There was a knock on Alice's door, and her mother poked her head into the room.

"Ali, a letter came for you." she said, holding it out. Forgetting about Carla, Alice jumped off the cama and raced across the room. She snatched it out of her mom's hand. She just managed to get out a thank tu to her mom before she sat back down on her bed.

"Who's it from?" Carla asked curiously, wondering if this had anything to do with the way her friend had been actuación lately. Alice opened the envelope hurriedly and yanked the letter out.

"Jasper." She dicho softly, a smile, a real smile, lighting up her face. This only confused Carla more.

"Who's Jasper?" she asked, her voice breaking into Alice's thoughts. She set the letter down, very carefully. She'd read it later, when Carla was asleep.

"Jasper Whitlock. He lived on the other side of town, but he's in Vietnam now. He-he's my boyfriend." Alice dicho shyly, looking down, still smiling. Carla squealed and covered her mouth with her hands.

"Oh my gosh! tu didn't tell me tu had a boyfriend! And a soldier too!" Alice eventually managed to change the subject, but still had to wait three hours before Carla fell asleep at last. Alice picked up the letter off her cama and crossed her room to her window, lighting the small lamp on the sill and settling herself on the window asiento to read Jasper's letter. She unfolded it and began to read.

Dear Ali,

Jazzy? Oh, I don't know. If tu want to call me Jazzy, go ahead. I don't mind too much.

Do tu know how happy tu made me? Thanks for the picture, por the way. You're beautiful. And you're my girlfriend. And yes, I'll be your boyfriend.

I really have to tell tu a story? Alright...

When I was little, I spent a lot of time at my Grandmother's house. She had this huge árbol in her yard, perfect for climbing. One time I was climbing it, I must've been eight, and I got almost to the top, but my foot got stuck. I must've been twenty five feet off the ground. I freaked out and started crying and screaming. My uncle was the first person who heard me. At the time he was eighteen. So he sees me stuck up there and he just starts laughing. He had to sit down he was laughing at me so hard. My aunt, who was sixteen, had to climb up the árbol and help me down.

Now tu have your story. Now, do I get a cute one about you?

I promise I'll be careful. No hero stunts o anything. I promise to come home. Don't worry too much about me though, alright?

I'm over seas now. I'm not allowed to tell tu where exactly. It's worse than I that it would be over here, but I'll make it through. The fellow I told tu about before, Ryan? He's still with me, over here. It helps to have someone over here who knows what I'm going through.

And sometimes, when I close my eyes, I see your smile. I can remember it perfectly. It makes me smile every time I remember it.

I'm afraid I don't know the point of it. However, I was rather good at math when I was in school. I didn't like doing it, but I always got good grades.

What are things like at home?

Tell me ten things about tu that I don't know.

What do tu think of Elvis? My mother loves him, and claims that she's met him. She always used to listen to his record while she made dinner.

Write me soon? I might not be able to answer for awhile, but don't worry too much. I promised that I'd come inicial safe, remember?

Love,

Jasper. Or, if tu prefer, Jazzy.

Alice finished reading, smiling without knowing it, and leaned her head against the cool window pane, looking out at the stars and the moon. He'd signed "love." Did that mean anything?

And, he'd promised to come inicial safely. He wouldn't break the promise. She could feel that, deep inside her.

He would come home.