Dear Joan,

Sorry I didn’t write sooner. I know I said I’d keep you updated on my romance with Brad—a romance which was kindled by Pepsi, as you may recall.

From our Memorial Day weekend introduction (over a can of Pepsi), through to Labor Day, Brad and I shared a very special summer, filled with fun, love, and Pepsi. Maybe I was a fool to think it would always last. But when you’re walking in radiant sunshine with a man you love and with a big three-liter bottle of Pepsi in your hand, well, it seems like nothing can go wrong.

Brad recently found out he’s being transferred far, far away from Chicago. It’s a great opportunity, and I’m really happy for him. He wanted to stay, but I told him he couldn’t let a chance like this go by.

Knowing that we would soon be apart lent a special urgency to our Labor Day end-of-summer barbecue. We had twenty guests, hamburgers, hot dogs, and, for our vegetarian friends, Linda McCartney’s Home Style Cooking Frozen Meatless Entrees. And, of course, we had lots and lots of Pepsi.

Well, Brad’s gone now. I never knew such a little apartment could seem so big, so empty. But, at least I have my memories—and my Pepsi!

Please write again.

Sincerely,