid. But you weren't really stupid, you were good at school I think. Well you were doing law weren't you? I invited you to my mum's birthday dinner one time, do you remember. You were so polite and you thanked me so many times. I hope you had a good time, I know I enjoyed having you there. I think my mum liked you. I wondered sometimes if you had a crush on me. A friend thought you did, but I don't know. It doesn't really matter anyway. You were a good friend to me. That's what matters to me.
I'm sorry you're dead. I heard you ran head on into a truck and that can't be good. I haven't started the book you gave me yet. I know I said that I'd tell you what I thought when I'd finished it. I'm sorry I won't get to now. Maybe I can write you another letter. My instructor says that there's on three places in Canberra where you can be burried so I'm going to hit them all. Someone said you'd been cremated, I want to find your plaque. I'm sorry I missed your funeral. I would have gone, but no-one told me that you had died. I never thought that I'd miss a friend's funeral. I always knew the odds were I would lose a friend. I thought about how I would feel if I did, I thought about what I'd do. I never thought that I wouldn't know about it. I didn't think I would look for them in the lecture theatre and not find them, promising myself to try again the next week. I found out when I was driving down to Victoria. I never thought it especially important to be friends with your friends' friends. Everyone knew we were friends and so no-one told me you'd died. I read about your accident in the paper after I knew it was you. They called you a 22 year old man, which I suppose was right. But you were always "Big Red Jumper Ben" to me. I think you were wearing that jumper the last time I saw you. I'm sorry I didn't say hello, I was in a rush but I don't think you saw me. I know you were going through some stuff. I hope that things were maybe a bit better than last time we spoke. I don't know exactly what was wrong, but you were stressed and I wished I knew how to help you. You seemed worried about what people would think of you. I tried to tell you not to worry. Your king costume was great by the way. That was because of what I think about you. You were a nice person, you tried to do what you thought was right. We had a fight once about the uni marking system and I got angry at you and thought you were being stupid. But you weren't really stupid, you were good at school I think. Well you were doing law weren't you? I invited you to my mum's birthday dinner one time, do you remember. You were so polite and you thanked me so many times. I hope you had a good time, I know I enjoyed having you there. I think my mum liked you. I wondered sometimes if you had a crush on me. A friend thought you did, but I don't know. It doesn't really matter anyway. You were a good friend to me. That's what matters to me.