W. Lawrence June 13, 1925 Dear Ivy, Ah, Friar Laurence. Wasn’t he responsible for that poor girl stabbing herself? I generally give advice on contracts and wills, documents that have everything to do with human emotions, but the distant, dry legal verbiage greatly diminishes their impact. Even so, I’m in the business of offering guidance, and I will not hesitate to give you some. First, I don’t have any siblings but I understand the relationships formed are often fraught with conflicting feelings. Is it possible this is the norm? Or, if you determine your case is an extreme one, could you somehow find a way to modify those emotions? You are in a large city, Ivy. New York seems a place that cultivates loneliness along with vice. Please try to work out a way to accept your sister and make her your ally. It’s the safer route, really. Friar Lawrence has spoken. Kind regards, J.
