Re: [Return Letter]
[Same paper as before, different pen. Fountain, blue. Two days after Atticus'.]
Dear A.M.,
Have I ever asked you what your middle name was? In the army, when we had people with the same last name (Jones, Smith, Bernstein), either they got a nickname (everyone got a nickname) or they got called by their middle name. I probably don't need to tell you, I was pretty much always Cap. Before the serum, they were a little meaner-spirited. As for Kerouac, you're right. I don't know why you think there wasn't a whole lot of romance in the '70s, unless we're tying romance specifically to monogamy, but there was. Everyone lived by ideals. Or, a lot of people did. Did I ever talk to you about Peggy?
No, you're right. At least in some capacity. We have a great duty to ourselves, I think. We all do. And to each other. The interdependence of society, which affects even those self-described amoral and unvirtuous men who prefer books and basements, is a duty, isn't it? It's become twisted up. Not just here, in America, but everywhere. The world's shifting to the right again, which is terrifying to watch, polarizing, even as more people believe in progressive causes. I have to think that we have a duty to each other, to future generations, to act certain ways, to keep the planet alive, to not kill each other, to make sure we can all eat and go to school and life in safety. I'm on a tangent now, aren't I? Kant, though. I think Kant's saying don't seek favor, seek proof, actions, of good men (and women). You don't live your life alone, after all, even if they say that's how you die.
Don't worry about how you come across to me. I have a good quote for that. "Just live. Screw favor." Atticus McVickers, 2017.
Are you talking about a flag, brandishing a color? Another duty, in my mind. Burning it or brandishing it. Communicating to the powers that be that what they're doing doesn't sit right with you. I was told, after I ran my mouth a bit right out of the ice, that if it'd been ten years earlier, fifteen, I'd have been on McCarty's blacklist, but communists have never been popular. They peaked in the '20s and '30s, with unions and the New Deal, but, after that, not so popular. I don't think it makes you a coward, though. I think it means you have a different sense of duty, if we're still using that word. Am I rambling too much? I'm rambling too much. Now it's my turn to apologize. I'm sorry. I get carried away.
I wasn't wondering about the sarcasm, but I'm glad to know. Do you think A Janus included more people, possibly endangering this girl in doing so, than was necessary? He had to have had a reason, whatever it was. Is there anything I can do? I'm not supernatural, but I'm not exactly natural either. I can always hit him with my shield, if it would help. Even if it would just help you with your annoyance. (Sarcasm, if you're wondering. Though, I will use my shield if it'll help.)
I probably told you this. With the serum, I don't need nearly as much sleep as most. One hour, two. Maybe three or four after a fight. Sleepless nights and I have become close over the last few decades. I have a few go-tos. Drawing, exercising, reading. Hell, I've moved furniture around just to have something to do. What do you do when you don't have correspondence? I'm happy to hear you and PJ are on the up. Friendship can take a lot of work. TeddO When we were kids, Matt was a favorite of the girls in the neighborhood. I'm not surprised she likes him. It's too bad he didn't think to tell her he wasn't. But, I'm glad too that you're talking to him. I don't think he makes many friends these days, and if he's going to have any, I'm glad it's you. So, tell me, did he manage to remind you of me?
By the way, I moved hotels, but I'll be here for a little while. [He gives an address in Idaho, near the border to Oregon.] I should be heading your way. How do you feel about surprise visits?