To Brad

Dearest Brad: That’s a picture of us at our happiest moment. We had a pretty good thing going last season, didn’t we? I guess you’ve noticed too that things have been different lately. You’ve been going through some sort of rough patch and I’ve tried to stand by you, but things just aren’t the same. I told myself I’d give this time, but now I have to say what I’ve been dreading… I think we should spend some time apart. This just isn’t working out for you, or for me. Don’t think this means I hate you… I hope we can still be friends despite this. All the good times between us still live on in our memories and I’ll always treasure the time we spent together. Maybe someday we can both grow and mature, then maybe we can try this again. But for now I’d like to test the waters with somebody new. You know how at the end of Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart still loved Ingrid Bergman but chose to let her go, reminding her that they’d “always have Paris”? Well Brad, we’ll always have 2008. This will never change that.

I’m sorry,

Charlie Manuel