I’m writing a letter to The Girl, even though she is in the next room.  She is curled up on the chaise lounge, tucked under a pink quilt, watching Nickelodeon.  She calls it her “happy place.”  Chaise, quilt, Nick. The Girl is going on a week-long camp with school. They say that once you have a child, your heart is forever outside your body.   My heart is going to be hundreds of miles away, for days and days and days, with no electronic communication.  Just snail mail. I write to her.  I write every day, starting a few days before camp, so that she will receive a letter on Day 1 and each day thereafter. Night 1 “Do you miss her? “ I ask The Boy. “No.  I’m going to pretend she’s in her bed.” That’s a yes. Four sleeps. Day 2 Did she get my first letter today?  Is she going to write back? “It’s time to pick her up,” The Boy tells me at 2:00 pm.  He has good internal clock.  I remind him that she is away at camp, and we won’t be picking her up from school today. Three more sleeps. Day 3 Did she get my second letter today? Mailbox is full of stuff but nothing from The Girl. That’s okay.  Mail is taking two days to get here now, because of all the layoffs. We’ll get a letter from her tomorrow. Two more sleeps. Day 4 Mailbox is full of letters I don’t want. Why hasn’t she written back? Call school. “How long does it take to receive mail from camp?” “We don’t know.  We’re not the post office.” One more sleep. Day 5 The Girl is home. “How come you didn’t write?” I ask. “I did.  I wrote everyday.  I got two of your letters on Day 2 and two of your letters on Day 3.” Day 6 Three letters from camp sit in the mailbox.  I begin reading the first one. “It is Tuesday and I just got your mail.  I only opened one.  I’m saving the other one for tomorrow.” I look across the room. The Girl has tucked herself in.  Girl, chaise, quilt, Nick.  My happy place.