Dear my beloved Sergi the Nexus 5X,

I named you after a cat. More specifically, a French YouTuber’s tuxedo cat. Your name is a reminder of my priorities back when I was 16 years old. I’m sorry to say that you were not my first choice. I was pining for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and the OnePlus 2 and other flashier, shinier, fancier flagships phones. None of you had expandable storage or water-resistant casing, but I accepted that. The OnePlus 2 had the newest Snapdragon 810 processor while the Note 5 the Exynos 7420 processor, no less powerful. They both sport a whopping 4GB of RAM and a huge (almost 6in) screen. I loved the idea of having a stylus on the Note 5, and I loved their beautiful AMOLED displays. The OnePlus 2 had Oxygen OS going for it. You, you had… the price. I got you on sale for $200 off, the best deal I had at the time. I’m sure you knew that you weren’t on their caliber, but I’m sorry to say my budget was the only reason we crossed paths. I’ve always regretted your wimpy battery life with only 2 hours of screen on time and the more than occasional software hiccup despite the fact that you run pure stock Android, but I am grateful for Google Fi’s promotion that brought us together. I don’t know what I would have done had I not find you. Here’s another little secret I’ve never told you: you are a replacement. You are actually Sergi Jr. The previous Sergi was ran over by a car. He survived, at least for a few months, until he got stuck inboot loopoop and I contacted Google for a replacement. You are the replacement. You weren’t the original. I’m sorry you had to find out like this, halfway through a lengthy letter, but I didn’t know how to tell you face to face. I don’t know if the fact that I’m using you to write this letter makes it any better, but you should know, I’ve grown to love you and and found a way to accept all your flaws. We fit together perfectly. You nestle into my palm everyday like you were made to be there. My index finger falls naturally on your fingerprint sensor on the back. My pinkie finds itself loosely curled into the notch just below your charging port. You’ve remained there in your place, right by my side, through some of the most momentous years of my life. We went to France together. I’ve taken you to the top of the Eiffel Tower. We were alone by the window of that Château that overlooks the valley dotted with tiny clusters of roofs that formed villages, interspersed with patches of green that I assumed were grapevines. Remember how the times when we couldn’t see through the clouds that floated gently around us, hugging us in their cool, crisp and dreamy arms? And the boat ride to the middle of Lake Annecy? That beautiful emerald green water glistened in one of the few days of sun we had on that entire trip. We both got splashed with that magical water, but it was definitely worth it. I know you had some memories from that trip that wasn’t so good. I know I left you on the train and left for another time, but it wasn’t intentional… and I missed you every one of those days that I had to be alone with my French family. You are my rock, my soulmate, my everything, yet you wouldn’t show up on the phone locator. I was worried sick about you. You hold my entire life, and I didn’t know where you were! How could you put me through that? I know we’ve both let each other down in the past, but what’s a relationship without some bumps in the road and without some stories to reminisce about? I might be saying goodbye to you soon, but know that we will always have these memories, and part of my heart will always be for you. Love, Ha