Prologue
Present day
2003
As she took her seat in first class she thought of all the amazing turns her life had taken. She was now almost 61, a fact she couldn’t really accept as she still felt 40. She was about to take another major step in her life, that is if the most important person in her life agreed to meet her upon her arrival in Dulles in approximately 8 hours. Her right hand was grasping a copy of the letter she had sent in preparation for this meeting as she settled into her seat.
She had debated about what to say in this final letter, but ultimately just said what was in her heart and asked for a chance to explain her life, the reasons for the choices she had made, and her undying love for the person she was hopefully about to reconnect with after all these years. She knew the path would not be easy but the next 24 hours would be the “beginning of the rest of her life” as they say, the final phase and ultimately perhaps the most important.
As they reached cruising altitude Carolyn gratefully accepted a glass of wine and plate of cheese and crackers from the steward and sat back to review her life and the unexpected turns it had taken. She knew there would be no sleeping for her on this flight. Her mind wandered back over the events in her life that had brought her to this point, and that fateful decision 21 years ago.
