Thursday, 24 March 2022

Melari Synrem
From Chiara Massar
To,
The Street she lives,
The Hill along the river.

Dear Ïaka,

Happy birthday my love.

I want to thank you first of all, for being the person I call when I’m drunk, for being the one who picked me up
when I was at my worst, for being the one who never invalidated my feelings when I was down.
The moments I spend with you, I am reminded of the goodness that you have in you, from the way you talk to
the way you hold people who had just gotten their hearts broken, perhaps by the world or by some other form,
but your ability to be there and to help heal, is one of the best things about you.
When I first met you, I don’t think I remember it, and neither do you, I guess xD, because we were probably
both 5 years old then.

But then came class 8, then class 9 — the moment when you and I sat underneath the tables and talked about
life and all the problems we faced; we talked about God, family, friends, growing up, and … that’s when I knew
you would be one of the most important people in my life.
I have never been able to figure myself out, and perhaps never fully will, but when I met you, you helped me to
get on the path.
Without you, life would have crumbled, without you things would have been dark.

“You are the sunshine that peaks through the mustard skies of autumn, the rays that shine on the blossoming
grains of wheat and the blooming buds of roses.”

You , my love, are the reason that I was able to make it. The reason that I kept moving on.
Thank you for being the one that pieced me together when my heart was shattered.
Thank you for never giving a fuck about what others say about me, thank you for being my safe haven.

From the lavender schoolbag you had in class 8 to the purple water bottle you’ve always held on to, even till
date — everything about you is reminiscent of a vintage book, read in a cafe, with the smell of a latte filling up
the room.
You are one of a kind.

The girl in the red dress, the girl with the figure of an angelic being.

By no means is anyone perfect, but if there is anyone, it’s you who are close to perfect.
The love you give is the most precious and the ones who are at the receiving end are a few of the luckiest
people on earth.

The progress you’ve made, the way you pushed through everything. My love, I am so proud of you.
Even though now we’re marching to the beat of different drums, we’re moving farther apart, I pray that we won’t
drift apart, because when God put you and I together, He had a plan, and I hope that we work to keep that plan
alive.
I love you so much Ïaka. I love you from the way you knead the dough for the naan, to the way you stroke my
head while we watch a movie.
I love you from the way you speak with such kindness, to the way you tickle me till I laugh endlessly.

You are a beautiful person, a gorgeous woman, a being of intelligence, beauty and grace.
From your light brown eyes to your full cheeks and feminine features, you’re growing into this young woman,
who loves her family and loved ones, and not just any kind of love, but the love that sustains itself, the love that
was always meant to be.
Ïaka, you are the one, the one for me.
And even though I cannot promise that I will always be there, I can say that I will try to always be there,
because you are my bestfriend, my sister, my parabatai, my book thief (I just want to add a ‘thief’ just in case
you ever borrow my book xDD), and I don’t want to make any empty promises, but I promise to be there
whenever you need me, just as you have always been for me.

From the way you laugh when something startles you, to the way you make funny, short, abrupt noises when a
funny scene takes place in FRIENDS, I love you.

Ïaka, you are not just a friend, but you have become family, and I hope and pray our friendship lasts for the rest
of time.

There is always an element of fear when it comes for the future, but when it comes to us, all I can say is that
“my darling I’ll always love you.”

Happy Birthday once again my love, and thank you or everything <333
I love you so much and now you’re finally 18 eeeee!!