No More Waiting, She Chooses Love

Jacqueline nodded before letting go of my hand, "I'll call and check."

As she made the call, I knelt down, clasping my hands together in a silent prayer, hoping for peace and smooth sailing for everyone.

Jacqueline's voice floated back to me during my prayers, "...Dustin, you're not pulling my leg, are you? He's really okay?... Alright, I'm on my way back. Tell his mom I visited the Silent Wisdom Temple, and I even bumped into Felicia." Looking back at me as she spoke, Jacqueline reassured, "She's... she's alright, nothing's wrong with her. Tell Rad that Felicia is okay and that she has forgiven our family's past mistakes... Okay, mom will know..."

I bowed my head, a gesture of letting go and finding peace.

After Jacqueline left, I stayed, listening to Master Mathew's sermons until dusk before descending the mountain.

Fanny picked me up, handing me a bouquet of sunflowers, "Congratulations on your rebirth."

She understood me, knew that this journey was about releasing my grudges and forgiving myself.

I hugged Fanny and then went to James' bar for drinks.

We didn't drink much but hung around late into the night, calling James over for one last round after everyone else had gone.

"James, you've got to keep this bar open forever, so when we're toothless old Ethels, we can still come here for a drink," Fanny said, her arm around my shoulder, making a heartfelt request to James. James just laughed. "By the time you're toothless, I doubt I'll still be around."

speaking the truth since he was a

fell silent, and James clinked his glass against ours, "Everyone is born to die, it's inevitable.

his late daughter, showing

toast to living life to the

had been reborn, freed

of the feud with the Wagner

other at

maintaining a professional distance

with colleagues and participated

the Collins family in a

became then

of attention, stirring

of many

like a blue-chip stock, it's

once to reconcile me with

to Grant with a

choked on his drink at my