Dear Sallu,
Just because I don't express my emotions much these days doesn't mean I don't have any left. Deep inside, I'm still the same bhaiya you've always known. I just learned to put my feelings aside because, eventually, I realized that being too emotional doesn't always have a place in this world. Not everyone is like you, and not everyone will hold onto me the way you did, right? :)
And now you're going so far away. You know... if someone ever asked me what my last wish would be before the world came to an end, I'd probably say this: Let Sallu reach the life she has always dreamed of. So, in a strange way, watching you leave feels like watching that last wish come true.
Still... I guess I'll become just a little more alone after you leave.
But that's okay. I know how to manage. I always do. Just don't tell anyone I'm getting emotional here. Let's keep this between us. :)
I wonder what you'll do on those days when you feel like crying but hesitate to call me, just like in the old days. Do you remember? You always called me whenever you felt vulnerable. I'd tell you, "Cry, Sallu, cry," but somehow you never really did.
Will you remember me on those nights when I'd stay awake, talking nonsense until morning? When we'd laugh over the most random things, or when I'd keep talking until you finally felt a little better? I don't know if I was ever a good bhaiya, but I always tried to be someone you could lean on.
I used to talk so much, and now I barely have any words left.
Life happened to me, Sallu. Life happened. Somewhere along the way, I became quieter. But if you ever need me even years from now you'll still find the same bhaiya behind all this silence. No matter how much life changes us, that part of me will always belong to you.
You'll go abroad, build a life there, settle down, chase your dreams, maybe find your person, and one day this bhaiya will become just another distant memory perhaps even disappear from your everyday life. And that's okay. That's exactly how life is supposed to move forward. I don't want you to carry me with sadness. I want you to carry me with a smile.
Just don't ever let this world change the kindness in your heart. Stay soft. Stay brave. Stay unapologetically yourself. The world has enough people pretending to be someone else. Stay wonderfully, beautifully you.
And if one day, in the middle of a busy evening in a country far away, something reminds you of home... I hope you'll smile for a second and think, "My bhaiya would've laughed at this."
That will be enough for me.
More than anything, I want the whole world for you. I want every happiness you have ever dreamed of. I hope life gives you reasons to laugh far more often than it gives you reasons to cry. And whenever life becomes difficult, I hope you never forget how strong you've always been. Even when you couldn't see it yourself, I always did.
Just promise me one thing: keep living, keep smiling, and keep existing.
Because I'll always be proud to say,
"Thank you for existing, my Sallu."
No matter how many miles lie between us, no matter how many years pass, no matter how much life changes... you'll always be my little sister.
Have a safe journey.
And remember, no matter where life takes you, you'll always have a home in my heart.
I'll miss you more than I'll ever admit.
With all my love,
